„Pushkar?“ „Pushkar?“ I freak out innerly, but stay nice and calm outside. „No, thank you“. I just arrived at the train station at Ajmer. I experience exactly what I read: Normally tourists do not stop at Ajmer, but directly go on to travel to Pushkar. I decided to at least spend some hours in this city since I am flexible and can move on to Pushkar whenever I like. My decision turns out to be both: great and annoying. Ajmer is really not as walkable as Jodhpur. Since the distances are short I still resist on walking. More vexing than navigating the dreadful traffic is the persistent solicitation from rickshaw drivers, trying relentlessly to persuade me into accepting an overpriced ride to Pushkar.
The entry to the Akbar Fort is slightly hidden within its big walls, but once I figured out how to get the tickets (purchasing it from a local sitting behind a really really tiny window in one of the thick stone walls of the Fort) the museum visit is worth the ticket prize. I get not only to admire the architecture of the fort but also different paintings, coins, weapons and puppets. Even more impressive is the insight of the Soni Ji Ki Nasiya Jain Temple where I head off next. Inside I have to be careful not to blind my eyes from the golden miniature world which is laid out in front of me. Trying to imagine the mythological stories summarised on big posters at the walls, were the reality, the visit becomes easily a magical encounter.
„Oh, it’s you again!“ What coincidence. While I am taking a picture of the Anasagar Lake I recognise the same man who bought tickets at the Akbar Fort right after me. His name is Ajor. We start exchanging and a few minutes later a second Indian joins who has met Ajor during his stay in Pushkar and will return to his home in Delhi the next morning. We decide to spend the rest of the day together since we still have the same sights on our bucket list. The next hours become an overwhelming walk through masses of people in the Muslim quarter. Above that I mutate into a photo object at Adlai Din Ka Jhonpra and nearly miss the beautiful sunset while being too busy inhaling all the colourful noisy impressions at the evening procession at Khwaja Gharib Nawaz Dargah Sharif. All these people, all these flowers… I have never seen anything comparable.
„You know, I have never left this town!“ It is a mixture of proudness and sadness that I can hear in the voice of the boy. He says he has many friends, mainly within the same profession: Caring about and training the camels here in Pushkar. „Two days ago all of this was full of camels and horses!“. While watching around at the dunes, I try to imagine how the several dozens of animals may have been multiplied and are now off back to their home town all around Rajasthan.
My time in Pushkar ends in a marvellous way. I spend the last night at the holy lake, having the privilege of witnessing the daily celebrated light ceremony. With a relaxed walk around the lake to my backpacking hostel, I say good-bye to the town which I will see from bird-eye perspective one last time in the next morning. Getting up at 6.30 am I can enjoy the sunrise while climbing the steps to the Savitri Temple. The whole hike allows for amazing views and photo stops!
With that I say good-bye and hope to welcome you again for the next small insight blog about my trip to India.
lilithpower 