The traditional 'Nakkati Mela' was held on Saturday at Lashkara village under sadar upazila in Thakurgaon.

Thousands of Hindu devotees from adjacent districts, including Thakurgaon, Dinajpur, Nilphamari and Panchagarh, came to pay homage to Bishnu at the temple. As in previous years, the mela attracted people of other communities as well.

Though the mela runs for only a day, hundreds of traders from different districts gather here and set up stalls with their goods and products.

The people of the district, especially low income groups from adjacent villages, eagerly await the mela, which gives them an opportunity to pick up items such as pottery, handicrafts and household items for women and traditional toys for children.

'Nakkati Mela' is held on the first Saturday after three Thursdays in the month of Baishakh. The festival's origins are shrouded in mystery. According to one version, around 200 years ago a statue of Bishnu was found in a nearby pond. The mela became an integral part of the celebration of the discovery.

As the Bishnu sculpture's nose was broken, the mela came to be known as 'Nakkati Mela'.

Amena Begum, 38, a day labourer of Gorea village under sadar upazila in Thakurgaon, told this correspondent, "I cannot not afford to buy toys for my children over the year because of soaring prices in the market. I wait for the mela so that I can purchase toys for my son and household materials at a low cost."