Sonepur Mela & Hariharnath

The legend is the Gajendra Moksha: an elephant seized by a crocodile in the Gandak called on Vishnu, who came and freed it, and the Hariharnath temple — Hari (Vishnu) and Har (Shiva) worshipped together, which is rare — marks the spot. The fair that grew around the Kartik Purnima bath became the subcontinent's great livestock market; the Mughals and the Company bought cavalry horses and war elephants here, and elephants were still sold openly until the 2000s.

Today the Harihar Kshetra Mela runs from Kartik Purnima (November) for about a month. Horses are the main trade now — Marwari and local breeds paraded at dawn — with cattle, birds, dogs, agricultural tools, and a sprawl of theatres, Ferris wheels, mithai stalls and government pavilions. Bihar Tourism puts up a Swiss-cottage tent village for the first fortnight, which is the comfortable way to stay.

Outside the fair, Sonepur is a short hop from Patna across the Gandhi Setu and the new Digha bridge; Hariharnath and the ghats are worth an hour, and Ami Sthan's Ambika Bhavani — one of the Shakti Peethas — is 30 km up the road toward Chhapra.