Pushkar Fair
Pushkar is located 11km north of Ajmer around the sacred lakes. Pushkar is surrounded by hills on three sides and sand dunes on other sides which will behold your eyes at the very first sight. There are three pious lakes namely Jayshtha Pushkar, Madhyam Pushkar and Kanishtha Pushkar are famous for their breathtaking and pristine beauty. This small and dusty town of Rajasthan is also famous as the sole abode of Lord Brahma on the earth and has a temple dedicated to him only.
Pushkar fair is one of the largest cattle fairs of the world. Every year thousands of international and domestic tourists throng here to witness the fantastic fiesta of camels. It is an ideal place to watch the camels being raced and paraded, vendors selling various sparkling wares. The owner of the camels decorate their camels with embroidered and mirror fitted clothes, so that they can participate in camel race. Both men and women who visits this fair loves to tattoo themselves. Countrymen belonging to nearby villages and also from different parts of Rajasthan, comes here to sell and purchase livestocks which includes camels, cows, sheep and goats.
Even a large number of traders gather here to sell their products like bead necklaces of Nagaur, woollen blankets of Merta, printed textiles of Ajmer and Jodhpur, brassware of Jodhpur and Jaipur etc. Also they sell saddles, ropes, and assorted household items.
Some of the interesting and exciting competitions of the Pushkar fair which draws maximum number of tourists are "Mustache competition", "Makta Phod", "Bridal competition", "musical chairs" and last but not the least "tug-of-war"in which only the local ladies and tourists(female) can participate. In the past years, Pushkar tourism board has included an exhibition of cricket match between the local Pushkar club and a team of random foreign tourists, which is an added attraction of the Pushkar fair.
Pushkar is not only famous for the camel fair but it is also a major pilgrimage site of Hindus. Thousands of Hindu devotees comes here to take a holy dip in the Pushkar lake. After the entire day's merriment, worshipers floats hundreds of oil lamps placed on leaves on the lake. This is an awesome sight which reflects the religious sight of Indians.
So, get ready to explore and enjoy the seven day long colorful camel festival of Pushkar which will begin from 25th October to 2nd November, 2009.
Activities
Dance music and colorful shops spring up during this fair. Also on sale are mouth-watering traditional delicacies. Colorfully attired village folk enhance the fun of the occasion.
A host of cultural event against the backdrop of this pretty setting is also organized including attractive puppet shows. Cattle auction and camel races are also a part of the festivities.
History
Pushkar is among the five Dhams or pilgrimages that are held in high esteem by Hindus, the others being Badrinath, Puri, Rameswaram, and Dwarka.
It is said that in battle lord Brahma killed the demon Vajra Nabh with a lotus flower, whose petals floated down to earth and landed in three places in and around Pushkar where lakes sprang up. According to legends, Pushkar Lake was surrounded by 500 temples and 52 palaces (several rajas and maharajas maintained palaces here for pilgrimage) at one point.
The Brahma temple is the most important temple here and is, in fact, the only Brahma temple of India. It is interesting to note that Brahma is not worshipped, even though he is one of the Holy Trinity of Hinduism. Brahma, it is said, had descended on earth to perform a Yajna (fire-sacrifice). His wife Savitri was not with him at that time and the Yajna would be incomplete without her. Therefore, Brahma married a local girl and sat down for the Yajna. Meanwhile Savitri landed on earth and, upon finding this new bride sitting next to Brahma, cursed him that he would never be worshipped anywhere else on earth.
Getting there
By Air
The nearest airport from Pushkar is Jaipur. Jaipur is well connected to all the major cities which includes Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, Jodhpur, Udaipur. Recently, flights to Dubai has also started from Pushkar by Indian Airlines.
By Bus
Pushkar is 11 km from main Ajmer bus stand. Rajasthan Roadways run very comfortable deluxe & air conditioned buses from Jaipur. There are buses from Jaipur to Ajmer every 15 minutes, some nonstop. The roads are very good, and it takes around 2 hrs from Jaipur. You can also come by taxi.
By Train
The nearest railway station for Pushkar is Ajmer, which is on the Broad Gauge and hence connected to all the metro cities of India. There are daily trains from Delhi in morning (Shatabdi Exp) and evening (Intercity Exp).
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