Discover the fascinating spectacle of cattle trading, religious pilgrimage, celebration & festivity at the Pushkar Camel Fair. Aside from the serious business of livestock trading, there’s the longest moustache competition, a camel beauty pageant, a cricket match, musicians, dancers, magicians & snake charmers as well as hundreds of authentic stalls to explore.
Today offers free time for you to explore the vibrant sights of Delhi. Opt to visit the imposing Red Fort, Jama Masjid – India’s oldest and largest mosque, Raj Ghat – the site of Mahatma Gandhi’s cremation, Humayan’s Tomb and Qutab Minar. An airport to hotel arrival transfer can be arranged ought to you need. Overnight – Delhi.
This morning is an early start as they board the Ajmer Shatabadi express bound for Ajmer. Seated in the air-conditioned stool class carriage & leaving the city behind they look out on a landscape of golden desert studded with green fields of agriculture & calm villages. On arrival to Ajmer, a short drive leads us to our accommodation, a kilometre from the uproarious gathering of the Pushkar Camel Fair. For the next few nights, they bed down in our comfortable Swiss style permanent tented camp. Each high roofed tent with solid flooring, proper beds & linen offers the facilities of air conditioning, en-suite with a bath & hot & icy walking water. After lunch & time to freshen up, they head over to the frenzy of activity & riot of colour that is associated Pushkar – possibly the world’s largest camel fair. Attracting some 300 000 visitors, 40 000 camel, cattle & horses the fair draws sightseers, pilgrims, nomads, breeders, herdsmen, farmers & traders with their accompanying relatives, livestock & articles for sale from all over the state of Rajasthan. Pushkar is an authentic cultural spectacle that’s distinctive & promises to be nice fun. Overnight – Pushkar
Today offers a glimpse at the serious business of livestock trading & the judging of the best in each section. There are also more light-hearted activities on offer such as the camel races, tug of war, awards for the best-dressed camel contest & a beauty pageant. Take a glance in at the longest moustache competition or keep score at the cricket match between the local Pushkar club & a random assortment of tourists. There’s also vibrant folk music & dances, magic shows & various other traditional entertainment & competitions as well as hundreds of authentic stalls to explore, filled with local jewellery & textiles. This evening can be spent watching the various entertainment offered at our desert camp. Overnight – Pushkar
On this day of celebration, countless pilgrims swathed in vibrant fabric converge for a holy dip in the sacred lake before the morning sun has cast its first rays. Surrounded by 52 bathing ghats (a series of steps leading to the lake), throngs of devotees line the water’s edge praying to the deities before washing away the sins of a lifetime. Today marks the beginning of the Kartik Poornima, a Hindu holy day celebrated on the full moon or the fifteenth lunar day in the month of Kartik. According to the Hindu scriptures, the lake relates to Brahma, the god of all creation and is of the holiest Hindu pilgrimage sites in India. The Brahma temple here is the most important temple in Pushkar and is, in fact, the only Brahma temple in the whole of the country. If all the excitement becomes much and you’re in need a breath of fresh air keep in mind you can always take the stroll and explore any of the 500 Hindu temples surrounding the lake and the local area. After all, sin has been absolved, the atmosphere is electric and the carnival, music, dancers, magicians, acrobats, snake charming, horse and camel racing continue. This fascinating spectacle of cattle trading, religious worship, celebration and festivity at Pushkar in the work of this time of year is globally famous. Your baggage allowance may not let you take home a camel, but you’re sure to find something truly one-of-a-kind and authentic here at the annual fair. Overnight – Pushkar.
Leading off the Dargah Bazaar they enter the shrine by a gateway of immensely beautifully intricately carved silver doors. In the courtyard stands immense cauldrons with the capacity of 2240 kg & 4480 litres! That’s lots of chicken soup! Pushkar – Delhi. This morning offers free time before visiting the town of Ajmer Sherif. The most notable site is the resting place of the Sufi seer, Khwaja Muin-ud-Din Chisti who died here in 1236 after six days of fasting & praying. Possibly the most important Muslim shrine in India fervent pilgrims patronize the shrine as did lots of of the Mughal rulers including that of Emperor Akbar. Onward the station, they board the train to Delhi arriving in the evening & transfer to the airport for your onward international flight. Additional night’s accommodation in Delhi can be arranged ought to you need. contact us for further details.
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