Pushkar

Hindu holy town with 52 ghats and the Brahma Temple around its sacred lake, and an annual camel fair that gathers tens of thousands of camels; the Sufi shrine of nearby Ajmer is close by.

Pushkar lies in Ajmer district in central Rajasthan, separated from Ajmer by Nag Pahar in the Aravalli Range, and is one of the oldest holy towns in Hinduism. Legend says the creator god Brahma dropped a lotus here, forming the sacred lake. The town is built around the lake, with 52 ghats and hundreds of temples; its Brahma Temple is one of the very few in India dedicated to Brahma. Meat and alcohol are banned throughout town, yet it is also a backpacker hub, its streets full of cafés, music and handicraft shops.

Key areas: the lakeside ghats are the soul of the town; at dusk, join the aarti fire ceremony at Gau Ghat or Brahma Ghat. Sadar Bazaar runs along the north shore of the lake, linking the Varaha Temple, the Old Rangji Temple and all kinds of small shops. To the south, the Savitri Temple crowns Ratnagiri Hill, reachable by cable car or on foot for sunrise and sunset; to the north, the Pap Mochani Temple is another high point with panoramic views. Every November, in the Hindu month of Kartik, the fairground west of town hosts the Pushkar Camel Fair, a lively spectacle of camel and livestock trading by the tens of thousands, camel races and beauty contests.

Ajmer is about 15 km from Pushkar (around 30 minutes by road) and is home to the shrine of the Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti, the Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra mosque, Ana Sagar Lake, Akbar's Fort and the golden Soniji Ki Nasiyan Jain temple; it is usually covered as a day trip.

Getting there: the nearest railway station is Ajmer, about 2 hours by train from Jaipur; the nearest airports are Kishangarh and Jaipur. Frequent buses and taxis run from Ajmer to Pushkar.

Allow 2–3 days. Remove your shoes at the ghats and temples and respect photography bans. At the ghats, people often press flowers on visitors and then demand a donation for a “Pushkar passport”; a polite refusal is fine. During the camel fair, accommodation is scarce and prices double, so book months ahead.

Top sights

• Pushkar Lake – A sacred lake said to have formed where a lotus fell from the hand of Brahma. Fifty-two bathing ghats and white temples surround it, making…
• Brahma Temple – One of the very few temples in India dedicated to Brahma, the god of creation. Its red spire and swan carvings make it Pushkar's landmark.
• Savitri Mata Temple – A temple on the summit of Ratnagiri Hill, reached on foot or by cable car. From the top, you can watch the sunrise over Pushkar Lake and th…
• Ajmer Sharif Dargah – The tomb of the Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti, one of South Asia's most important Islamic shrines, with qawwali music in the evenings.
• Varaha Ghat & Varaha Temple – A ghat associated with the legend of Vishnu appearing as the boar Varaha, and Varaha Temple beside it, one of Pushkar's oldest temples.
• Gau Ghat (Gandhi Ghat) – Pushkar's largest ghat, where part of Gandhi's ashes were scattered. Every evening at sunset, an Aarti fire ceremony takes place with bells…
• Brahma Ghat – A ghat where Brahma is said to have performed the sacrifice himself, beside Brahma Temple, and the main place where pilgrims perform puja.
• Pushkar Sadar Bazaar – A narrow old street along the north shore of the lake, crammed with silver jewellery, embroidered bags, hippie clothing and rose products.
• Old Rangji Temple – A Vishnu temple built in 1823 that blends South Indian, Rajput and Mughal architectural styles.
• Pap Mochani Temple – A 'goddess of atonement' temple on a small hill north of town, about a 20-minute climb, with views of Pushkar Lake and Savitri Hill from th…
• Pushkar Camel Fair Ground – Each year during the camel fair, tens of thousands of camels are traded, raced and judged in beauty contests here. Outside the festival, yo…
• Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra – One of India's earliest mosques, built with carved stone pillars taken from Hindu temples, with arched screens covered in Arabic calligraph…
• Ana Sagar Lake – A man-made lake built in the 12th century. The white marble pavilions of Shah Jahan and the Daulat Bagh gardens on its shore are the best p…
• Soniji Ki Nasiyan (Ajmer Jain Temple) – A red sandstone Jain temple housing the 'Golden City', a gold-leaf model of the Jain cosmos that dazzles with its splendor.
• Akbari Fort & Museum – A palace fort built by Akbar in 1570, where the British envoy was received by Jahangir in 1616. Today it is a government museum.
• Taragarh Fort – One of the oldest hill forts in Asia, perched on a peak south of Ajmer, with views over the entire city from its ruined walls.
• Foy Sagar Lake – A colonial-era reservoir on the western outskirts of Ajmer, ringed by the Aravalli Hills, and a quiet spot for sunset picnics.
• Nareli Jain Temple – A modern marble Jain temple complex on a hillside east of Ajmer, with 24 small shrines lining the ridge.
• Kishangarh Marble Dumping Yard – White hills made from marble-cutting waste, nicknamed the 'Moon of Rajasthan', a popular spot for wedding photos and social media shoots.

Where to eat

• Raju Terrace Garden Restaurant – A rooftop garden restaurant on the main street overlooking Pushkar Lake, ranked first in Pushkar on TripAdvisor and kno…
• Honey & Spice – A long-running, family-run healthy vegetarian café where vegan salads, bowls and house-made cakes are a hit with backpa…
• Shri Venkatesh Restaurant – A family-run eatery on the main street serving thalis cooked over wood fire; cheap, authentic and more local than the t…
• Out of the Blue Rooftop Restaurant – A long-established rooftop restaurant on the main bazaar with lake and sunset views, known for wood-fired pizza, Lebane…

Itineraries

• Grand Rajasthan Desert & Forts Loop – A grand loop from Delhi covering Shekhawati, desert fortresses, Udaipur, Pushkar, and Jaipur.