Pushkar Information Guide

Nestled between spectacular mountain ranges and trespassed by a scenic lake, the city of Pushkar is home to a number of tourist attractions. Known as a 'pilgrim city', Pushkar is renowned for Pushkar Temples and serene surroundings that combine to present a perfect holidaying experience.

With The Rajputana Experience, travel to Pushkar becomes all the more interesting and lucrative. The various tourist attractions of Pushkar are straddled around the beautiful Pushkar Lake.

Some major Tourist Attractions In Pushkar :

Pushkar Lake : One of the most sacred sites for Hindus, Pushkar Lake is the most famous tourist attraction in the holy town of Pushkar. It's a beautiful semi-circular lake with 52 lovely ghats surrounding it. According to beliefs, a dip in the Pushkar Lake on the auspicious occasion of Karthik Poornima brings salvation to devotees.

Brahma Temple : It's the only temple dedicated to Lord Brahma, the creator of the universe according to Hindu temple, in all over India. The beautiful marble temple is famous for its four-headed idol of lord Brahma. It's decorated with silver coins and a silver turtle on its black and white chequered floor.

Savitri Temple : Dedicated to goddess Savitri, the first wife of Lord Brahma, it's the second most important temple in Pushkar. Located just behind the Brahma Temple on a hilltop, it provides a panoramic view of the scenic Pushkar Lake and exotic sand dunes nearby.

Rangji or Rangnath Temple : Rangji Temple is known for its gracious south Indian style of architecture. The temple houses a huge image of Lord Vishnu. It has a high rising 'Gopuram' (large gate) and Garuda pillars studded with a mythical bird styled in gold.

Varah Temple : One of the most sacred temples in Pushkar, Varah Temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It has an image of Vishnu in the incarnation of wild boar. According to a legend, Lord Vishnu visited the earth in the incarnation of a Varah (Wild boar) to kill an atrocious demon Hirnayaksh.

Jagat Pita Shri Brahma Temple :
The only temple dedicated to Lord Brahma, the universe's creator, is housed in Pushkar, Rajasthan. Standing on a high pedestal, this 14th century temple can be reached through marble steps.

Pushkar Camel Fair :
One of the biggest fairs in India, the cattle fair of Pushkar attracts buyers and sellers from all over the country who travel to Rajasthan to participate in this annual event.

Held in October or November on Kartik Purnima, the five-day Pushkar Fair is the ultimate showcase of the Rajasthan. Cultural performances, folk music and dance, camel and horse races, etc light up the festivities during the fair. It is indeed a boon to travel to Pushkar during the peerless Pushkar Fair.

Apteshwar Temple : Another important temple in Pushkar, this 12th century temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Saraswati Temple : Saraswati is the wife of Brahma. Literally her name means 'the flowing one' . In the Rig Veda she represents a river deity and is connected with fertility and purification.

Ramavaikunth Temple : The Ramavaikunth temple is an intricately carved Hindu temple dating to the 1920 and has images of 361 deities.

Bathing Ghats In Pushkar : Pushkar town is setup around a tiny little lake that has 52 bathing ghats around it and is surrounded by three mountains.

Man Mahal : The Man Mahal palace is very close to the Pushkar lake and Pushkar Temples, as well as within walking distance from here.

Pushkar Palace : Pushkar Palace was built about 400 years ago by the Maharaja of Kishangarh. Situated on the edge of the lake it offers a panoramic view of 400 temples, banks, sand dunes and the Aravalli hills.

How to Reach Pushkar :

By Air : The nearest airport to reach Pushkar is Jaipur Airport, which is about 138 kms from Pushkar. One can get direct flights from /to Delhi and other cities in India.

By Rail : Ajmer is the nearest railway station (about 11kms) and is connected to Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Udaipur and Jodhpur by regular trains. Two of the best trains of the Indian Railways, Pink City Express and Shatabdi Express connect Ajmer to Delhi and Jaipur.

By Road : Pushkar has two bus stands--The Marwar bus stand which has buses to some long distance places including Delhi, Jodhpur and Bikaner while the Ajmer bus stand is located east of the Pushkar town and offers bus services to Ajmer and Jaipur. There are regular buses from Pushkar to Ajmer.

Pushkar Camel Fair

Pushkar Camel Fair - Also known as Pushkar ka Mela, Pushkar Fair, is the world's largest camel fair held in the holy town of Pushkar in Rajasthan. Pushkar Fair is undoubtedly the world's largest camel fair and it also makes it world's largest cattle fair in general. Competitions such as the "Matka Phod", "moustache", and "bridal competition" are the main attractions of this fair which attracts thousands of tourists.

Facts & Figures of Pushkar :

Population of Pushkar : 14,000
Population of Pushkar (During the fair): 200,000
No. of Camels in the fair: Around 50,000
Best time to visit : October to March
Highlights: Camel trading, folk performances, body tattooing, ethnic shopping, puppet shows, acrobatics, best breed contest, moustache competition, bridal competition etc.

Pushkar Camel Fair :

Come November and the rich tradition of Rajasthan comes alive at Pushkar. A small little hamlet, just around 18 kms from the religious city of Ajmer, Pushkar, is host to an annual event called the Pushkar fair. The fair visited by foreigners and Indian alike is perhaps the largest gathering for a fair from tourists all around the world in Rajasthan. Held in the Hindu month of Kartik or November, the fair is a great crowd puller.

Synonymous with the world's largest camel and cattle fair, the Pushkar fair indeed is a unique experience. The onset of winters bringing the cool winds from the south west, the golden sand dunes reflecting various colours with every phase of the Sun; adding to the natural colours are not only the vibrantly dressed men and women or the shops selling various colourful goods, but also the decorated and bedecked Camel and cattle which are at sale here. The charm of the fair and also the reason behind it becoming the world famous fair is its original and very rural charm. Here the people spontaneously break into a song or a dance; they forget their daily miseries and enjoy the camel and the cattle races. They buy goodies and make merry. All this adds to the charm of the place and that too with a religious touch to it.

History & Legends
Puskar has has the only temple of Lord Brahma in the country. Myth says that Lord Brahma was on his way to search for a suitable place to perform a 'Yagna' (a fire sacrifice) while contemplating, a lotus fell from his hand on the earth and water sprouted from that place. One of them was Pushkar where Lord Brahma performed "Yagna". Worship of Brahma was considered highly important at the end of the first millennium BC. The holy lake has 52 ghats and pilgrim taking a ritual dip in the lake is a common sight. Although a serene town, Pushkar bustles with life during the joyous celebration held on Kartik Purnima. Every year thousands of devotees throng the lake around the full moon day of Kartik Purnima in October-November to take a holy dip in the lake. Huge and colourful cattle fair "The Pushkar Fair", is also held during this time. Pushkar fair is well-known for it's camel trading and other attractive activities.

Cultural Significance
Umpteen number of traders gather here and and set up shops. These traders sell a lot of products like woolen blankets of Merta, bead necklaces of Nagaur, textiles printed in Ajmer and Jodhpur, brassware of Jodhpur and Jaipur etc. Saddles, ropes, and assorted household items are also on sale. Cultural shows and exhibitions are also organized in this fair to enliven the event. Movies are shown, competitions are arranged, bards and poets recite and sing tales of valour and heroism of bygone days. Animal races and other competitions also add the attraction.

Why visit the Pushkar Fair?

• It is the world's largest Camel Fair.
• You’ll visit the only Brahma Temple in the world.
• You’ll see the Holy Pushkar Lake with 52 ghats surrounding it.
• Pushkar offers around 400 temples to see.
• You can participate in numerous cultural activities
• Ethnic shopping items from all over the state are on sale.
• It’s a rare combination of religious fervour and cultural vibrancy in Rajasthan.
• You can interact with tribal folks and understand their culture.