RAS question
The Kesariyaji Fair is held at which Jain pilgrimage center?
Correct answer: (B) Rishabhdeo (Dhulev), Udaipur.
The Kesariyaji Fair is held at the Rishabhdev Ji temple at Dhulev in Udaipur district.
Explanation
Kesariyaji Fair belongs to the Rishabhdev Ji temple at Dhulev, near Udaipur, where Lord Rishabhdev is worshipped. The official Devasthan profile identifies the temple as Mandir Shri Rishabhdev Ji, located at Rishabh Deoji, Gram Dhulev, in Udaipur district, and records a fair in the black half of Chaitra on the eighth day for Rishabh Deoji's birth anniversary. The name Kesariyaji is also consistent with the shrine's ritual identity: saffron is used in abundance, and Kesar Pooja is part of the temple worship practices. The shrine is linked with the saffron-smeared idol of Adinath, and both Jain and Bhil devotees worship here.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Dilwara, Mount Abu is a Jain temple complex, but the Department of Devasthan places this fair at Rishabhdev Ji in Dhulev, Udaipur, not at Dilwara.
- (C) Ranakpur, Pali is a different Jain centre and is not the Rishabhdev Ji temple at Dhulev where the Chaitra fair is recorded.
- (D) Nakodaji, Barmer is another pilgrimage site, whereas Kesariyaji is tied to the Rishabhdev Ji temple at Dhulev in Udaipur district.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan's religious fairs and pilgrimage geography, especially the ability to match a locally known fair name with its shrine. It recurs in RAS because such fairs connect place names, sect traditions, and Rajasthan's cultural landscape.