places to visit in Pushkar

Pushkar, also known as “The Lotus Flower”, is a 2000 years old city in India making it one of the oldest cities of the country. Mostly known for being one of the five sacred pilgrimage sites of Hindu devotees, Pushkar is a perfect getaway destination, not just for people from India but also from outside.

Pushkar is a small town near Ajmer in Rajasthan and the best part about the city is that it has no railway stations. To get to Pushkar, you need to cross Ajmer city and the drive to Pushkar is magnificent. Pushkar is one of those cities that has retained its cultural charm by all means and has a lot to offer. Take a look at this list of places to visit in Pushkar and you’ll know what we are talking about.

1) The Brahma Temple

Pushkar is known to house the only Brahma temple in the world making it a very important pilgrimage spot for many Hindus/Brahma devotees. It is believed that Lord Brahma dropped a lotus flower in a lake (the Pushkar Lake) and the lake turned into a city, the Pushkar city.

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2) The largest Camel Fair in the world

Pushkar hosts the largest camel fair in the world in the month of Novemeber. This fair witnesses the presence of almost 50,000 camels with many of camel farmers, gypsies and musicians from deeper regions of Rajasthan and more than 200,000 global travellers. This is one the largest exchanges of livestock in the world and makes for the best time to visit the city to experience the best its culture has to offer.

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3) Halwai Gali, rooftop restaurants and the “special” lassi

In spite of being a small and deserted town, Pushkar offers a variety of vegetarian food that can beat many non-vegetarian cuisines. The town refrains from offering alcoholic beverages but serves a rather rare substitute for alcohol called the special lassi (a term for bhang lassi). From the many places to visit in Pushkar, you must go to the “Halwai Gali” and try the malpuha and gulkand it has to offer. Pushkar also has over 250 hotels and many rooftop restaurants to get the perfect view of the city and the ghats.

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4) Desert Safari

Another one of the many things to do and places to visit in Pushkar is the desert safari. A large part of Rajasthan is covered in the Thar Desert and Pushkar is a part of it. It is also popularly referred to as the first desert city of Thar. On your visit to Pushkar, you must go for the Desert Safari that is normally 24-36 hours long. Along with the sand dunes, you’ll come across many local villages and their traditions especially rural weddings that have the charm to sweep you off your feet.

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5) The Pushkar Lake

The Pushkar Lake is surrounded by 350 temples and 52 Ghats and offers you a chance to witness an infinite number of ritual offerings every day. If you’re a fan of watching sunsets, head to the ghats to enjoy a lake-view sunset along with the sound of the soothing evening aarti (prayer).

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6) The Ajmer Sharif

Just like the Brahma Temple, The Ajmer Sharif is a prime religious place for the Muslim community. It is the shrine of the famous Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti and is located 40 kilometers from Pushkar in the Ajmer City. If you visit Pushkar, there is no reason for you to not visit The Ajmer Sharif.

Moinuddin Chishti is worshipped for spreading a simple yet powerful message that there is no God; ” One call him Allah another call him God, but they’re one and only one”.

The most fascinating part of The Ajmer Sharif is the fact that both Hindu and Islamic devotees seek blessings at this religious place and it reflects the diversity that India holds.