Pushkar, Rajasthan.
Photo © Mohit Gupta, All Rights Reserved

Quick plans and I ended up in Pushkar last weekend, well, a week before the famous Pushkar fair (mela). All of my fellow travelers returned the next evening and I decided to stay back, partially because I love to roam around alone and I am mentally free to shoot .

Pushkar has now become a touristy affair and infact I would say it’s as famous and intriguing as Varanasi for the Westerners. For the Hindus, it’s one of the holiest places and is home to probably the only ‘Brahma‘ temple. Hindus come here for the holy dip observed on Kartik Purnima during Pushkar Mela. Unfortunately the lake has dried up and all what remains is puddles of water. The restoration work is on and the authorities are confident that the lake will be restored soon.

Pushkar holds one of India’s (probably world’s) largest cattle (mainly camels and horses) fair (By the way the priciest horse was being quoted around 1.5 million Indian rupees). Traders arrive at Pushkar well before the fair starts (and hence well before tourists begin to arrive), so a week or two before the fair is a good time if you like walking around, meeting people wanting to see some trading in action.