Myths and legends float throughout India and Pushkar is no exception. The holy lake here is believed to have appeared miraculously when a lotus flower fell off from the hands of Brahma. The name itself draws from the flower that fell off - Puspa meaning flower and kar meaning hand. But legends do not end here. The story also has inputs from Goddess Savitri, wife of Brahma. After all, it was she who made Pushkar the land of Brahma, the only place where he was to be worshipped by future generations.

Pushkar today is an esteemed religious destination for Hindus and Brahma highly venerated god here. Around 400 temples and 52 bathing ghats make other attractions of the city appear dwarfish. The nights do not have just stars to sparkle up the atmosphere, rather there are deep rooted faith in the hearts of devotees that makes this place radiate with unparalled charm.

The Pushkar fair is a riot of colours, especially red and yellow. Turbans, lehangas and dupattas seem to fill the entire atmosphere with bright enthusiasm. The atmosphere is charged up as if the accumulated enthusiasm of the people throughout the year has finally found expression. It is a time when tribals, general tourists and filmakers from all over the world make a beeline for Pushkar. Giving them company are thousands of camels, horses, goats and sheep. And behold! they come completely decked up and walk with a panache that eludes even the most confident person around. No wonder, they are the celebrities of this fair.

Explore Pushkar, a small place on foot or on a bicycle. Some really good experience lay hidden in this mystical town.

About Pushkar Festival

The little town of Pushkar in Rajasthan has gained international recognition as the venue of the largest camel fair in the world. Though the festival is primarily known for its camel trade, yet there are many more enjoyable aspects of the festivals that visitors can feel enthusiastic about. For international tourists, the colours and spirit of the Rajasthan is a big attraction while for the domestic tourists, it is also the religious aspect that holds significance.

Attractions of the Festival

The Pushkar Fair is celebrated for a period of seven days during the period of Kartik Purnima. The major attraction of the fair, the camel trade dominates for the first five days. The buyers and sellers flock in huge numbers to participate in the trading of camels. Smooth transaction is as common as heavy bargaining. Trading is not restricted to the camels as the sale of other animals like goats, sheep and horses are also carried on in full swing.

The importance of camels in the fair is demonstrated further when beautifully dressed, ornamented and even scented camels walk up to be a part of the camel pageant. There is absolutely no doubt that the camels, with all the decoration, draw more eyes than even the prettiest of women around. The best camel, ofcourse wins the coveted title.

However, this is not all about camels! There are camel race as well which has people shouting and encouraging their favourite camel. As the camels reach close to the finishing point, the noise first grows louder and then subsides as only the supporters of the victorious camels continue with their plaudits. The rest, though a little disappointed, know that they have plenty of things to cheer them up.

The women folk of the fair find a much better place to entertain themselves - the ornaments and garments stalls. The colourfully decorated stalls have so much of appeal that women are invariable drawn towards them. And then, there are tatoo stalls, the most loved stall of the women. The rural women may not have the same facilities as the urban women to look glamorous, nonetheless the tatto stalls give them a beauty mark for life that separates them from the rest of the clan.

The fair has more entertainment in store for the visitors in form of folk dances, acrobats balancing on tight rope and cartwheels and competition for best display of fruits and vegetables.

The enthusiasm of the festival finally gives way to religious fervour. Pushkar is the only place in India where a temple dedicated to Brahma exists. During the Pushkar festival, a dip in the Pushkar Lake is considered extremely auspicious to wash away all the sins of human body and mind. Infact, it will not be wrong to say that many visitors come to Pushkar fair just to offer their prayer to the creator of the universe. In the night, thousands of oil lamps are floated in the water in respect of Lord Brahma. The entire atmosphere glows with not only the illuminations of the lamps but also with the deep faith of the devotees. This prayer ceremony gives a beautiful conclusion to the Pushkar Festival.

Access:

Air

The nearest airport is at Jaipur, which is 131 km away.

Rail

Ajmer, situated at a distance of 11 km from Pushkar, is the nearest railhead. Ajmer an important destination on its own right, Ajmer is well connected with major places in Rajasthan.

Road

Pushkar is home to two bus stands. The Marwar bus stand, in the north of town by the post office, 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. Pushkar is well connected to Ajmer by bus.