Sunday, October 28, 2012

Pushkar: Land of Sarovar and Sands

Those eyes!!
Pushkar is considered to be one of the holiest cities of India for the existence of Brahma temple that is believed to be built in 14th century AD. Also the lake (sarovar) in Pushkar is believed to have been created when Lord Brahma dropped a lotus flower on earth which turned into a lake. Pushkar is also famous for the annual Camel Fair that is held here in November. Of late, Pushkar has become quite popular with foreign tourists for handicrafts, fusion music, cheap rents and the intoxicating atmosphere.

Fire seems to be his food

The town of Pushkar is situated 14 kms northwest of Ajmer. The road condition from New Delhi to Ajmer is quite good though there is still a possibility of traffic jams due to construction work going on the highway. However, the road from Ajmer to Pushkar is full of potholes. Thankfully its not a long stretch. Overall, Pushkar is at a distance of about 390 kms from Delhi and the distance can be covered in about 7 hours.

Brilliant performance
We went to Pushkar on a office trip and departed from Gurgaon at midnight in Volvo bus. As our driver demanded a nap midway, so we reached Pushkar quite late at around 10 in the morning. We stayed at Ananta Resort located about 4 kms before Pushkar. The resort is quite nicely maintained and seemed impressive at first impression. The rooms are luxurious and are mostly in the form of villas with a private porch/balcony for each room. However, it was their service that really disappointed us especially in the restaurant. Also, the resort staff failed to provide us with TV connection over our two day stay in any of the 30 rooms that our group had occupied.

In action
In the evening, we went to Pushkar town for sightseeing. Our first visit was to the famous Brahma temple. However, I was a bit disappointed with the temple as I couldn't see any reason for the temple to be famous. It was just like all our regular temples and I personally didn't feel the positive energy that comes to us at some of our famous temples. A short walk from the temple lies the sarovar or Pushkar lake. Years back, the lake was surrounded by almost 500 temples and 50 palaces. However, the mughal king, Aurangzeb demolished most of these. But many of them were rebuilt just like they originally were and today you can see them doting the banks of the lake to give it an enchanting feel. The lake area seemed quite peaceful due to the absence of huge crowd at this time of the year and spending a quite hour sitting besides it felt refreshing.

Qawwali Session
Next day, a paintball competition was organised in the resort lawns. I had never played paintball before and enjoyed it totally. However, the blood clots left from the bullets that hit me kept reminding me the game for a couple of days.

This evening, we left for sand dunes to enjoy a typical Rajasthani evening. From the point where bus dropped us, there was a camel cart to carry us to the event site. Here, we enjoyed rajasthani folk music followed by a Qawwali session. Apart from the music, the acts of fire by some local performers were amazing. After our return to the resort, we left for our return trip to Delhi early next morning.

Breathes of fire
Places of Interest:
In Pushkar:
1. Brahma Temple
2. Pushkar Lake
3. Pushkar Camel Fair (Annual event in November)

Around Pushkar:
1. Ajmer Sharif Dargah (14 kms from Pushkar)

17 comments:

travel ufo said...

wow . sachin . i think you enjoyed a lot of pushkar trip. i had visited pushkar about 5 years ago .you can read it on my blog

Sachin said...

Can you please post the link to your blog?

Shalu Sharma said...

Pushkar seems like a great place to visit.

Sachin said...

Pushkar Camel Fair is about to start in a week!! That would be a great time to visit Pushkar!!

Ashish Kapoor said...

Being a part of the trip, I can say that you have provided an exhaustive account. Pushkar is definitely a good destination for a weekend getaway from Delhi.

Sachin said...

Thanks Ashish

Discovery Journeys India said...

Rajasthan is among the richest states in the country as far as the field of arts and crafts is concerned. Stone, clay, leather, wood, ivory, lac, glass, brass, silver, gold and textiles are given the most brilliant forms.

Thanks,

Rajasthan Camel Festival 2012 | Pushkar Mela | Camel Festival Rajasthan

Sachin said...

I couldn't agree more..

Unknown said...

Pushkar only place of Lord Bhrama. Great place. And the <a href="http://www.anantahotels.com/hotels of pushkar</a> are also good.

Dimpy Roy said...

Its just wow post. Pushkar has numerous other spellbinding temples and is also very famous for the 5-day Camel Festival held during November, attracting traders and tourists alike. Check out more fact about Brahma Temple Pushkar.

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Unknown said...

Thank you for sharing beautiful pictures and informative post on Pushkar, a town in the Ajmer district. With various beautiful places to visit in Pushkar ,in recent years it has become a popular destination for foreign tourists.Loved your post.

grandindiatour said...

Thanks for sharing such a nice article, Royal rajasthan tour are very interesting tour.

Anonymous said...

Dear Sachin, I know reason behind your disappointment. First let you know that Pushkar is only place with Brahma Temple. Best time to visit Pushkar is in month of October and November, because famous Pushkar Fair is organized by the government of rajasthan. Major attraction of fair is cultural activities, camel safari, various handicrafts, hot air ballooning and more.

Reema said...

Pushkar and Ajmer is the perfect getaway for you and your family where you visit some of the most famous and sacred places in Rajasthan.
Golden Triangle with Pushkar Fair and Ajmer

Lohana Village Pushkar said...

You add a whole new delight in your blog with the title. I actually couldn't resist myself from reading the blog which is surely well written after the title. Thanks for sharing the blog, it really is interesting.

Top Indian Holidays said...

Pushkar is a very famous place in Rajasthan and it's actually famous for its fair. And It is a holy place mostly visited for the sacred Pushkar Lake, the Brahma temple and the renowned Camel Safari. Pushkar is primarily a pilgrimage spot, it is also visited for the exciting camel safaris in the desert sand dunes.