Economics, arts and religion converge at the Pushkar Fair in Rajasthan to hold out an allure that cannot be denied, says Md. Masarrath Ali Khan
In the pre-dawn hours, scores of tourists clad in sweaters and armed with cameras, are silently marching towards the sand dunes, which are enveloped in a thick fog. On closer look, one can see the dunes dotted with makeshift tents of cameleers and traders who have assembled from different parts of the state to trade their livestock. The camel caravans have majestically ambled their way through the golden sands and converged at the scrubland, making it their temporary home.
As far as the eye can see, there are herds of camels of different sizes and colours, groaning and grunting and feeding on dry fodder. The smell of dung rises in the air travelling across the dunes. The traders — dressed in a soiled-white attire, capped by bright colorful turbans (pagris) and sporting big moustache — squat in circles, sharing stories and warming themselves over small orange bonfires, while the moon and the stars create a canopy of heavenly illumination above. As the first rays of sun touch the sand, turning it golden, the landscape shifts in time. A red hot air balloon rises in the distance, drifts overhead and disappears from sight While some traders and their womenfolk busy themselves in preparing tea, the others take their camels to the drinking water tanks. More and more camel caravans join the crowd at the dunes. The camel-pulled carts surmounted with red, pink and green canopies start moving towards the town in a single file to fetch tourists for the day. At a stone's throw, the holy lake is calm. A kingfisher occasionally dives into its serene waters and comes out with a prized catch. Droves of pigeons hover over the ghats as pilgrims sprinkle grains to feed them. Cows move around freely on the market road. The aroma of fresh roses, the fragrance of incense sticks, the mellifluous sounds of temple bells and the chants of hymns coming from the ancient temples can hold one mesmerised by creating an atmosphere that has been imbued with spirituality. The visual lure and whiff of the freshly prepared samosa, kachori and mirchi vada rising from the small shops perk up your sensorium. You are transported into a different world.
The Legend of Pushkar
This is Pushkar, a small ancient town 11 km to the northwest of Ajmer. It is surrounded on three sides by the majestic Aravalli hills and on the fourth by the sand dunes. A serpentine road, Nag Pahad (snake-mountain) forms a natural barrier between Ajmer and Pushkar. This otherwise sleepy town suddenly springs to life for a fortnight after Diwali thanks to a legend. Lord Brahma slew a cruel demon Vajranabha with his weapon, the lotus flower, which fell and struck the earth at three places within a radius of nine km, creating three lakes. Brahma named the place Pushkar meaning lotus, and the lakes, Jyeshtha (elder), Madhya (central) and Kanishtha (younger) Pushkar. Then Brahma performed yagna at the Pushkar Sarovar (lake) from Kartik Shukla Ekadashi to Kartik Purnima. So, an annual festival is celebrated here in his honour which coincides with the camel fair that draws millions of international tourists.
Food Walk
Pushkar is a small town which is best explored on foot. It offers a host of enjoyable activities to choose from. Pushkar is a vegetarians’ paradise. Begin your day with a delicious poha sold from the carts. If you are a gourmet, you can go on a food trail and taste some of the finest and not-to-be-missed flavours of Rajasthan, namely malpua at Sarvadia Sweet House and famous gulqand lassi (Kumawat ki Makhaniya Lassi, near Brahma Temple) served in kulhad (shikora or a small handle less clay cup), along with cream and rabdi. Fresh fruit juice at Sonu Juice Centre and pizzas at La Pizzeria are worth a try. The Raju Terrace Garden Restaurant serves a variety of Indian and Continental dishes. Others well worth a try are the Pink Floyd café, Sun-n-Moon, Honey & Spice and Om Shiva Garden Restaurant.
A rich mythology and history
Hindu mythology attributes the creation of Pushkar to Brahma but the antiquity and divinity of the town are far more ancient. The great Hindu epics, Mahabharata and Ramayana, call it the Adi Tirtha (king of pilgrimages). The Indian scriptures, the Vedas and Puranas, record that Rishi Vyas performed penance at Pushkar and Shri Balram, brother of Lord Krishna, visited it more than 5,000 years ago. The Harivansha Purana says that Lord Krishna spent some time here. Ramayana mentions that sage Vishwamitra performed penance (tapa) at Pushkar and the celestial enchantress Menaka came to bathe in its serene waters. Historically, the earliest reference to Pushkar is found in the writings of the Chinese traveller Fa-Hien. The great Indian poet, Kalidasa, too extolled it in his classic, Abhijñâna Sâkuntalam. Prithviraja I is said to have defended the locals from the invading Chalukyas in 1105 AD. The Mughals, the Rajput kings of Amber, Bundi, Bikaner, Jaisalmer and the Scindias built and developed the ghats and structures around the sacred lake. Sir Thomas Roe met Emperor Jahangir in 1616 AD here. It was one of the few places in Rajasthan which remained directly under the control of the British Government till 1818 AD who combined religion with trade and introduced the cattle fair in Pushkar.
The Camel Fair
Pushkar pulls you from the soul as one gets to see beautiful and radiant smiling faces diffused in a romantic burst of colours. Brightly turbaned men with impressive moustaches and womenfolk in vibrantly coloured lehengas and odhnis (long colourful stoles worn by women) lend a majestic air to the fair. It is common to see village girls in intricately embroidered, swirling skirts, spontaneously pulling the ghunghat (veil) over their faces at the first sight of a stranger. An innocence and purity that’s hard to find today. Tourists enjoy the experience of riding on the colourfully canopied camel-pulled carts. These safaris take the tourists to the sunset point, the rose gardens, the sand dunes and other places of interest before dropping them at the fairground. The maut ka kuan (the well of death), giant wheels, merry-go-round and magic shows are a big draw among children. The fair is a rich blend of trading, commercial activities, social gatherings, music, folk dances, cultural performances, religious rituals and pilgrimage at the temples — all of them distinct yet thinly overlapping over each other in perfect symphony.
Shopping guide
During the camel fair, the main market road and the huge area around the fairground transforms into a shopper's paradise. Traders set up stalls selling virtually everything — odhnis, ghagras, leharia fabrics, embroidered shawls, clothes with mirror work, lovely colourful bangles, beads, ethnic jewellery, miniature paintings, beautiful wall hangings, blue pottery, puppets, brass utensils, leather goods, shoulder bags... an endless list, it seems. The bazaar offers a special attraction for women as there are numerous stalls of trinkets, silver ornaments, chains, nose rings, necklaces, waistbands, anklets, toe rings, hairpins, chains and ivory bangles worn from wrist to shoulder lure the rural and foreign ones alike. And if tourists enjoy going on a shopping spree, can the camels be far behind? There are a series of shops which sell items ranging from saddle straps, saddles, beads, strings and cowries exclusively for decorating the ship of the desert. A visit to Pushkar is less about camels and more about the joy of self-discovery, rejuvenation and revelling in the small pleasures of life. After Kartik Purnima, silence descends on the temple town. Loaded with memories which will last a lifetime, the traders, pilgrims and tourists start leaving the temple town to return next year with more pomp and gaiety. And Pushkar waits for the next camel fair...
The overarching lord
The star attraction of Pushkar is tied to the Brahma Temple. As the morning sun of Prabodhini Ekadashi dusts the sand with gold and the thin layers of mist peel away, Pushkar transforms into a magical land. The little town swells and gets drenched in religious flavours as colourfully-dressed pilgrims and sadhus begin to gather in the many temples and ghats all around. Dressed in saffron with garlands hung around their necks, the ash-smeared sadhus are greatly respected by the pilgrims. As Brahma performed yagna at the Pushkar Sarovar (lake) from Kartik Shukla Ekadashi (Prabodhini Ekadashi, 11th lunar day, Shukla Paksha in the bright fortnight of Kartik month) to Kartik Purnima, so do the millions of devout pilgrims who flock to Pushkar to observe the rituals and perform a Kartik Snan in the lake during this period on a full moon night. There are 52 holy ghats (lakefronts) around the holy Sarovar, considered blessed as it possesses special curative properties. The Nag Kund cures infertility, the Roop Tirth Kund is known to enhance beauty, the water of Kapil Vyapi Kund is said to cure leprosy while a dip in the Mrikand Muni Kund grants the boon of wisdom. After a ceremonial plunge, the pilgrims visit to the Brahma Temple. The shrine has a distinct red pinnacle (shikhara) and a swan (hansa) bird motif. The temple houses a Chaumurthi (a life-size idol of Lord Brahma) with four hands and four faces positioned in the four cardinal directions. A small image of Gayathri flanks the idol. Peacocks adorn the walls of the temple as they are believed to be the vehicle of Saraswathi. Pushkar has more than 350 temples. The Old Rangji Temple was built by Seth Puran Mal Ganeriwal of Hyderabad in 1844 AD. The gigantic Varaha Temple is said to have been built by the Chauhan King Anaji (1123- 1150 AD) and renovated by Gokul Chand Parikh, a Scindia minister, in 1806 AD. A maha-aarti at the lake and a fireworks display mark the grand finale of official programmes.
