Lavi Fair is an international trade fair held at Rampur Bushahr town, which is around 132 km from Shimla. Lavi Fair 2021 at Rampur is from November 11 to November 14. It is held annually during the same period.
Rampur Bushahr Lavi Fair History
As long as 1824, Captain Kennedy recorded that Rampur may be considered the emporium of these Northern States … a channel of commercial communication… the resort of people of many countries, characters and customs. In fact, the town has been a centre of commerce between the Bushahrs, Kullu, Ladakh and Tibet for at least 300 years, when this profitable trade was formalized by a treaty between Raja Kehri Singh and Tibet.
The result was the annual Lavi fair. The name Lavi is said to derive from ‘loi’ which means both ‘raw wool’ and ‘to accept.’
Till today, every November, traders from afar make the journey to Rampur Bushahr, exchanging goods during the day and congregating for music, dance and festivity at night. The woolens, dry fruits and medicinal plants brought by the Kinnaura shepherds going downhill for winter are a major attraction in the fair.