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About Rajasthan >> Rajasthan Fairs & Festivals >> Pushkar Fair
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.
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