Tarnetar
Trinetreshwar temple and Saurashtra's monsoon marriage fair
Best time to visit Tarnetar
- Jan, shoulder season
- Feb, shoulder season
- Mar, shoulder season
- Apr, best avoided
- May, best avoided
- Jun, best avoided
- Jul, off-season
- Aug, peak season
- Sep, peak season
- Oct, shoulder season
- Nov, shoulder season
- Dec, shoulder season
peak shoulder off-season avoid
- Go: August to September
- Shoulder: October to March, quieter, and the weather is less of a sure thing
- Skip: April to June
Tarnetar season by season
Winter December to February Shoulder
Dec-Feb is 11-30 C and pleasant, but with the fair long gone you get a plain temple, a bathing kund and a quiet village.
Summer March to May Shoulder
April-June is 42 C on open Saurashtra scrub with nothing happening; there is no reason to stand here in those months.
Monsoon June to September Prime time
This is the whole point: for three days in Bhadarvi, late Aug or early Sep, the fields fill with embroidered umbrellas.
Autumn October to November Shoulder
October-November is dry, mild and empty again; the Trinetreshwar temple and its kund take about an hour to see.
What Tarnetar is actually like
Fair time is tents, folk dance and a huge rural crowd; the rest of the year a quiet temple with no beds in the village
Getting to Tarnetar
Road only in practice: Rajkot 75 km or Surendranagar 60 km by bus via Thangadh, extra services at fair time
Practical ways in: road
Trip facts
- How long to stay
- 1 day
- Budget
- Shoestring
- How busy
- Busy at its peak
- Solo travel
- Doable solo with some planning
- Altitude
- 117 m
- State
- Gujarat
- Coordinates
- 22.6458, 71.2133
Common questions
When is the best time to visit Tarnetar?
August to September is peak season in Tarnetar. October to March is shoulder season: thinner crowds, a bit more risk in the weather. Avoid April to June. This is the whole point: for three days in Bhadarvi, late Aug or early Sep, the fields fill with embroidered umbrellas.
How many days do you need in Tarnetar?
1 day is the usual stay. Fair time is tents, folk dance and a huge rural crowd; the rest of the year a quiet temple with no beds in the village.
How do you get to Tarnetar?
Road only in practice: Rajkot 75 km or Surendranagar 60 km by bus via Thangadh, extra services at fair time. Practical ways in: road.
Is Tarnetar expensive, and does it get crowded?
Shoestring by Indian travel standards, and it runs busy at the busiest time of year. Doable solo with some planning.
Is there a festival in Tarnetar?
Aug/Sep: Tarnetar fair on Bhadarvi Sud 4-6. Time a trip around it and you see the place at its loudest, but book beds early.
Nearby, and where to go next
-
Wankaner
Gujarat
Palace of many styles with a spring-fed stepwell pool
40 km from Tarnetar, roughly under an hour by road
-
Nal Sarovar
Gujarat
Shallow 120 sq km Ramsar lake of flamingos and punt boats
110 km from Tarnetar, roughly about 2 h by road
-
Gondal
Gujarat
Naulakha palace, a royal car shed and river ghats
120 km from Tarnetar, roughly about 2 h by road
-
Little Rann of Kutch (Dasada)
Gujarat
Salt-flat safaris for the last wild asses and crane flocks
130 km from Tarnetar, roughly about 3 h by road
-
Velavadar (Blackbuck National Park)
Gujarat
Grassland savanna of blackbuck, wolves and harrier roosts
140 km from Tarnetar, roughly about 3 h by road
-
Palitana (Shatrunjaya)
Gujarat
A marble city of Jain temples up 3,750 steps on one hill
180 km from Tarnetar, roughly about 3 h by road
-
Modhera (Sun Temple)
Gujarat
Solanki sun temple over a stepped kund of 108 shrines
190 km from Tarnetar, roughly about 4 h by road
-
Ahmedabad
Gujarat
UNESCO old city of pols, stepwells and street food
190 km from Tarnetar, roughly about 4 h by road
More places to visit in Gujarat
- Ahmedabad Gujarat
- Bhuj Gujarat
- Champaner-Pavagadh Gujarat
- Dholavira Gujarat
- Dwarka Gujarat
- Gir (Sasan Gir) Gujarat
- Gondal Gujarat
- Idar (Idariyo Gadh) Gujarat
- Junagadh (Girnar) Gujarat
- Little Rann of Kutch (Dasada) Gujarat
- Mandvi (Kutch) Gujarat
- Modhera (Sun Temple) Gujarat
- Nal Sarovar Gujarat
- Narara (Marine National Park) Gujarat
- Ninai Falls (Dediapada) Gujarat
- Palitana (Shatrunjaya) Gujarat
- Patan (Rani ki Vav) Gujarat
- Polo Forest (Vijaynagar) Gujarat
- Rann of Kutch (Dhordo) Gujarat
- Saputara Gujarat
- Somnath Gujarat
- Statue of Unity Gujarat
- Vadnagar Gujarat
- Velavadar (Blackbuck National Park) Gujarat
- Wankaner Gujarat
- Wilson Hills (Dharampur) Gujarat