Pushkar-Rajasthan

Pushkar


The tail end of a wedding procession.

Pushkar is a small town outside of Ajmer that is a Hindu pilgrimage site. There is a lake in the middle of this desert town that was supposed to be created when Brahma dropped a lotus flower from the sky to kill a demon. Now many people travel long distances to bathe in the holy lake. In addition there are over 500 temples in the area. My hotel is awesome, it is an old restored Haveli mansion that is like a fortress on the outside with a big open air, four story courtyard in the middle. Many buildings are designed like this to keep direct sunlight from heating up the place through outside windows.

The Seventh Heaven Hotel

The first morning I woke up at dawn and hiked up a long flight of stone steps to the top of a hill to visit the Savitri temple. At the beginning of the climb, a man wouldn't leave me alone and wanted me to pay him to be my guide. He was very persistent, so I just smoked him on the climb up (still have the high-altitude advantage). He finally gave up. When I reached the temple at the top of the hill it was beautiful. The sun had risen and their were great views of the town and the desert.

View from Savitri Temple

Later that day, I walked around the market and made a donation to the Pushkar lake in exchange for a prayer from one of the many priests and some rose petals to throw in the lake. The priests are very pushy and once you do this they tie an orange string around your wrist and are not bothered again. This and the experience alone was worth it.

The Market

For the sunset, I decided to ride a camel in the desert (might as well- when am I going to get to do that again). It was very cool. It was also neat to see the rural communities around as well. Afterward, the gypsy family who owned the camels invited me into their house for a home cooked Rajasthani dinner. They were so nice, all of the children from the neighborhood came over and wanted to dress me up like a Rajasthani women. It was hilarious! We all laughed and did our best to communicate, it was great. The food was excellent considering that it was all cooked on a fire fueled by dried cow patties. I learned how to make chapatis (Indian flat bread) on the fire and how to milk a goat which was then used for chai tea. They insisted that I come over for breakfast too. I thought to myself, if I make it through the night without getting sick I'll come back. I had no problems, so I went back for breakfast too.

Me and Ali Baba




I don't quite have the technique down.

Chapatis (Indian flatbread), dal (spicy lentils), garlic curry, olives, rice, and beans masala.

They put a bindi on my forehead and a red line which means I am married.

Soni (mom) showing me how to wear a sari.

The next morning I climbed to a temple on the other side of town, it was a much shorter climb which I was thankful for because my legs were sore from riding Ali Baba the camel. Afterwards I had breakfast with the gypsy family, exchanged addresses (so I can send them pictures I took), and said goodbye. Today I take the train to Udaipur (oo-di-per) although I have really enjoyed staying in Pushkar as it is a much smaller town and everyone has been so friendly. Looking forward to Udaipur though, it is known as the city of lakes.

You can see the Savitri Temple on the other hill across town.