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BANKING TRADE AND COMMERCE
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FAIRS
During old days fairs were important centres of trade. However, with the development of transport and communication facilities, opening of retail shops in the villages and growth of urbanisation, the fairs are now losing their former economic significance though some fairs such as those at Barshi, Pandharpur. Mohol, Wadwal and Sholapur still claim to retain their importance as centres of trade. These fairs are occasions of brisk trading activity and the villagers still flock to purchase their annual requirements of cattle and other goods.
An account of fairs given in the old Sholapur District Gazetteer published in 1884 is reproduced below:—
"Of nineteen fairs held in the district one held at Sholapur on
the 12 of January, three held at Pandharpur in April, July and
November and one held at Sonari in April are the most important.
The details are:—
SHOLAPUR FAIRS, 1884 |
Name |
Month |
People |
Sale | |
Sholapur— | | |
£ | |
Sholapur |
January |
5,000 |
7,500 | |
Bale |
December |
5,000 |
1,350 | |
Madha— | |
|
| |
Madha |
October |
300 |
90 | |
Shetphal |
April |
1,000 |
70 | |
Mohol |
April |
1,000 |
80 | |
Vadval |
May |
1,000 |
40 | |
Akol |
May |
1,000 |
30 | |
Karmala— | |
|
| |
Sonari |
April |
7,000 |
630 | |
Pandharpur— | |
|
| |
Pandharpur |
April |
25,000 |
6,000 | | |
July |
1,20,000 |
14,000 | | |
November |
70,000 |
20,600 | |
Machnur |
February |
3,000 |
60 | |
Malsiras— | |
|
| |
Natepute |
March |
3,000 |
12 | |
Mahalung |
April |
4,000 |
4 | |
Dahigaon |
November |
1,000 |
13 | |
Tarangphal |
February |
700 |
2 |
SHOLAPUR FAIRS, 1884—contd.
|
Name |
Month |
People |
Sale |
Sangola— |
| |
£ |
|
Dahivadi |
May |
5,000 |
100 |
|
Yeola |
May |
6,000 |
180 |
|
Vatambre |
April and December |
1,000 |
4 |
The fairs are places for distributing as well as for gathering goods.
The sellers are generally Vanis, Lingayats, Kasars and cultivators.
The chief articles for sale are cloth, pots, grain, glass bangles, and
live-stock. The buyers are towns-people, pilgrims, and neighbouring
villagers. There is no barter." [Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency, Volume XX, Sholapur, 1884, pp. 262-63.]
Many of the fairs are held after the harvest season. A large amount of sale and purchase of agricultural produce takes place at these fairs, where traders of all castes and creed assemble. Now fairs are held more in the nature of a commercial activity though they have still not lost their religious significance. The turn-over of commercial transactions at such fairs is considerable as compared to that in a weekly bazar. Pedlars, hawkers and retail traders who set up their booths at the site of fairs do flourishing business. |
