Pushkar Travel Guide: The Holy Lake, Its Temples and the Camel Fair

Pushkar sits in a valley with low hills on three sides, and almost everything visitors come for is on or near the lake: the ghats, the temples and the main bazaar.

Pushkar Lake and the ghats

Hindu tradition calls Pushkar Lake Tirtha Raj, the king of pilgrimage places, formed where a lotus fell from the hand of Brahma, the creator. Fifty-two bathing ghats step down into the semicircular lake, and hundreds of temples crowd its banks. Pilgrims bathe here all year, and in large numbers in the month of Kartik, above all on Kartik Purnima during the fair. The ghats are places of worship, so take off your shoes, dress modestly and ask before photographing anyone bathing or at prayer.

Brahma Temple

Jagatpita Brahma Mandir, close to the lake, is the most important of Pushkar's temples in Rajasthan Tourism's account. Look for its red spire and the image of the hamsa, the swan sacred to Brahma; inside, the sanctum holds a four-faced image of the god. Pilgrims usually bathe in the lake before they come here, and the evening aarti is worth staying for. On Kartik Purnima, during the fair, the town holds a festival for Brahma.

Savitri Temple

The temple of Savitri, Brahma's first wife, stands on the hill behind the Brahma Temple. In the town's legend she cursed Brahma for marrying Gayatri during his yagna at Pushkar. A long flight of steps climbs to the top, or you can ride the Savitri Mata ropeway, opened in 2016. The reward is a wide view over the lake, the temples crowded round it and the sand dunes beyond the town.

Varaha and Rangji temples

Rajasthan Tourism describes the Varaha temple as Pushkar's largest and oldest, raised by the 12th-century Chauhan king Anaji and dedicated to Vishnu in his incarnation as a boar who, in legend, lifted the earth from the ocean depths. The Rangji temple, also to Vishnu, stands out for its tall gopuram gateway in the South Indian style, mixed with Rajput and Mughal details. Down at Varah Ghat on the lake, evening prayers with bells and lamps close the day.

Atmateshwar, Pap Mochini and the Gurudwara

Pushkar has quieter shrines too. The 12th-century Atmateshwar temple to Shiva has a sanctum below ground and fills up at Shivratri. Pap Mochini, in the north of the town, is dedicated to Ekadashi Mata and visited by those seeking release from their sins. In the east, Gurudwara Singh Sabha was built in the early 19th century to mark the visits of Guru Nanak Dev and Guru Gobind Singh. The Panchkund Shiva temple lies 2–3 km from the lake.

Sadar Bazar

The main market, Sadar Bazar, runs for about a kilometre, with shops selling silver jewellery, embroidered clothes, leather goods and decorative pieces. Pushkar is known as the rose garden of Rajasthan, and its rose essence is sold around the world, so rose products are a local buy. The town's food is vegetarian: kachori, samosa and malpua from the stalls, or a gulkand (rose-petal) lassi at one of the cafés overlooking the ghats.

The dunes and the fairground

Pushkar sits at the edge of the desert, and many of its tented camps are near the fairground. Camel safaris head out through nearby villages and end on the dunes at sunset; Rajasthan Tourism gives October to February as the camping season. On our Rajasthan Grand Tour, the second day in Pushkar ends with a camel ride at the dunes for sunset.

Ajmer

Over the Nag Pahar hills, about 15 km away, Ajmer is worth a half day. Its Dargah Sharif, the 13th-century shrine of the Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, is visited by people of all faiths. The Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra was a college turned into a mosque in 1198, Ana Sagar lake has Shah Jahan's marble pavilions on its bank, and the Jain temple of Soniji ki Nasiyan holds a hall of gold-plated figures. Buses leave Ajmer station for Pushkar every hour.

The evening is the time to be at the lake: watch the prayers at Varah Ghat, then the aarti at the Brahma Temple. Pilgrims bathe at the ghats and visitors may too, though Rajasthan Tourism itself warns that the water may not meet the cleanliness standards you are used to. Ride the ropeway to the Savitri Temple for the view, take a camel out to the dunes for sunset, or spend a slow afternoon between Sadar Bazar and the cafés along the ghats.

At fair time, the town fills with traders, camels and visitors. Alongside the livestock trading there are competitions, such as matka phod (pot breaking), the longest moustache and a bridal contest, and hot-air balloons go up over the fairground. Our Pushkar Camel Fair trip starts on the fairground in the early morning, when trading is most active, and takes you to the ghats with a guide who explains the rituals without intruding; most travellers give it two to three days. More of what we run here is on our Pushkar tours and experiences page.