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Pushkar Fair

Pushkar Fair – A Riot of colors

2008 – 10th November to 13th November
2009 – 30th October to 2nd November
2010 – 18th November to 21st November
2011 – 2 November to 10 November

A Journey that you will remember

India – the beautiful India has a lot in store for you. The resplendent nature, the glorious past, grand architecture, and the rich heritage & culture of the country can easily mesmerize you. Today I'll take you to one of most beautiful and interesting place where you can reinvent the rich, colorful and vibrant culture of the country to its fullest. Come to Rajasthan, the land of Rajputs, and once you are in the state, your trip remains incomplete unless you experience the fervor of Pushkar Fair in all its resplendent glory. Get ready for one of the most vibrant festivals of Rajasthan. The celebration, excitement and the spirit of the festival will take you to another realm - a realm of color, gaiety and frolic.

A Brief History

Pushkar is situated on the edge of a small and beautiful lake called Pushkar Lake, just 15 kms to the north-west of Ajmer. Home to more than 350 temples and 48 bathing ghats, Pushkar is one of the five 'Dhams' or pilgrimages that are associated with the Hindu mythology. The place has an eventful mythology to back it up. Remnants scattered around also point towards the legend that it holds, to a certain extent. If you have a fling for history, mythology and Rajasthani culture, Pushkar is sure to interest you. The brahma temple here is supposedly the only temple in India dedicated to Lord Brahma. The Savitri Temple, the Varah temple and the Mahadeva Temple are other popular pilgrim sites of Pushkar.

The Festival Begins

Pushkar Fair, also known as Pushkar ka Mela, takes place on the banks of the Pushkar Lake every year on the Kartik Shukla Ekadashi and goes on for the next five days till Kartik Purnima. It was a fine morning of 21st November last year when we reached Pushkar from Ajmer to experience one of the most colorful and vibrant fairs of India. Though Pushkar is basically a small town with a mere 14,000 population, but it swells up to a massive 200,000 during the fair. As the place has a huge religious importance, Hindu devotees from different corners flock here. Apart from the Hindu population, people from all walks of life come to Pushkar to enjoy the fun and frolic happening in this fair. You can see a number of foreigners strolling about in the place in their colorful attires. In fact, Pushkar fair knows no borders of religion. The warmth of the place embraces all and everyone visiting this fair.

Pushkar Fair is the place for a lot of activities. From colorful shops to traditional dance, music and mouth-watering delicacies – Pushkar Fair has it all. Many people associate Pushkar Fair with the largest camel fair of the world however, this fair has much more to offer its visitors then just that. One of the biggest attractions of the fair is the holy dip in the Pushkar Lake by thousands of devotees on the full moon day of Kartik Purnima. It is believed that for five days every year, all the gods visit Pushkar and bless the devout. According to a legend, dip in the holu Pushkar lake is going to wash away all the sins. Interesting! In accordance to the myth I also took a quick dip. It was not so much the religious myth that got me attracted but the essence of secularism. Every visitor to this fair can be seen taking a dip in this supposedly holy water. The famed Cattle Fair which the Pushkar Fair is known for is also one of the big events coducted here. In fact, Pushkar Fair is known to many people for this grand event where Camels, Horses, Donkey, Bulls etc. are bought and sold. The beautiful decoration of the animals stands out clearly. One more thing that is definately not to be missed is the Camel safari. And if you have an adventurous bent of mind like me don’t bother about the hotels. It is a great experience staying in the tents and looking upward at the starlit night and gazing the starry starry sky.

Pushkar Fair more than anything else is a riot of colors. The huge turbans of the local males, the attires of the people, the stalls, the buyers & sellers – all display the riot of colors. This fair is also a major place for trade for the local people. A number of traders come to this fair and set up their shops. You can find a host of products starting from attires, bead necklaces of Nagpur, woolen blankets of Merta, textiles of Ajmer and a lot more. Chances are that you might come upon acrobats, snake charmers and folk artists here.

A visit to the most popular and colorful fairs of the Thar Desert is not complete without souvenir shopping. Even I strolled in the streets of Pushkar to pick various memoirs like beads, brass utensils, lovely colorful bangles, leather goods, unique embroidered clothes, and much more. I had always heard that Rajasthan is at its colorful best during its fairs and festivals and I must say that I was lucky experience the same in this visit of mine the famous Pushkar fair.

How to reach?

Pushkar lies at a distance of 11 km from Ajmer, which serves as the base for the most of the long-distance journeys to and from Pushkar
By Air: The nearest airport from Pushkar is located in Jaipur.
By Rail: Ajmer which is situated at a distance of 11 km from Pushkar is the nearest railway station. Ajmer in turn is well connected with major destinations in Rajasthan.
By Road: Pushkar has to two bus stands. The Marwar bus stand is situated to the north of the town and has buses to some long distance places including Delhi, Jodhpur and Bikaner. The Ajmer bus stand is located east of the Pushkar town and offers bus services to Ajmer and Jaipur.
Where to Stay in Pushkar
 During the fair special tents are arranged in the tourist village for accommodation purposes. However one can even book hotels like Pushkar Palace, Jagat Singh Palace, Master Paradise, and Seventh Heven etc for the same.