Pushkar
One Of The Oldest Hindu Pilgrimage Towns; Host Of The Pushkar Camel Fair · Pushkar, Rajasthan
A small holy town in the Aravalli hills of Rajasthan, around a sacred lake ringed by fifty-two ghats and hundreds of temples, one of the oldest pilgrimage towns in India. Its Brahma temple is one of very few in the world dedicated to the creator god. Pilgrims bathe in the lake, and the town is strictly vegetarian, with no alcohol or eggs. For decades Pushkar has also been a stop on the backpacker trail, with rooftop cafes, music and a bazaar of clothes and trinkets winding around the lake. Its great event is the Pushkar Camel Fair, held around the Kartik full moon in October or November, when tens of thousands of camels, horses and cattle are traded in the desert at the edge of town, with races, competitions and a huge religious bathing festival on the last days. The Savitri temple on a hill, reached by steps or a ropeway, gives the view at sunrise. The town has one famous trap: men at the ghats offer a flower for a blessing and then demand a large donation. Ajmer, with the great Sufi shrine of Ajmer Sharif, is a short drive over the hills.
Pushkar Lake Ghats, Pushkar, Rajasthan, 305022, India
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED; confirm before planning. The typical pattern: the ghats are open all day and night; aarti takes place at dawn and dusk; the Brahma temple and other temples open early, close for several hours around midday and reopen until late evening; the ropeway runs in daylight hours. The Camel Fair falls around the Kartik full moon in October or November and lasts about a week; confirm the year's dates. The trap: arriving at the Brahma temple in the midday closure, or for the fair's last days expecting camels.