Soak in the spiritual fervour, take a holy dip in Pushkar Lake, wash away your sins and then, head out carefree for a scintillating camel safari on the deserts of Pushkar!
11 km from Ajmer, Pushkar is the only shrine dedicated to Lord Brahma in the World. The lake has 52 ghats and an array of temples along its banks. The best season to plan a visit to Pushkar is October-November, when the day of Kartik Purnima, the Colorful Pushkar Fair is held.
The most interesting part of the fair is the camel auction and the colorful shops displaying beautiful Handicrafts, like embroidered fabric, shoes, beads, bangles, colorful camel saddles, bags, wall hangings and much more.
This is a new fad in Pushkar. Try it for those uninterrupted aerial views of the desert, the lake and the temples.
This is why the whole world lands in Pushkar in November. This unique and vibrant festival has a lot to offer, while you’re here, don’t miss the one-of-its-kind moustache competition.
Despite being small in size, Pushkar is home to around 500 temples including the famous Brahma Ji and Savitri temples.
The nearest airport to Pushkar is in Jaipur, which is 140 kilometres away. The airport is well-connected to major metropolitan cities like Delhi, Mumbai, kolkata. Once you reach at the airport, you can hire a cab to reach Pushkar.
You will need to take a train to Ajmer and then take a 30-minute drive to Pushkar. The Ajmer railway station is well-connected with major Indian cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Allahabad, Lucknow, Kolkata, Bhopal, and Bangalore.
This is not a great option for long distance travellers. However, buses from Delhi to Ajmer and further to Pushkar are easily available. The Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation runs deluxe and semi-deluxe buses (both air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned) connecting Ajmer to nearby cities and then transport you to Pushkar for a very nominal fare.
The Pushkar Mela is where you'll witness real Rajasthani culture. Camel and cattle trading define the essence of the event. Villagers from across Rajasthan, and more recently from other states, descend to this desert town to trade livestock.
The festivities begin with a camel race wherein camels are decorated and raced to the finish line. The fastest and the most beautifully decorated camel takes home the winning prize. Its selling price too increases by a few notches. Then there is the moustache competition, the bridal competition and the matka phod, in which local men climb one on top of the other to smash a matka or an earthen pot tied up high above the ground.
Brahma temples are rare. It must have been some really important reason for which the Hindus have an uncountable number of temples dedicated to each of their gods/goddesses. In case of Brahma – the very god believed to have created the Universe, the Brahma Temple in Pushkar is beautifully painted in shades of blue and red and was constructed using marble and stone slabs. It is believed to be almost 2,000 years old.
Every day at this temple, 3 pujas are performed by the sanyasis of the temples: Sandhya Aarti, Ratri Shayan Aarti, Mangala Aarti . Make sure you attend at least one of them.
Surrounded by a whopping 500 big and small temples, a parikrama of Pushkar Lake is believed to redeem your sins. The lake has 52 ghats, each of which were once the personal ghats for the 52 maharajas of Rajasthan who performed sacred rituals here.
Just as you enter the town of Pushkar (from the Ajmer side), you'll see a temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It is a majestic sight of this part of Pushkar and a must visit for all. Typical of its south-Indian architecture, the temple impresses you with its pure white architecture.
Centrally located in the town, the Panch Kund Shiva temple is just 2 to 3 kilometers away from the famous Pushkar Lake. If you’re interested to know more about the stories of Mahabharata, visit this beautiful Temple which is known to have been built by the Pandavas and is dedicated to Lord Shiva.
Perched atop a hill in Pushkar, it is the hour-long climb to the Savitri Temple which can be the most rewarding experience of visiting this temple. As you gain elevation, you'll be treated to amazing views of the desert and vistas of the town below. It is advisable to begin your journey early evening so that you can be up well in time to see the blazing orange sunset in the horizon.
Pushkar has 52 ghats around the lake, each one constructed for a Rajput Maharaja, who used to worship and pay respect to their local deities and other Hindu gods. However, two of them are the most notable. The Gau Ghat is famous because the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawahar Lal Nehru, and Lal Bahadur Shastri were scattered into the lake here. The Brahma Ghat is where it’s believed that Lord Brahma himself worshipped.
