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Visit Pushkar, a town painted white, built
around a lake, surrounded by red roses, tucked in by hills on three
sides.
 Pushkar
Fair
Budget
Hotels
Brahman
Temple
Decide your favourite colour and pick a city to
match, Rajasthan's kaleidoscope of colours covers all.
Bastions of history, bristling with memories,
these splendid treasures stand battling the vageries of time.
Fort
Amber
The
City Palace, Jaipur
Wind
Palace, Jaipur
Chittaurgarh
Fort
City
Palace, Udaipur
Jaisalmer
Fort
Mehrangarh
Fort
Nahargarh
Fort, Jaipur
The desert sands shimmer and pulsate with an
energy and a spirit of festivity permeates the air, every season
provides many reasons to celebrate.
Camel
Festival
Mewar
Festival
Elephant
Festival
Gangaur
Festival
Pushkar
Festival
Desert
Festival
Ride a camel over the dunes or horses through
the hillside, speed ahead in a jeep and camp under open skies.
A delicate ecosystem, part desert part marshy
lands and even a small section of lush water filled valleys, sports a
wildlife rich in variety.
Whichever Budget Hotel you choose you will
always experience a traditional hospitality that you may never want to
forget.
Jaipur
Budget Hotels
Jaisalmer
Budget Hotels
Bharatpur
Budget Hotels
Bikaner
Budget Hotels
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Rajasthan Tours Travel » Fascinating
Cities of Rajasthan » Pushkar
Pushkar, Rajasthan
A
town painted white, built around a lake of sparkling blue, surrounded by
acres and acres of red roses, tucked in by hills on three sides and golden
dunes of sand on the fourth. With a history as magical as its location, no
wonder the tiny town of Pushkar is a significant destination within the
province of Rajasthan. Considered Brahma's only abode on earth it is the
sencond holiest city in India, ranked after Varanasi. But it's not just a
temple town, there's much to explore here in this maze of whitewashed
ghats, temples, ashrams and dharamshalas encircling the lake. Visit the
ghats to offer prayers along with rose petals and coconuts to appease the
deities, take a dip in the holy Pushkar Lake, for the more adventerous at
heart try some bhang lassi, attend the Pushkar Cattle Fair, do yoga at
sunrise or sunset, take an exotic Camel ride, treat yourself to a massage
with rose-scented oils, listen to some live music as you nurse a steaming
hot cuppa at one of its many cafes, stroll through the bazaar full of
interesting bric-a-brac and what ever else you do, do not miss out on
eating the local delicacies.
Legend/Myths
According to the epics, Pushkar was created when a lotus fell from the
hands of Lord Brahma and landed on this site. Brahma resolved to perform a
yagna here but since his wife Savitri was not with him he married a local
damsel called Gayatri and commenced his prayers, when Savitri arrived on
the scene and saw Gayatri she cursed Brahma that he would not be
worshipped anywhere outside of Pushkar ever.
Major Tourist Attractions of Pushkar
Temple Trail
The Brahma Temple stands on the ghat of the same name, check out the
four-faced icon of the Lord along with his shy bride Gayatri and the
silver Turtle that stands in attendance at the temple entrance. The Varaha
Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu is interestingly built in many layers. The
Aptaeshvar Temple is an underground shrine where a lingam has been
installed. There are many more sacred shrines and temples each with their
own unique significance in this land of Brahma.
Pushkar Cattle Fair
At Kartik-Purnima (the full moon, roughly around November) each year,
hundreds of thousands of people converge here to take a holy dip in the
sacred Pushkar Lake. The town mushrooms into a riot of colours and a hub
of activity, the famous Pushkar Cattle festival is also organised at the
same time. Cows, camels, sheep, goats and their traders flood the city.
The fair is a week long fiesta and with many competitions and
entertainment programs to liven up the scene. You will find storytellers,
hypnotists, snake charmers, magicians and monkey trainers all vying for
your attention.
Eating Out
With an array of Garden and rooftop restaurants, Pushkar is a town ideal
for a leisurely meal and a place where everyone quickly finds their
favourite eatry. The restaurants serve not only regular Indian dishes and
Rajasthani fare but also all manner and variety of foreign cuisine,
ranging from pastas and pizzas to vegetarian steaks, visitors are spoilt
for choice. The Halwai-Ki-Gali, offers a wide variety of snacks, including
spicy kachoris, hot samosas, crisp jalebis and mouthwatering malpuas.
Being a holy place, alcohol, meat and even eggs are banned.
Shopping in Pushkar
Pushkar's bazaar is a narrow curvy street lined with an assortment of
absorbing little shops. A myriad mix of goods are on sale here, one can
find everything from 60's timewarp clothing to Rajasthani turbans, from
statues of Brahma to the novels of Salman Rushdie. Particularly good buys
include costume jewellery, glass lamps, embroidered fabrics such as wall
hangings and shoulder bags, Rajasthani puppets and traditional music.
Haggling is very much a custom, so come prepared to bargain.
Weather Watch
Pushkar has an extreme climate and high temperature variations between
the seasons. Summers have hot days though the nights can be cold.
Temperature remains in the range of 10ºC in the winters. Pushkar does
not get much rainfall even during the monsoon. The best time to visit is
in the winter months ( September to March).
Getting Around
Pushkar is a relatively small town and easy enough to get around on foot.
There are no auto-rickshaws in the town center. If you are planning to
stay for long and don't want to foot it all around town then a bicycle is
your next best bet.
Getting There
Air : The airport nearest to Pushkar is in Jaipur.
Jaipur is well connected to all the major cities including Delhi, Mumbai,
Kolkata, Jodhpur, Udaipur.
Bus : Pushkar is 11 km from the main Ajmer bus stand.
Rajasthan Roadways also runs comfortable deluxe buses from Jaipur. There
are buses from Jaipur to Ajmer every 15 minutes, some nonstop. The roads
are very good, and it takes around 3 hrs from Jaipur to reach. You can
also hire private cars.
Train : The Railway Station nearest to Pushkar is in
Ajmer, it is on the Broad Gauge and hence connected to all the metro
cities of India. There are daily trains from Delhi in the mornings
(Shatabdhi Exp).
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