The Malegaon yatra or jatra is the second biggest animal fair in the country after Rajasthan’s Pushkar Mela, which takes place in Loha taluka of Nanded district in Maharashtra every year. The Malegaon yatra revolves around the temple of Khandoba, the deity worshipped as Mallanna and Mailara in Telangana and Karnataka by many communities. At the time of the fair – horses, asses, camels etc are brought in large numbers and thousands of people visit the Fair.

A proud horse trainer Md. Moinuddin introduces the rare miniature horse put up for sale at the Malegaon yatra saying, “This is Laddu from Jalpally farms near Hyderabad, it costs Rs.15 lakh only” as curious onlookers and probable purchasers flock his stall at the fairgrounds.

Moinuddin, currently handling trading of horses on behalf of Hyderabad breeders Faisal bin Thrip and Abdulla bin Thrip, represents the continuing connection of Telangana and its capital city with this nearly 400-year-old fair. “We have been participating in the event since quite a few years and our horses have always been among the costliest on display here,” he says to denote the connection.

Pointing the Hyderabad’s connection with Malegaon yatra, Purushottam Patil, a retired engineering professor from the family of Pujaris of the Khandoba temple with which the annual event is connected – says, “The Hyderabadi connection dates back to the days of the Qutub Shahi kings and the Nizams as they had started the yatra. The Nizams’ love for horses resulted in their active participation in the yatra and they had provided all facilities for traders coming from different parts of the country.”

There are a few camel traders like Shahbaz Ali Khan who actually belong to Hyderabad but hardly get to visit the place as they are busy throughout the year attending such fairs or melas. “This is one of the most important events for us and I have not given it a miss since I started coming here about 30 years back,” he recalls.

The fair goes back at least 350 years in this small town in Loha taluka of Nanded district in Maharashtra and reflects the culture and traditions of the notified castes and dependent communities in areas that were once part of the Hyderabad State under the Asaf Jahi rulers. It served as a meeting place for the scattered families of communities like Vaidu, Kaikari, Potharaju, Masanjogi, Chudbudkewale, Wadderas and Pardis from the Telangana-Marathwada-Karnataka regions. Apart from the trade in cattle, the fair was also an occasion to hold panchayats to settle disputes among the scattered communities.

The Telangana connection can still be seen near the Khandoba temple and the donkey market at the fair which is an important religious event for notified castes and dependent communities. While Potharajus can be seen near the temple, Wadderas can be found trading in donkeys and Pardis selling traditional traps, nets and snares to catch wild animals.