Pushkar in March 2021: A Casual Weekend Visit, All Under 2K!

The road from Jaipur/Delhi to Pushkar goes via Ajmer, another culturally and religiously significant town in this part of the country, which is barely 20 kms from Pushkar. If you're planning to visit Pushkar, do make some time for Ajmer. If you ask around for itinerary recommendations, people (or Google) will tell you more about it.

Anyway, back to Pushkar for...

Day 1

I booked my stay at a backpacker hostel called HosteLaVie, which turned out to be one of the best trip decisions I have ever made. The place was super clean, with open, green spaces, very warm and welcoming hosts, and to top it all, it cost me a mere 400 bucks for 2 days for a dorm bed!

I arrived at around 2 PM, which is an inhuman time of the day to spend outdoors in Rajasthan, even in early March. The walk from Pushkar bus stand to the hostel was filled with sights - from bazaars selling jewelry and traditional dresses to cafes and restaurant, the lanes were decorated for visitors to stop by. Except, there weren't any visitors. The streets wore a deserted look in the absence of tourists that usually throng to Pushkar in March in hundreds of thousands. Like every other tourist place, Pushkar had suffered at the hands of the pandemic.

After satiating myself with some lemonade and delicious sandwiches, and a couple of hours of a tight nap later, I hit the streets again. This time, in the pursuit of exploring the many ghats of Pushkar lake or Pushkar Sarovar.

Mythology Lesson in a capsule: Pushkar is said to derive its name from "pushp", meaning flower. The legend goes that once a lotus dropped from Lord Brahma's hand to the Earth, and a lake formed where it fell. Pushkar also happens to be the only place in the world with a Lord Brahma temple.

The town, as well as the lake, have found mentions in holy texts like Ramayana and Mahabharata, and some excavations found in the region suggest a very ancient settlement there. The town was apparently near-destroyed during Mughal conquests, especially during Aurangzeb's reign when his armies ran down most of its temples. The temples and ghats that we see today were built in and after the 18th Century.

You ask anyone in Pushkar what the best way to spend your evening hours would be, and 9 out of 10 times they would recommend you watching the sunset at Jaipur Ghat. And trust me, they mean it when they say that - it indeed is the best way to decide on spending the sunset hours there, only to be followed by spending another hour to just let your senses regain their normal pace, as the serenity slowly evaporates off you.

The quiet, contemplative mood that it sets you in, left me instilled with a lot of peace. While the sun setting at the horizon right in front of you itself is a sight to behold (and reason enough to add this to your checklist), what also makes being at this ghat at this hour special is the other activities going on there. You would have artists practicing and displaying their skills - from drummers to dancers to yoga enthusiasts - they all assemble there and fill the air with a creative energy, so to say. The ghat comes alive, and you have the nature, the energy of the place, the culture, and the people, all contributing to it.

As I pulled myself out of Jaipur Ghat with much self-resistance, I again found myself in the streets of Pushkar. And the gloom of the deserted markets of the afternoon had considerably subsided. I cannot claim how it compared against the peak seasons in the past with no COVID threats, but the lanes were definitely buzzing! Evenings are the best time to take long walks through the bazaars, trying the local street food and shopping for some local artefacts.

A sneak-peek into the the ghats post-sunset pulls you back in a different, yet equally mesmerising, avatar of Pushkar. The same ghats that stand like firm fortifications to cultures thousands of years old, adorn themselves in necklaces of yellow lights under a clear black sky with countless stars. The noise slowly dies down, and the crowds recede. You find yourself left mostly alone, and in the company of a meditative tranquility and shimmering golden lights reflecting in the waters.

By now I was a little tired from walking around on the ghats and in the market. So, with my heart full and sheer contentment taking over me, I decided to head back to the hostel at around 9 PM to catch up on another jam session organised by the hosts.

A music duo from Germany, that goes by the name of Kasita Kanto, performed some of their songs for a closed gathering, and boy, was it amazing!? Their music merges folk ballad-like sounds with emotional songwriting, and I really enjoyed how innovatively they blended an Indian harmonium-like instrument called Shruti Box in their sound.

What a perfect end to a day that was highlighted by new explorations and an appreciation for the tranquil!

Alright, moving on to...

Day 2

On a 10-minute walking distance from Pushkar is the Ratnagiri hill, which is topped at its crest by Savitri Temple, dedicated to Goddess Savitri. There are 2 ways of reaching the top: you either take the cable car along the ropeway, or you climb the 600+ steps. I took the steps, so I could take my pauses for clicking pictures, and pace it at my own liking. The climb is easy for the first half, but gets strenuous as you draw closer to the top, mainly because each step starts to get steeper and higher.

Once you overcome the challenge of making it to the top in the pinching heat and with sore legs, you are greeted with dozens of distant cousins - the apes. Langoors rule this spot! A colony of theirs inhabits the premises of Savitri temple, and they easily outnumber the human visitors. At first, I was obviously a bit scared, but then I realised that they're probably just not interested in me. Their eyes constantly scan for food packets in people's hands, and they hop on towards anyone keen (or not keen) on feeding them.

After spending almost 30 minutes in the company of these long-tailed fellows, I started my descend. And it turned out to be just as difficult as the climb, if not more! The knees absorb the jerk of your body weight as it lands down from each high step, and it repeats more than 600 times. By the time I was back on the road down below, I couldn't feel my legs! But nevertheless, the picturesque Pushkar's bird's eye view made it all worthwhile.

Once back at the hostel, I took a much-needed shower and a heavy meal to compensate for the calories burnt. This was followed by a lazy afternoon spent in the hostel amidst the greens, some chilled-out tropical music, chit-chats with fellow travelers and cuddles with Google and Joy (the 2 canines that live there).

In the evening, I just headed out to Jaipur Ghat again to soak in yet another sunset - this time, with some chai at a cafe overlooking the ghat. The chai was just about perfect for my liking, and made the sunset-gazing experience better than it already was.

This marked the end of my two-day, extremely budget friendly weekend getaway to a town I had grown up hearing stories about, but had never had the chance to visit. A place that throws open a can of pleasant experiences, if you just go in to go on with the flow!

Of course, you may plan for a slightly longer vacation and preferably at a different time of the year (Pushkar is famous for its camel fair in November, and its Holi). But the bottomline is, Pushkar has it all in store for you - it's up to you how well you extract, of how much ever you're able to. :)

P.S. - Holi isn't too far, so people - especially those in Rajasthan and in Delhi - if you haven't planned for a cathartic (and yet cautious) celebration after a year of the pandemic, you might want to consider coming to Pushkar. Let it surprise you!

Ciao!