Rajasthan, the land synonymous with romance & chivalry, offers tourists a kaleidoscope of natural, historical & architectural beauty. The 3,40,000 sq. km of its topography presents varied sites. Pushkar is one such enchanting place.

The town, which is an important pilgrimage center for the Hindus, lies at the edge of the desert. It is surrounded by hills on three sides & sand dunes on the fourth. It has the picturesque Pushkar Lake, which is sacred to the Hindus. As the legend goes, lord Brahma wanted to have his abode on earth. He threw a lotus flower on earth. Where the three petals fell, water gushed out forming three sacred lakes. These lakes form the nucleus of Pushkar.

Pushkar has three Ghats where pilgrims take a holy dip. The Gau Gaht, Vajra Ghat & Brahma Ghat are the most famous. The Brahma temple was built in 8th century AD. However, the present idol was installed recently as the original one was destroyed by the Mughal Aurangzeb.

The Pushkar Fair is held every year in October/November, on the full moon of the Hindu month of Kartika. It attracts more than 400,000 tourists both Indian & foreigners to witness a mélange of activities, quintessence of rural Rajasthan.

The fair means different things to different people: Pilgrimage for devout Hindu, mega market for a cattle trader, festive place for locals & an unforgettable experience for foreigners. Nearly 50,000 camels amble their way across the desert to reach Pushkar. Camel traders pitch small tents on sand dunes & tie their camels nearby. Buffaloes, horses & bullocks are also traded. A number of big stalls are set up in the main market for selling reins, saddles & other items.

The entire town becomes a cultural phenomenon where colourfully dressed devotees, musicians, acrobats, traders & Sadhus converge. Rows of makeshift stalls display an entire range of products: handicrafts, camel leather items to eatables.

Keeping in view this large influx of people, bookings for accommodation must be done well in advance.