Surajkund Crafts Mela Ground

Surajkund Crafts Mela Ground is a large open fairground at Surajkund in Faridabad, Haryana, about 8 km from South Delhi. It is the permanent venue of the annual Surajkund International Crafts Mela, organized since 1987 by Haryana Tourism and Surajkund Mela Authority. Set against the Aravalli hills near the 10th-century Surajkund reservoir, the ground hosts hundreds of artisan stalls, cultural stages and food courts showcasing handicrafts, handlooms and folk traditions from across India and abroad.

Visitors can expect a vast open ground transformed during the Mela period into a planned fair complex with rows of decorated stalls selling handicrafts, handlooms, pottery and textiles, open-air theatres (Chaupal) for folk dance and music, regional food courts, demonstration areas where artisans work live, and paved walkways connecting themed gates and pavilions. Outside the Mela period the ground is generally closed to the public and has limited activity. The setting is semi-urban at the edge of the Aravallis near Surajkund Lake.

The ground is named after Surajkund, an ancient reservoir built in the 10th century by Tomar ruler Suraj Pal. The Surajkund International Crafts Mela was first organized in 1987 by Haryana Tourism to promote traditional crafts and has since grown into an international event organized by Surajkund Mela Authority and Haryana Tourism in collaboration with Union Ministries of Tourism, Textiles, Culture and External Affairs.

The ground is culturally significant as India's largest annual crafts fair venue, providing a platform for artisans, weavers and folk artists from across India and abroad to showcase and sell traditional crafts, textiles and folk arts, and for visitors to experience diverse regional cultural performances, cuisines and craft traditions in one place.