Fair
Lavi Fair, Rampur
When it happens
Held on broadly fixed dates in mid-November each year — commonly 11 to 14 November — with the programme set by the district administration. Confirm the current year's dates locally before travelling.
Lavi grew up where the trade routes from Tibet, Kinnaur, Spiti and Ladakh met the Sutlej valley. For generations traders came down before the passes closed for winter to sell wool, pashmina shawls, chilgoza pine nuts, dried apricots, horses, yak tails and herbs, and to buy grain and manufactured goods to carry back up.
The fair still runs on that calendar. Rampur fills with stalls and livestock, the wool and dry-fruit market is genuine rather than ornamental, and horse and mule trading continues on the edge of town. Alongside the market the administration runs a cultural programme, a flower show and sports.
Lavi is often described as international because of its old links across the Himalaya; a treaty between Bushahr and Tibet in the late 17th century is usually cited as its formal beginning.
Why it matters
The fair is tied to a trade agreement between the state of Bushahr and Tibet around 1683, which regularised cross-Himalayan commerce through Rampur. It remains the main autumn market for the high valleys of Kinnaur and Spiti and a fixture of the Bushahr calendar.
What to expect
A working wool, pashmina and dry-fruit market, horse and mule trading, craft and food stalls, and cultural evenings. Rampur is at a low, mild elevation but November evenings are cool. Accommodation is limited — many visitors stay at Narkanda or Sarahan and travel in.
Places nearby
Lunar dates shift every year and local programmes change — confirm the current year's dates with Himachal Pradesh Tourism or the district administration before you book travel.