Sonepur

Sonepur, at the confluence of the Ganges and Gandak rivers just across from Patna, is famous throughout India as the host of the Sonepur Mela, historically considered the largest cattle and livestock fair in Asia. Held each November around the full moon of Kartik Purnima, the month-long fair traditionally traded everything from elephants and horses to cattle and birds, alongside a sprawling carnival of stalls, folk performances and religious bathing rituals at the river confluence.

While the livestock trading element has diminished in recent decades under changing regulations, Sonepur Mela remains a major cultural event and a striking spectacle of rural Bihar's traditions, drawing traders, performers and visitors from across the region even outside its historic role as a livestock market.

The fair's origins are linked to the sacred bathing ritual at the confluence of the two rivers during Kartik Purnima, a tradition believed to date back centuries and historically doubling as a natural gathering point for regional trade.

About 25km from Patna, easily reached by road or a short train journey across the Ganges.