Pushkar
Overview
Pushkar is the Pokhara (Nepal) of India, although the Nepali city is more relaxed, more beautiful and offers more possibilities for the traveler.
Pushkar is a small town set around a holy lake full of bathing ghats and compared to the average Indian town, it is quite more relaxed and there are a lot of Western restaurants and cafés, quite useful if you already got poisoned with Indian food.
However, in terms of sights it is not very prolific: the holy lake and its ghats, a few Hindu temples (there are a lot of them as Pushkar is considered to be a pilgrimage town), a Sikh temple and the Market Street are the main points you’re gonna be. Allow two days in town to see everything, although if you’re short of time, you can see Pushkar in just one day.
Pushkar is a small town set around a holy lake full of bathing ghats and compared to the average Indian town, it is quite more relaxed and there are a lot of Western restaurants and cafés, quite useful if you already got poisoned with Indian food.
However, in terms of sights it is not very prolific: the holy lake and its ghats, a few Hindu temples (there are a lot of them as Pushkar is considered to be a pilgrimage town), a Sikh temple and the Market Street are the main points you’re gonna be. Allow two days in town to see everything, although if you’re short of time, you can see Pushkar in just one day.
Sightseeing
-Holy Lake: The main sight of Pushkar. It is a rather small lake in the middle of the town and it is said to be sacred. The lake is totally surrounded by ghats (stairs leading to the water with one temple in every ghat). It is worth going around it, although there’s not much activity there (just a couple of ghats where people are washing clothes or washing themselves). Go to the bridge on the opposite side of Market Street for nice views of Pushkar.
You have to take off your shoes for both going to the ghats and to the bridge. Pictures are not allowed but nobody cares, so take as many pictures as you wish.
-Bathing Ghats: There are a lot of them, actually the lake is fully surrounded by ghats. Unlike the ones in Varanasi, these ones are pretty calm. Only a few people bathing and washing themselves or clothes. No cremations here.
-Market Street: The main street of Pushkar. It surrounds the lake and it is where you find all the souvenir shops, cafés and restaurants, plus motorbikes, cows and rasta foreigners walking barefoot (please, if someone knows why they are walking barefoot, let me know).
-Brahma Temple: The most famous and sacred temple of Pushkar. Is on one end of Market Street, close to Out of the Blue Restaurant. It is free to enter but you have to leave your shoes and all your belongings outside for a fee of 20 rupees. Is not really impressive, but being one of the few temples non-Hindus can go inside, it is quite a reccomendable visit.
-Sikh Temple: This huge white marble construction right in front of the Ajmer bus stand (opposite end of Market Street from Brahma Temple) is probably the biggest building in town. It looks new and like a Muslim mosque. Much more impressive from the outside than from the inside, which is actually quite empty.
It is free to visit but you have to take out your shoes, cover your head and wash your hands and feet before entering it.
Worth a visit.
-Other Temples: There are a lot of other temples in Pushkar, and actually some big and nice ones, at least from outside. The pity is that most of Hindu temples don’t allow non-Hindus to enter, so you can just enjoy the architecture from outside.
Accomodation
We stayed at Keshav Palace for 500 rupees per night. The staff are very friendly and helpful, and the place is quite ok, nothing special. Located 5 minutes walking from the market street. The rooms have ventilator but when it’s hot, they are like an oven. Wifi is not working most of the time and there are some power cuts, frequent in Pushkar. There’s a rooftop.
Reccomendable because of the staff.
Reccomendable because of the staff.
Food & Drink
There are a lot of restaurants and cafés serving Western food, and some of them are really good. Most of them serve Indian food as well, and at night there are some food stalls on the main street (Market Street). Some of the ones we tried:
-Funky Monkey Café: small café by the main square (kind of square on Market Street). Not reccomendable. We ordered a Nutella pancake and a plain lassi. The lassi was just liquid yohgurt and the pancake a bit burnt. Prices OK. Don’t go there.
-The Laughing Buddha: On a corner close to Out of the Blue Restaurant. Nice place with a nice but tiny terrace. We went there for breakfast and ordered a sweet thali. Yes, they have the sweet version of the famous Indian dish and it consists on an ice cream, Nutella, a pancake, cookies and banana. Really good and cheap. The lassi, though, is nothing special. Reccomended.
-Out of the Blue: We went there for lunch. A big building with a rooftop. We tried pizzas and they are good, although nothing to write home about. There are better places, so no need to go there.
-Om Baba Shiva Rooftop: Located on the main square. It has a rooftop with nice views. Actually the views are the best of the restaurant. The food is just tasteless and not worth a cent. We went there for dinner and ordered pasta. It was testeless and not cooked enough. The worst place we’ve been in Pushkar. Avoid it.
-Honey Dew Café: A tiny small place in front of Out of the Blue Restaurant. Probably the cheapest prices in town. And everything is good. We went there 3 times for breakfast and just to hang out. Lassis are good (for Pushkar standards, for India standards they are nothing special), Nutella pancakes and rice pudding, good, too. Banana curd really good, as it is the chai. They also have a special lemon and mint drink really worth a try. Very reccomendable place. Go there at least once.
-Om Shiva Garden: Located some 50 meters from the main square. The best place in Pushkar to have a pizza. They are cooked in a clay oven and they are really really good and cheap. 160 rupees for a Margherita. Drinks are expensice, though, so bring your own from outside. Reccomended.
No alcohol found in Pushkar, although we didn’t try very hard. It must be possible in some bars like The Laughing Buddha.
-Funky Monkey Café: small café by the main square (kind of square on Market Street). Not reccomendable. We ordered a Nutella pancake and a plain lassi. The lassi was just liquid yohgurt and the pancake a bit burnt. Prices OK. Don’t go there.
-The Laughing Buddha: On a corner close to Out of the Blue Restaurant. Nice place with a nice but tiny terrace. We went there for breakfast and ordered a sweet thali. Yes, they have the sweet version of the famous Indian dish and it consists on an ice cream, Nutella, a pancake, cookies and banana. Really good and cheap. The lassi, though, is nothing special. Reccomended.
-Out of the Blue: We went there for lunch. A big building with a rooftop. We tried pizzas and they are good, although nothing to write home about. There are better places, so no need to go there.
-Om Baba Shiva Rooftop: Located on the main square. It has a rooftop with nice views. Actually the views are the best of the restaurant. The food is just tasteless and not worth a cent. We went there for dinner and ordered pasta. It was testeless and not cooked enough. The worst place we’ve been in Pushkar. Avoid it.
-Honey Dew Café: A tiny small place in front of Out of the Blue Restaurant. Probably the cheapest prices in town. And everything is good. We went there 3 times for breakfast and just to hang out. Lassis are good (for Pushkar standards, for India standards they are nothing special), Nutella pancakes and rice pudding, good, too. Banana curd really good, as it is the chai. They also have a special lemon and mint drink really worth a try. Very reccomendable place. Go there at least once.
-Om Shiva Garden: Located some 50 meters from the main square. The best place in Pushkar to have a pizza. They are cooked in a clay oven and they are really really good and cheap. 160 rupees for a Margherita. Drinks are expensice, though, so bring your own from outside. Reccomended.
No alcohol found in Pushkar, although we didn’t try very hard. It must be possible in some bars like The Laughing Buddha.
Transportation
Pushkar doesn’t have a railway station. This means that if you want to use the train (the best transportation in India) you have to use Ajmer Railway Station. There’s a local bus right outside the station (under the clocktower) that takes you to Pushkar in 30 minutes for 14 rupees).
-From Sawai Madhapur: We booked our ticket at Sawai Madhapur station. The ticket cost 535 rupees in AC sleeper, it departed at 9:40 and arrived in Ajmer at 14:20, so almost 5 hours of travel time.
-To Mumbai: We tried to book the ticket in Ajmer but all trains to Mumbai were full with long waiting lists (quite common in India). To avoid going back to Ajmer, we booked the ticket through the hostel in Pushkar, paying a commission. The ticket cost 1700 rupees. Train departed 2 hours late from Ajmer (at 23:00) and arrived in Mumbai Bandra Station at 20:00, so 21 hours of trip.
-From Sawai Madhapur: We booked our ticket at Sawai Madhapur station. The ticket cost 535 rupees in AC sleeper, it departed at 9:40 and arrived in Ajmer at 14:20, so almost 5 hours of travel time.
-To Mumbai: We tried to book the ticket in Ajmer but all trains to Mumbai were full with long waiting lists (quite common in India). To avoid going back to Ajmer, we booked the ticket through the hostel in Pushkar, paying a commission. The ticket cost 1700 rupees. Train departed 2 hours late from Ajmer (at 23:00) and arrived in Mumbai Bandra Station at 20:00, so 21 hours of trip.
Safety
Pushkar, as the majority of India is safe in terms of crime. Traffic is more relaxed but still quiet annoying, especially in the center, as the streets are narrow and you can’walk normally, always keep an eye on motorbikes.
There are a lot of cows on the streets, too, so watch out. Langur monkeys also inhabit Pushkar, mainly living above the ground, but they are not aggressive at all. Watch out for their poo, as they can shit from the trees and you don’t really want a langur shit on your head (they are quite big).
The biggest annoyance of Pushkar, though, are the scammers surrounding the lake. When you approach the lake and before going down the ghats, some idiots will approach you offering flower petals and telling you to make an offering in the lake or something similar. Ignore them and tell them they can eat their flowers. If you happen to take the petals, then they will ask you for money and you may get into trouble (according to what we were told). So stay away from that scum.
There are a lot of cows on the streets, too, so watch out. Langur monkeys also inhabit Pushkar, mainly living above the ground, but they are not aggressive at all. Watch out for their poo, as they can shit from the trees and you don’t really want a langur shit on your head (they are quite big).
The biggest annoyance of Pushkar, though, are the scammers surrounding the lake. When you approach the lake and before going down the ghats, some idiots will approach you offering flower petals and telling you to make an offering in the lake or something similar. Ignore them and tell them they can eat their flowers. If you happen to take the petals, then they will ask you for money and you may get into trouble (according to what we were told). So stay away from that scum.
 |
|
|
|
|
|
