Mela
Sign in to save200px|thumb|right|A procession of Akharas marching .....over a temporary bridge over the [[Ganges river, Kumbh Mela at Allahabad, 2001]]
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Encyclopedic overview
9 sectionsContents
- Notable Melas in South Asia
- India
- Bangladesh
- Pakistan
- Usage outside South Asia
- Notable Melas outside the Asian subcontinent
- See also
- References
- External links
200px|thumb|right|A procession of Akharas marching .....over a temporary bridge over the [[Ganges river, Kumbh Mela at Allahabad, 2001]]
Mela () is a Sanskrit word meaning "gathering" or "to meet" or a "fair". It is used in the Indian subcontinent for all sizes of gatherings and can be religious, commercial, cultural or sport-related. In rural traditions melas or village fairs were (and in some cases still are) of great importance. This led to their export around the world by South Asian diaspora communities wishing to bring something of that tradition to their new countries.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Mela” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.