The tiny town of Pushkar located in the north western Indian state of Rajasthan becomes the cynosure of all eyes in the month of November each year when it hosts its popular camel and cattle fair  called the Pushkar Camel Fair which attracts visitors from all over the globe. The town of Pushkar  is located at the edge of the Thar Desert and is situated just 11 kms away from  the city of Ajmer which is another well established stop on the Rajasthan tour circuit. In fact when tourists choose the visit the Pushkar Fair in Rajasthan, they often try and combine their trip with a visit to many other well known Rajasthani cities like Jaipur , Udaipur and Jodhpur which are famous for their many exquisite palaces and ancient royal grandeur.

The holy town of Pushkar

The picturesque town of Pushkar is set in a valley which is surrounded by hills and sand dunes and has in its midst a beautiful lake which has many legends associated with its creation. One such legend states that Lake Pushkar was created when the Hindu god Lord Brahma dropped a lotus flower during his quest to find a tranquil spot to perform a  religious ceremony. The spot where he dropped this lotus flower became the beautiful lake of Pushkar .Yet another legend tells the story of a battle between Lord Brahma and a demon called Vajra Nabha who had killed Lord Brahma’s children, the lord then used the lotus flower as a weapon to fell the demon and one of the petals fell in the valley to form the Lake Pushkar. The town of Pushkar is actually regarded to be an important pilgrimage spot for Hindus and the sacred Lake of Pushkar was at one time surrounded by nearly 500 temples though many of these temples were destroyed when North India came under the rule of the Muslim Mughals.

The most famous surviving temple located here is the temple that is dedicated to Lord Brahma which was built in the fourteenth century. This beautiful marble temple which is built on a high plinth and has marble steps leading up to it, is the only temple in the world that is dedicated to Lord Brahma and is an important pilgrimage spot during the Pushkar camel fair. In fact since the town of Pushkar is considered to be a holy spot as a  result of which alcohol and non vegetarian food are not sold and consumed anywhere in the town. During the days of the camel fair, the otherwise tranquil lake is engulfed with great religious fervor as thousands of devotees collect at the banks of the Pushkar Lake in order to take a dip in its waters as they believe that they will achieve salvation if they do so.

The main event

This year the Pushkar camel fair which is a cacophony of exotic sounds and sights is to be held in this scared town of Pushkar from the 10th of November to the 13th of November.  The days of the fair are some of the busiest days for the people of Pushkar as this  cattle fair is one of the biggest cattle fairs  that is held in  India. However the residents and visitors both indulge in much merry making and enjoy themselves during this annual extravaganza.

The highlight of the fair at Pushkar is the mass trading of camels though the cattle fair also includes the trading of other livestock it is this ‘ship of the desert’ that holds center stage. Camel and livestock traders from all over converge at Pushkar for the fair and it is believed that 25000 camels are traded at this the world’s largest camel fair.

The animals are all cleaned, washed and primped before they are traded. Most of the camels are adorned with jewelry and other finery and special stalls selling camel accouterments like bells and baubles are set up at the bazaar of the Pushkar fair as well. In an interesting ritual camels even have their noses pierced for this their main event. Races and competitions are also organized in order to show case these camels and one of the most spectacular sights of this camel centric event is the sight of the camels loping across the dunes as they participate in these races. The camels seem to absolutely love the attention that is showered on them and preen like prima donnas in front of the enthusiastic crowds.

Another attraction of this colorful noisy fair is the bazaar that is set up for the entire duration of the fair. At this bazaar the town’s people who are attired in their traditional best sell all sorts of items at makeshift stalls. Traditional apparel, turbans, handmade shoes, handicraft, exquisite silver jewelry, old coins, veils and much more are sold at this bazaar which attracts shoppers in droves. At night there are performances traditional music and dances like the ‘ghumar’ to entertain the many visitors to the fair. The traditional ‘ghumar’ dance is usually performed by local women who are usually attired in their traditional costumes which consist of  heavy silver jewelry, colorful veils called odhnis and multi-hued lehengas(skirts).

To experience the vivid sounds and sights of this animated fair you could fly into the city of Jaipur from one of the many international airports in India and then hire a car to take you to Pushkar which is located just three hours away from Jaipur. For your stay in Jaipur you could choose stay at one of the many wonderful palace hotels like the Hotel Sarang Palace and the Umaid Mahal Heritage castle hotel both of which are conveniently located close to Jaipur’s city center.

Posted in Events, India

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 5th, 2008 at 8:11 am and is filed under Events, India. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.