Sarangkheda Chetak Festival 2017 ended successfully with the sale of 1053 horses

~16 Lakhs visitors explored the diversity of horses at the Festival~

Mumbai, 4^th January 2018: The Sarangkheda Chetak Festival was a mutually organized event by Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) and Sarangkheda Chetak Festival Committee, which exhibited the stunning diversity of horses to the world. The festival concluded with the sale of 1053 horses with the value of Rs 3.57 Crore. This 300-year-old legacy was appreciated by those who appreciate world class equestrian.

Sarangkheda, a small village with the population of around 10,000 came alive with the participation of more than 2500 horses of indigenous breeds like Kathiawadi, Marwari, Manipuri and Nukhra from various states like Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Punjab. The scenic rural locality of Northern Maharashtra got into busy mode with the arrival of 16 lakh visitors which include domestic as well as foreign visitors from America, Japan and Russia.

The horses like Padma, Oscar, Bahubali and Narsimha were the main attraction of this festival but these horses were not for sale. These horses with five white markings were considered as the fortunate ones. The owners of these steeds were delighted, and the estimated value of Padma was Rs 2 Crore, Oscar was Rs 1.11 Crore while Bahubali and Narsimha were Rs 51 Lakhs and Rs 11 Lakhs respectively. MTDC has also planned to develop a horse museum for visitors that will instruct them about the several qualities of horse breeds including marking, lifespan and colour. 

The State Government has permitted Rs 4.98 crores for the dome shaped horse museum which will be built on 6.5 acres land along the Tapi River.

MTDC constantly endeavours to create new avenues of tourism in the state as adventure tourism is a growing segment that attracts huge number of youngsters. MTDC is certain that the adventurous activities like horse riding, quad biking, paint ball, archery, horse trail safari, para motoring, tent pegging, jet ski, paddle boat, speed boat, banana boat, kayaking at Nandurbar district will be the perfect getaway for travellers.

Speaking at the occasion, Shri. Jaykumar Rawal, Minister of Tourism & (EGS), Government of Maharashtra said, “I am delighted to perceive that Sarangkheda Chetak Festival 2017 has highlighted the best breed of horses and it is one of the most impressive and primitive festival in Maharashtra. We welcome lakhs of tourists in our state every year, but with this festival, we also wanted to encourage our own people to head out and travel. Sarangkheda as small village, located in the foothills of Sahyadris is a picturesque holiday destination for those looking for some thrills and adventure sports. Sarangkheda Chetak festival 2017 offered wide variety of activities including horse racing, horse dance shows, horse display, breeding information, horse show competition, adventure activities and water sport activities on the banks of Tapi River. I am certain that these thrilling activities will entice huge number of visitors across the globe in the coming years.”