Pushkar

A day trip to Pushkar sets you free with its mystic beauty!

Tourism

India is popular worldwide for its cultural diversity with people of different religions coexisting side by side. The country is dots with numerous places of Hindu pilgrims. Of them, Pushkar stands as one of the holiest places in Hindu mythology, house to amusing attractions, beautiful scenic locations and cordial environment. Are you tired of your monotonous life? Seeking for some tranquillity and solace? An escape to Puskar could be your much-awaited opportunity. A day trip to Pushkar promises to offer you the most memorable experience.

Pushkar is a charming little town which falls just 15 km away from the Ajmer city in Rajasthan. Situated ideally in a beautiful valley, it surrounds hills on three sides and sand dunes on the other. It is one of the five most sacred pilgrimages in the Hindu religion, the others being Puri, Badrinath, Rameswaram and Dwarka. It is the land where God resides. Pious people from various parts of India visit Pushkar, the only abode of Brahma, to have a holy dip in the Pushkar lake.

What makes Pushkar special?

Home to at least five hundred temples and over fifty ghats, Pushkar holds a special place in the heart of every devout Hindu. The temples in Pushkar implies the kind of atmosphere and religious tenor that echoes in this town. The reverberation of pujas and chantings, beatings of drums and the sound of devotional prayer songs offers a unique scene for the thousands of devotees and wraps them in the fabric of one religious sentiment. The whole mystic aura and the silver bells ringing from the camels is totally interesting for someone who visits Pushkar for the first time.

In recent times, many foreign tourists are also making it a point to a day trip to Pushkar in order to get a view of indescribable natural beauty. Let’s introduce you to the major features of this mystic place.

Explore the lake on a day trip to Pushkar

At the very first glance, the divine lanwill mesmerize you by the panoramic beauty of the lake which surrounds this holy town. Pushkar Lake or Pushkar Sarovar is the heart of the quiet town. The legends believe that it is formed by Lord Brahma himself.

According to Hindu mythology, Lord Brahma, who is the creator of the universe, was in search of an auspicious place to perform yagna and was flying over the Rajasthan desert on his swam. Some lotus petals fell from his hand and floated down. Amazingly, three blue lakes sprang up where the flowers touched land. Of them, a lake the largest of the three lakes formed up at Pushkar. That is how the scenic holy lake which Hindu devotees worship, came into being. A dip in the lake gives you the ultimate salvation you are seeking. The serenity of the lake lives when a huge aarti ceremony takes place at night.

There are a plethora of temples around this lake and the various ghats connect the temples to the water. Mere one glimpse of the place fills one with a sense of spirituality.

Temples to make the most of your day trip to Pushkar

Pushkar Temples

Pushkar is the king of all pilgrimages (Teerth Raj). Most importantly, It is a shrine of Lord Brahma with the construction that belongs to 14th century. The significance of this Pushkar temple is that it is the only temple in India where people Lord Brahma. The Pushkar temple is an aesthetic pleasure even to the tourist who may not visit temples merely out of devotion. The temple can easily be identified by its red spire and the sculpture of a swan, which was the preferred animal of Lord Brahma.

The temple has been built with marbles and is decorated with silver coins. A silver turtle adorns the floor of the temple, amplifying further artistic enticement to the place. It is also believed that Lord Brahma along with many other gods and goddesses carried a sacred ritual (Yagya) here. In order to preserve the sanctity and piety of this place, it is illicit to consume meat, drugs and alcohol when one is in Pushkar.

Out of the 500 temples here, there are many other important temples that dot the place. Of them, the Savitri shrine on the hill behind the Brahma Temple is a shrine dedicated to Lord Brahma’s first wife. One can reach this temple by a flight of steps that also offers a stunning view of the lake and the encompassing desert scape. The Varaha temple stands out for its sculptures, carvings and richly ornamented appearance. It was rebuilt by Raja Sawai Jai Singh of Jaipur in the year 1727. It is temple of Lord Vishnu with his incarnation in the form of a boar. Another one is the Rangji temple having design that resembles the South Indian architectural style.

Discover the Ghats on a day trip to Pushkar

Pushkar Ghats

Pushkar has 52 ghats where pilgrims descend to the lake to have a holy bath. As per the legends, if you take a holy dip on Kartik Purnima, it is equivalent to perform yajnas for several years.

Other attractions

Apart from the numerous temples, another prominent tourist attraction of Pushkar is the Man Mahal, a palace erected by Raja Man Singh of Ajmer. Raja Man Singh used this largest imperial house during his stays to Pushkar.

Although Pushkar is an ancient pilgrimage site, many of the old architecture was destroyed by Aurangzeb and have been rebuilt later. However, the place can still be transport back the visitors in time when they visit the sacred soil of Pushkar for a pilgrimage even for a single day.

The highlight of Pushkar: Pushkar Fair

Pushkar Fair

Along with being a prominent Hindu pilgrimage, Pushkar is perhaps more commonly associates with Pushkar Camel Fair. This fair is an annual religious carnival held beside the Pushkar lake. Being the largest Camel fair of the world, this fair sees a heavy turnout of tourists and pilgrims from around the world each year. Tourists come to this mystical land to witness this spectacular event and to savour the rich traditions and cultural heritage. The fair falls during the auspicious occasion of Kartik Purnima in the month of October/ November. It starts on Kartik Shukla Ekadashi and goes on for five days till Kartik Purnima.

You can spot more than 50,000 camels are seen in Pushkar during this fair. People bring many camels from every nook and corner to trade here. To have a good price, their owners clean and adorn their camels with finery and jewellery. Several stalls line up along the places, selling jewellery for camels. You can see camels wearing jewellery of silver and beads. They adorn bells and bangles around their ankles. An interesting ritual of nose piercing of camels also takes place here.

Although it was earlier meant for the trading of camel and cattle only, the Pushkar camel fair has now become a major tourist attraction and a grand ceremony in itself. The whole town seems to be entirely indulged in merrymaking and recreations. The atmosphere comes alive with colourfully dressed locals and tourists, devotees, musicians, acrobats, folk dancers, comedians, holy men and tourists exploring this fabulous fair in Pushkar. In fact, you can witness colourful, vibrant bazaars, enchanting folk music and sports involving camels.

Activities at Pushkar

Another crucial facet of the Pushkar Fair Rajasthan is the races and competitions. The chaos of camels flickering across the sands amidst cheers and screams from the audience is a fabulous view. The most fascinating contest held here is the camel beauty competition. Here, the camels are beautifully decorated for the parade. The other peaks of Pushkar Fair entail best breed contest, moustache competition, bridal competition along with activities like tattooing, ethnic shopping, puppet shows, acrobatics, etc.

It would be best if you plan your trip during this period, it’s the time of the year where the town is at its finest and full of good vibes. Besides the world-famous Pushkar fair, another awesome festival that runruns in Pushkar is the Hot Air Ballooning Festival. Some other carnivals are also held here, such as the Nagaur Fair, Tejaji Fair, and the Blue Lotus Festival.

When in Pushkar, the complete peace definitely bounds to affect you engulfing your soul. Everything about the place is magical. Whether they are sand dunes, lakes, religious places, awesome hikes, festivals, hot air balloons, or it is the camel rides, rooftop cafes all side by side with saints, pilgrims, touts, tourists, snake charmers, fireworks, glitter, everything amazes you. The Rajasthani fashionistas, little blue boys dressed as the Lord Shiva brings a bit of insanity to the local atmosphere.

It is hardly any wonder that the majority of the people who come to Jaipur never miss visiting this small town. So, a day trip to this small town, Pushkar is the right choice to get in touch for exotic travelling experience around Jaipur.

Best time to visit Pushkar

Best time to visit Pushkar

The best time to visit Pushkar mainly depends on two things: the weather and festivals. If you are wondering what the best weather to visit Pushkar, well we will let you know. Summers at Pushkar are incredibly hot, though nights and mornings will be enjoyable. The best time to visit is the wintertime, which extends from the month of October to March. The weather is pleasant during this period. Probably this is the reason why the fair takes place during this time. You can also enjoy camping at the Puskar.

How to Reach Pushkar

Pushkar is a popular tourists destination and hence it very well connects with all modes of communication. Jaipur airport is the nearest airport to Pushkar. The nearest railway station is Ajmer. The best way to reach here is through a road trip to Jaipur. It is around 145 km from Jaipur and it will take approx 3 to 4 hours journey. Getting around is very easy as Pushkar is a small town. It is ideal to explore Pushkar on foot only or you can use a bicycle.

Excursions from Pushkar

While Visiting Pushkar, one can also visit nearby attractions. They are Kunchaman Fort, Dargah of Sufi Saint Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chisti at Ajmer, A ride to Merta city and Sambhar Lake.