A few hours in Ajmer and a day in Pushkar

I woke up with difficulty this morning to catch my train to Ajmer, in which I had inadvertently, yet luckily, booked a sleeper, so I could sleep for an extra few hours. Upon arrival in Ajmer, I organised a rickshaw driver to take me to the Nasiyan Temple, wait for me and then take me to the bus station from where I would catch a bus to Pushkar.

The Nasiyan Temple, quite an impressive building, is not open to the public. There is however, a massive golden diorama depicting the Jain concept of the ancient world. When I say massive, I mean it – the diorama fills an entire hall over two floors and is really quite breathtaking.

There seem to be a few sights in Ajmer, one being a huge Muslim pilgrimage site, which was slightly out of the way, so I did not go – due to tiredness; but other than that, from what I saw of Ajmer, the city itself is really not so fascinating and somehow understandably is used by tourists as a thoroughfare to Pushkar. 

I then headed towards the bus station where my rickshaw driver didn’t let me pay the agreed price – which really was fair – because he had just received his exam results and had passed the semester of his course. I found that quite funny, as rickshaw drivers seem to be the most ruthless people when it comes to money (I haven’t heard of anybody getting money back from a rickshaw driver)!

The bus ride to Pushkar is quite a short one (about 45 minutes), through some amazing country side. Winding roads take you between two mountains and some of the panoramic views are rather stunning.

Pushkar, one of the holiest of pilgrim sites, is a small and friendly – if touristy – town. From the bus station I walked to the city, where I quickly found a hostel and settled in. After freshening up, I went for a stroll around the town that is filled with temples and lots of shops (touristy). The city is built around the lake, which contains the Baghs (holy bathing places). Many pilgrims and locals go there to perform cleansing rituals. I walked around to the other side of the lake, where from a Jain Temple, there is a wonderful view of the city and the Baghs.

Surprisingly, I was not accosted by any priest who wanted to sell me flowers as puja for my friends and family – maybe everyone assumed I have none? On a serious note, I was rather surprised by this, as it seems to be the standard thing to do with foreigners, and speaking/having spoken to others, it seems that this has happened to all – not that it bothers me that I was not accosted!

I had a nice snack at a place with a view over the lake and then found the cutest cafe in the middle of all the tourist shops where I sat down to have a drink. The cafe is run by two brothers and is a nice little oasis in the middle of the main road in Pushkar. It being the off-season here, Pushkar itself is very quiet and serene – a perfect place to chill out, though quite touristy. I find the contrast between the spiritual and touristy rather interesting here; the two just seem to coexist very well.