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BANKING TRADE AND COMMERCE
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FAIRS
Fairs had something more than a purely religious significance
as they formed an important basis for commercial transactions for the rural populace who had no other avenues for indulging in such activities The following extract taken from the old Yeotmal District Gazetteer published in 1908 throws some light on these fairs as they existed then: —
"Annual lairs are held at 13 villages in the District—Asegaon and Dattapur in Yeotmal taluk; Wardha, Jagjai and Anji Jagir, in Kelapur taluk: Wun. Adgaon, Ajanti and Tarnoli in Darwha taluk: and Moho, Dhanoda, Shembal Pimpri and Dhanki in Pusad taluk. The Wun fair is the most important in Berar. It lasts for about a month, beginning on Shivratri, that is generally in March. It is held at the temple of Rangnathswami or Sheshashai, an incarnation of Mahavishnu or Krishna, just outside the village. The fair is said to date only from 1848. During the last ten years it has repeatedly been stopped on account of plague; but in 1901 and again in 1904 the attendance was 10,000 or 15,000, and the sales of cattle and goods were more than Rs. 1,00,000. The fair at Moho is said sometimes to be well attended, but Fairs in Pusad taluk were stopped for some years recently on account of plague, and it is impossible to say what the normal attendance is. The other fairs mentioned are small
ones — some of them very petty. Charges of the nature of bazar dues are levied at fairs ".
Fairs play an important part in rural economy. They provide an opportunity to petty traders to display their goods and carry on brisk sales at a place where villagers assemble in large numbers. In the absence of regular and established markets, these fairs enabled the villagers to buy the necessities not available in weekly bazars and markets. However, with the establishment of weekly markets the importance of these fairs has dwindled from the commercial point of view. However, even now, commodities, such as, cloth, ready-made clothes, utensils of copper, brass, stainless steel and aluminium, fruits, sweet-meats, stationery and cutlery articles, toys, perfumery, toilets, hardware, agricultural implements, ropes, cattle, etc., are sold in a few fairs where the attendance is quite considerable. These fairs arc held on some festive occasions and are generally associated with important deities. These fairs are generally complementary to the weekly markets. [The Directory of Villages and Towns given at the end of this volume shows the places where fairs and weekly markets are held.]
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