VISIT PUSHKAR

Pushkar is 11 kms from Ajmer, the two places naturally separated by the 'Snake Mountain'. Pushkar's sacred lake - 'Lake of Lotuses' - is believed by Hindus to be as old as creation, and its waters a source of special powers that bestow health, beauty, fertility and wisdom. A place of pilgrimage through centuries, Pushkar's glories are celebrated as far back as the ancient epic Ramayana. Punched coins date its presence to the 4th. century B.C. And, archaeological excavations show it to have been a Jain settlement before it became a Hindu temple city in the 9th. century.

Its layers of historical tradition intact, this ancient city continues to be a major pilgrim center. It is best known for its 14th. century Brahma Temple, believed to be the only temple in the world dedicated to Brahma, the god of creation. When you visit, you will hear the colourful legend of Brahma's amorous dalliances with a local Pushkar girl that invited the curse of his wife that he would remain forever homeless on earth outside of Pushkar.

Imagine a blue lake in the center, a dense cluster of whitewashed temples around it, and the whole surrounded by acres and acres of red roses… and you have Pushkar!

Today around five hundred temples - some dating back to the 10th. century - dedicated to all the major and minor gods in the Hindu pantheon, ring the Lotus Lake. Broad flights of steps lead down from the temples to the holy waters. What is distinctive about Pushkar is that every caste group in Rajasthan - high and low - has always had its own temple there, each with its own rest houses and resident and visiting sadhus (ascetics, many in dreadlocks, and always dressed in flowing saffron or white robes). In the cobblestone lanes of the city, sadhus and pilgrims from every part of Rajasthan in distinctive traditional attire jostle with locals and tourists. Tiny colourful shops line these streets selling offerings for worship, sweets... something for everyone. All these together make Pushkar a truly exotic experience.

Two other features add to Pushkar's uniqueness. Surrounding the city are nearly a thousand acres of farmland that  grow only roses. You will see these bright red roses everywhere you look: piled high in Pushkar's and Ajmer's flower shops, adorning the deities in the temples, woven into chadars (screens) offered at Muslim places of worship, and in the flower markets of Jaipur and beyond. Pushkar came to be established as a center for red rose cultivation by an order of the Mughal court, its main clients being the royal court, places of Islamic and Hindu worship, ittar (perfume) and wine making factories, and manufacturers of ingredients for pan (betel leaf) preparations. The Mughal court may have become extinct, but the roses of Pushkar continue to service the other sets of clients.

The other unique feature is the annual week-long Pushkar Camel Fair, that begins on the 8th. day of the Hindu lunar month of Kartik (October-November) and closes on the night of the full moon. Believed to be the largest and only animal fair of its kind in the world, it combines cattle trading and religious activities in the first and second half of the week, respectively. In this week, Pushkar becomes an explosion of colour and festivities that offers a feast for the senses. You can see horse and camel races, rural games and competitions, beauty contests for animals and humans, performances of folk music and dances from across Rajasthan, and sale of handicrafts.