Pushkar Festival
The Pushkar Fair is overwhelming in its magnitude and is celebrated with great enthusiasm. It is easily one of the most spectacular and colorful fairs of India and famous the world over for its collection of colorful people, camel and cattle.
Pushkar Fair is perhaps the largest cattle fair in the world.
Rajasthan which is enriched by cattle wealth is the home to many recognized breeds of cattle like Nagauri, Mewati, Gir etc. Camels are bought, sold, beautified, raced and parade. Most unusual are the small groups of men and women seen busy tattooing their hands and other parts of the body.
The fair is predominantly a rural gathering. Villagers come from different parts of the state and bring their cattle with them. On spectacular sand dunes camel, horse and bullock races are great crowd pullers. All roads lead to the lake, which is flooded with pilgrims. The movement of the crowd is like a tide of colour with currents of crimson, yellow and turquoise.
The Pushkar Fair this year starts on the 25th of October to the 2nd of November with lots of cultural programmes and a lot of animals on sale and many games for tourists and animals and the locals.
Events at Pushkar Fair
Evenings at the Pushkar Fair have their own charm. The silent night is pierced by calls of camels. Ballads are sung by actors in passionate tones. Folk dramas, skits and folk dance are organized for the entertainment of the tourists. The tourist village is self sufficient and specially designed to complement the natural beauty of the site. It has a Coffee Shop and Dining Hall which can cater to 1500 guests at a time.
Dance music and colorful shops come up during this fair. Also on sale are mouth-watering traditional delicacies. Colorfully dresses village folk enhance the fun of the occasion. Lots of cultural events against the backdrop of this pretty setting is also organized including attractive puppet shows. Cattle auction and camel races are also a part of the festivities.
GETTING THERE
By Train
The nearest railway station for Pushkar is Ajmer, which is on the Broad Gauge and hence connected to all the metro cities of India. There are daily trains from Jaipur like Shatabdi Exp and evening Intercity Exp which go in the morning and evening respectively.
By Bus
Pushkar is around 12 km from main Ajmer . Rajasthan Roadways run very comfortable deluxe & air conditioned buses from Jaipur. There are buses from Jaipur to Ajmer every 15 minutes, some nonstop but just one which goes directly to Pushkar. The roads are also very good, and it takes around 2and a half hrs from Jaipur. You can also go there by taxi.
