PUSHKAR -- AJMER -- JAIPUR Pushkar is one of the Holiest Cities in India and the Annual Camel Fair there attracts close to 5, 00, 000 tourists every year including the 40, 000 foreign tourists . The fair this year was from 5-8 November . Around 50, 000 camels are sold in this fair in a span of just one week. We set out for Pushkar early on the saturday morning . Pushkar lies 400 Kms from Delhi ( Delhi - Jaipur = 250 + Jaipur - Pushkar = 150 ) . The Delhi Jaipur is a part of the Golden Quadrilateral with wonderful Toll roads lined with Greenery. The crowd was an enthusaistic lot and the time flew as we drove towards Pushkar. As we reached Pushkar the Traffic grew and roads became immensely crowded and we finally reached the city after an exhausting 7 hour Drive.
PUSHKAR : Its a rather dusty quaint town with nothing much to boast of other than the Famed Brahma Temple and the International camel fair. We had to walk almost 4 kms from the parking lot to the city . The roads were extremely crowded & dusty but the festive mood kept the air ringing. After a long walk we reached the fair Grounds. Most of the camels had been sold out by the time we reached there ( Since it was the last day ) but we still managed a glimpse of close to 500 camels and horses.
The camel ride was exhilirating ( the Takeoff & landing of a camel is a adventure unto itself !!) and we spent the next few hours wandering through the fair. The camel is a fascinating Animal which has adapted itself wonderfully to the Dry Desert Conditions ( It can stay waterless for days , has a very dry skin & foot adapted to wade through the sand & thick eye brows to shield the eyes from Sand etc ..) . The average price of a camel ranges anywhere between Rs.2000 - 30000 ( Depending on the age , both factors being inversely proportional ) . The fair is one of its kind in the world and would remain etched in memory for years to come. We next visited the Brahma temple. It is apparently the only temple for Lord Brahma in the world , though there is nothing much spectacular about it. We then had a holy dip at the Pushkar Lake which had some illumanted lights with the back drop of a wonderful sunset .
TRAVEL ADVICE : The best time to make the trip is when the camel fair is on (normally in Nov). The camel fair dates get fixed based on the Lunar calendar and the full moon day. Nov-Dec is the best time to travel since Rajasthan is very hot otherwise. People with Dust Allergy should bring plenty of medication . Come with loads of Cash if you want to buy a Camel or Horse !!
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