32nd Surajkund International Crafts Mela held in Haryana

The 32nd edition of Surajkund International Crafts Mela was held at Faridabad, Haryana. It was formally inaugurated by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the presence of Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar.
It is annual cultural festival hosted since 1987 to showcase richness and diversity of the handicrafts and cultural heritage of India. This year Uttar Pradesh is theme state and Kyrgyzstan is the partner nation.

Key facts

The Mela is organized every year by Surajkund Mela Authority and Haryana Tourism in collaboration with Union Ministries of Tourism, Textiles, Culture and External Affairs Ministry. The 15-day festival showcases richness and diversity of handicrafts, handlooms and cultural heritage of the country.
The festival’s name Surajkund derives its name from ancient amphitheatre constructed in 10th century AD by Raja Suraj Pal, one of Tomar chieftains. This is unique monument was built to worship Sun God (Surya) and it resembles a Greek amphitheatre.
This year Uttar Pradesh as theme state showcased its religious tourism, rural tourism and spiritual tourism apart from its art, culture and heritage. 29 countries also took part in this edition of Mela. It also showcased religious tourism circuit — such as Ayodhya, Kashi, Mathura apart from the art, culture, and heritage of UP.