The Unexplored Legacy, The Unexperienced Glory

A legacy that lives on, saddled in splendour and riding in glory, Chetak Festival, Sarangkheda is where you will find one of the most magnificent creatures mankind has known. An age-old rural fair of horses that has now been transformed into a month-long celebration, the festival is held in the picturesque rural hinterlands of Northern Maharashtra on the banks of River Tapi. Today, it is jointly organised as an initiative of Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. (MTDC) and Sarangkheda Committee in a modified format in order to share this stunning festival with the world. A 300-year-old legacy, it recreates the vibrant heritage for those who admire world-class equestrian spectacle. Held on the banks of River Tapi, in Sarangkheda village of Nandurbar district, the festival hosts more than 2500 horses at the venue. Beginning from the 8th December 2022 and lasting till 29th December 2022, the festival is the perfect year-end getaway, and a fascinating way to usher in the New Year.

The Enchanting Legend, The Regal Prestige

Where tradition comes together with trade, where royalty comes together with heritage and where one of the oldest horse fairs in India becomes the largest celebration of horses, this is the Chetak Festival of Sarangkheda. Every year, the beginning of the fair coincides with Datta Jayanti festival which mark’s the celebrations at the village’s Datta Mandir. For more than three centuries, this idyllic village has attracted the most majestic breeds of horses to be traded for their strength, beauty, agility and prestige.

Legend has it, that the brave Maratha ruler, Chhatrapati Shivaji visited this horse fair to acquire war horses of the highest quality. In the past, the fair has attracted horse traders and buyers to Sarangkheda from far-flung areas of India and as far as Balochistan and Arabia. The tradition of horse trading has continued to this day, with patrons and horse lovers from across the nation still visiting the village during the festival.