Pushkar
Fair of
Rajasthan
Desert Festival
Jaisalmer ||
Elephant Festival
|| Gangaur Festival ||
Pushkar Fair
Experience the
vibrancy of the Thar Desert during your Rajasthan travel. The
well-known and marked with largest participation of all the
festivals of Rajasthan, Pushkar is an important pilgrimage as
well as the venue of a mammoth cattle fair.
Pushkar forms a fascinating location and a befitting backdrop
for the annual religious and cattle fair. Surrounded by hills on
three sides and sand dunes on the fourth, the picturesque
Pushkar Lake is set in a valley just about 11 kilometres
northwest of Ajmer. Turbaned heads of men, and colorful veils
and skirts of the women, bring alive the arid desertscape. The
village women dress in their best clothes and finery for the
five-day mela (fair).
Like Varanasi, Pushkar is one of the sacred places for the
Hindus, with 400 temples of which the most important is
dedicated to Lord Brahma - the creator of the universe.
Fifty-two ghats bind the lake. During the days of the mela, the
otherwise tranquil lake is engulfed with religious fervor.
Thousands of devotees congregate to take a dip, sadhus descend
from the Himalayas and people pray for salvation to the sound of
verses from the Holy Scriptures, which fill the air.
In the afternoons, people crowd the stadium where camels,
horses, and cows are paraded and raced. Camels are bought and
sold during the Pushkar Fair.
On the roadside, stalls of all kinds are set up to sell a
cornucopia of items. Almost every household is engaged in
setting them up as the locals try to capitalize on the massive
influx of people. It is impossible to drive around because of
the large crowds. Either you hire a camel or you walk. In this
aspect, it is truly a rural bazaar.
An interesting part of the Pushkar Fair is the mass trading of
camels. Of course, cattle and other livestock are also traded,
but it's camels that hold center stage at Pushkar. Camel-traders
and villagers from miles away converge to Pushkar with their
humped beasts. Over 25,000 camels (and that's on the
conservative side) are traded; making this world's largest camel
fair.
These five days are a period of relaxation and merry-making for
the villagers, despite being the busiest for them, as this is
one of the largest cattle fairs in India. Races and competitions
are organized. Camels lope across the sands sometimes throwing
their riders on to the vast sands, amidst cheers and jeers from
thousands of spectators. An interesting event is the camel
beauty contest, where they are adorned and paraded. The camels
preen before the crowds, enjoying every moment of the attention
they get.
It is believed that for five days every year, all the gods visit
Pushkar and bless the devout. This accounts for the unbelievable
number of devotees who flock to the lake to wash away their
sins.
Pushkar is 11 kilometres northwest of Ajmer, which is located
west of Jaipur. Ajmer is well connected with Jaipur and Delhi by
road and rail. One can fly to Jaipur and then easily drive down
to Pushkar, the site of the fair. |