Eid-al-Adha (The feast of sacrifice) is one of the two main festivals of the year in the Islamic calendar. It is popularly known as Bakra-id or Bakri-id because goats are usually sacrificed for this festival in the subcontinent.

Just before the festival, a large market for goats is held in Mumbai's Deonar neighbourhood. Goats (and a few sheep) from all over Maharashtra and parts of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and even the Kashmir valley are trucked into the city. This isn't the only source of animals for Mumbaikars: goats are also reared by people across the congested city, in alleyways and building compounds.

For shepherds from other states, selling their livestock in the market in prosperous Mumbai fetches a higher rate. This year, prices for goats are even higher since the Maharashtra government has banned the slaughter of cattle, the other species that is sacrificed on Eid-al-Adha.

This is what this year's Deonar goat market looked like.


Mumbai darshan: Eyes open wide, goatherds from Uttar Pradesh arrive in the city with their flocks of goats.  



The trucks from the north western states, especially Rajasthan, often bear striking motifs.



Before entering the market, the flocks get marked. 



A child plays outside a pen erected in the old Market area of the city, off Mohammad Ali Road.



Head count:  12 am on September 24. 



Food for the goats and sheep



A leash seller



On an autoriskshaw outside the Deonar mandi, an image of a goddess riding a goat.