My First Impression of Pushkar

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I didn’t know about Pushkar until we met another traveler in the bus station in Srinagar. We chatted about our plans and target destinations in India and we mentioned to him that we’re heading to Rajasthan in a couple of weeks. He mentioned that there’s a nice lake in Pushkar and the place is often frequented by backpackers.

So I got curious and made a few research about Pushkar and had forgotten about it when we hit Rajasthan. We actually didn’t have any concrete plans on where to go in Rajasthan. So we went to Bharatpur to visit Keoladeo National Park, and then on to Jaipur and then decided to go to Pushkar after we found out that it’s just one bus away from the city.

Prior going to Pushkar, I made some online research about the place which fired up my excitement. Pushkar is one of the oldest inhabited cities in India and it’s also said as one of the five sacred pilgrimage sites for devout Hindus. Legend (just one of the few stories about its creation) has it that the lake was formed from the tears of Lord Shiva.

Since we don’t want to be hassled anymore in finding any accommodation, we decided to book it up ahead thru Agoda and luckily for us found a nice deal online in a hotel near the bus station with a swimming pool (which unfortunately we weren’t able to use since it was being cleaned the whole time we were there).

Pushkar is also on the backpacker’s map and it means that there could be so many travelers going here especially during the peak season. Luckily for us, we were there on the monsoon so there’s only a handful tourist walking around the city. Since it’s on the traveler’s map, it also means that it’s a favorite “hunting ground” of some scammers which I will talk about in a separate post.

I love (and sometimes hate) Pushkar as we were lucky to have met so many nice people (despite meeting some odd ones near the lake). The “holy lake” is also a nice place to just observe how religious and spiritual people are.

I also love the Tibetan restaurant (Little Tibet) near the lake which serves awesome Momos (dumplings). In case you drop by Pushkar and if you’re in the market you wouldn’t miss it. There are two restaurants that have the same name on this street and the one on your left (if you’re facing the restaurant) is the original one. Make sure to order the different variety of momos (my favorite is spinach and cheese and potato and cheese) and Thukpa.

If you love animals, there’s a lot here in Pushkar. You’ll see beautiful langurs lying lazily on the roofs of some houses and plenty of parakeets. We also saw a couple of small owls watching us at Little Tibet while we munch on momos.

The market is also a must see in Pushkar. One thing that you’ll notice in this small city is that there are so many tailors (dressmakers). I was told when we were there that a lot of their customers are from Europe who order clothes in bulk. This is a good place to buy cheap linen clothes. There are also a few leather shops where you can buy handmade leather bags and shoes.

Another reason why you should visit this place is because of Pushkar Camel Fair which is an annual event of trading, selling, and showcasing camels and cattles. It’s being held between October-November. Unfortunately for us, we were there a few months ahead. This is another reason to go back then to Pushkar LOL!!! Click here if you want to see pictures of the 2012 Came Fair.

Here are some more pictures I’ve taken in Pushkar!

Pushkar Lake after the rain

A Jain Temple in Pushkar

Cows, cows everywhere!

Local Pilgrims

Samosas!!!

See you again in the near future Pushkar!

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