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The lake is girdled with 52 ‘ghats’ (wide stone steps leading down to the water), built by different kings and nobles. Expect to see pilgrims taking a ritual dip in the lake whenever you are by the lakeside. With hills on three sides, Pushkar is swarming with temples, said to number over 400. The most famous of these is the Brahma Temple, the only one in India where Lord Brahma, the Creator, is worshipped. The temple is at one end of the Sadar Bazaar is marked by a red spire and the beautiful statue of a ‘hans’ (swan), Lord Brahma’s ‘vahana’ (celestial carrier) over the entrance.

The towering ‘gopuram’ of the Rangaji Temple decorated with over 360 carved images dominates the area. The temple is noteworthy for its south Indian style of architecture.The Savitri Temple, dedicated to Lord Brahma’s consort, stands on a hill behind the Brahma Temple. The view of Pushkar Lake and surrounding landscape is simply magical. The other important temples are those dedicated to Mahadev, Badri Narayan, Gayatri and Varaha.

Indeed, life here revolves around these temples and ghats, as also the vibrant bazaars. However, this placid town takes on a very different character each year during the much anticipated cattle fair, famous as the Pushkar Fair, held at the time of ‘Kartik Purnima’ (full moon of the Hindu lunar month of Kartik which falls in October or November). Believed to be the largest cattle fair in all Asia, it is worth a visitor’s while to include this spectacular event in their travel itinerary. Don’t be surprised if you end up staying here longer than you planned – you won’t be the first to do so!

Getting There & Around
The nearest airport is at Jaipur (146 km). Cars with drivers can be rented through travel agents or tour operators and so can buses or taxis to get to Pushkar. Ajmer is the nearest railhead. It is linked to important cities by regular train services. The important connections are to Delhi, Mumbai and Jaipur. The most convenient connection to Delhi is by the air-conditioned Shatabdi Express. Pushkar is linked to Ajmer by an inter city bus service every twenty minutes which in turn is well connected by a good network of bus services to most important cities in the region, including Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Mt. Abu, Jaisalmer, Mumbai and Delhi. For sightseeing rental taxis and Rajasthan Tourist Development Corporation conducted tours are available. With auto rickshaws, insist on the use of the meter or try the cheaper mode of travel - the cycle rickshaw.

Special Events

Pushkar Fair
A temporary township of tents springs up on the outskirts of Pushkar after ‘Deewali’, ‘the festival of lights’, in October or November (the Indian lunar month of Kartik) as upto 200,000 people converge here for the world-famous cattle fair – pilgrims, tourists, film makers, traders, nomads and villagers with their herds of cattle, camels and horses. As livestock trading spreads over a fortnight, the whole town takes on a festive carnival atmosphere with colourful shops and food stalls coming up everywhere. While thousands of farmers haggle over the price of a camel or cow, other villagers participate in various contests, camel, donkey and horse races or take their children for rides on the giant wheel.

Campfires light up the cool November evenings and the performances of folk dance and music, cast a spell on the silent desert nights. The festivities peak on the day of the full moon as thousands of pilgrims take a holy dip. The moving ‘deepdan’ ceremony rounds off the proceedings, as hundreds of tiny flickering lamps are set afloat on the serene lake.

Just be there! This is a great place for shopping for all sorts of handicrafts, particularly embroidered fabrics, painted textiles, embroidered shoes, wall hangings, shoulder bags and old silver jewellery.