Pushkar: the contemplative life of Rajasthan
In the heart of Rajasthan and washed by a holy lake, **Pushkar is one of the holy cities of pilgrimage and shopping in India. ** Also one of the oldest, most colorful and hippies in the country.
Place of visit (obligatory) for any Hindu, a halo of spirituality surrounds its streets where fabrics, jewelry and handicrafts share space with the temples, the most disparate street stalls and animals wandering aimlessly.
At first glance and saving the distances, Pushkar could be 'The Indian Dew', where peaceful and tame cows replace frenetic horses, paved streets coexist with dusty labyrinthine alleys and a multitude of bazaars assault tourists day and night. A picturesque village framed between a mountain range to the south and the desert to the west.
wrapped in fabrics of endless styles, colors and shapes, Pushkar is to shopping what Udaipur is to romance.
The sadar bazaar It spears through the heart of this small town of about 100,000 inhabitants. A straight line where there is no loss, populated by small shops, boutiques, street stalls and restaurants.
The ghats of the city of Pushkar
One of the best sites to get hold of silk dresses, cotton scarves, wooden figures, bracelets, silver anklets, Ali Babá pants, crystal lamps and countless original beads at prices within everyone's reach.
Above all, there are all kinds of clothes and jewels made in India that, in their day, they conquered Brigitte Bardot and Liz Harley.
Avoiding going crazy is the fate of any traveler who arrives with the intention of filling the suitcase with all kinds of gifts. A very practical piece of advice: be clear that haggling is the star sport in most cases, except in the stores where the garments have their prices marked.
In addition to shopping, Pushkar is a good place to practice that discipline that attracts us but that always seemed a bit strange to us because it was incomprehensible. There are multitude of yoga academies, reiki, reflexology and many others that mix the physical with the mental.
If our stay is going to be prolonged, we can sign up for a course in Indian cooking or traditional dance. If our thing is art, there are also people who teach rajasthani painting or how to carry an authenticity henna on hands
Henna, one of the best known traditions
Pushkar is unlike anywhere else in Rajasthan, land of great epics. The city comes to life around its sacred lake and it means for the Hindu what Mecca is for a Muslim or the Vatican for a Christian.
In India it is known as 'The Rose Garden'. Devotees from the country and from other places come, at least once in their lives, to this Holy City to bathe in its green waters and cleanse your soul.
Every day at dawn, the murmur of the bids (the prayers) breaks a mystical silence to give way to the delicate peal of drums, gons and sacred songs. That's when fanatics and outsiders begin to throng to the shore of the lake, until the ghats.
Legend says that the lake was formed when Brahma, the creator god of the universe, threw a lotus flower in what until then was a wasteland.
And there is nothing better to start the day in Pushkar than to join that and other beliefs transformed into spectacular religious ceremonies.
The print is unique. Religious entertained with endless offerings for their deities, fake priests trying to cajole tourists with flowers and prayers to get a few rupees and authentic shepherds who implore with a thousand and one prayers good and health for the family.
The holy lake of Pushkar is one of the most famous in the country
A few meters away, in the northern part of the lake, 400 sky blue temples and 52 ghats decorate this beautiful setting in which pilgrims make their immersion into Hinduism.
Here Visnu appeared in the form of a boar in the Varah Ghat; Some of Gandhi's ashes were scattered on the gandhi ghat and Brahma took a good bath in the Brahma Ghat.
That spirituality does not remain only in the lake but is reflected in all the streets and places of the city. Even in the farthest part, the temple of Savitri Mata, surrounds you in a halo mixture of incense, mist and essence of cattle, which is impossible to get rid of.
erected on top of a hill Located to the right of the lake, the Savitri Mata is shown with its maximum splendor at sunset.
The top of the mountain, which is about 1,000 meters high, is reached after an hour's walk up some steep, but well-constructed, stairs.
The most comfortable option is cable car for about 90 rupees round trip. It is not highly recommended if you suffer from claustrophobia or vertigo or are simply scared. The cabin sways with every step and the steel lines screech like the soundtrack to a bad horror movie.
The cable car that goes up to the Savitri Mata temple, not for the faint of heart
In any case, covering your ears and eyes is a good option for those who have a bit of cangueli. The breeze and the faint rays of sun caress the faces of some stressed travelers who arrive looking for peace in the midst of chaos.
Lovers find their hole in a rock to melt into kisses and hugs while, as if it were a movie screen, one of the most beautiful sunsets that can be seen in the world, appears in perfect definition.
There is nothing more exotic than practice yoga at 1,000 meters high, about the fog that rises in the towns and cities of India as if separating them from the rest of the world, making their world something apart and unfathomable.
Some of them are dangerous and any bite or wound could cause serious health complications. Infections are simmering at every turn in India and we must always be very careful when brushing up against animals or that they may injure us slightly.
We will not deny that it is beautiful to see the domes of the temple surrounded by macaques for the photo, but the farther the better.
Pushkar: the heart of Rajasthan that will steal a piece of yours
But don't get distracted during moments of ecstasy. Dozens of monkeys that roam freely around the temple can bring you back to reality of a slap, or, stealing some belonging that you have left at will during the mystical moment.
On the way to the temple Gurudwara Sahib we cross dusty streets flanked by dilapidated buildings that house all kinds of businesses: barber shops, grocery stores, butcher shops, souvenir shops and some street stalls that seem improvised.
We stop for a coffee in front of a wagon made of rotten wood and barely holding two infernillos. In one of them a coffee pot that looks like something out of a spaghetti western splashes brownish liquid from some tiny hole in the brass.
The young man who serves you first tries to get more money out of the account. He obviously sees us for what we are, two tourists who don't mind paying a little more for a coffee. Those extra rupees are vital for a person who works but his employment does not get him out of misery.
The monkeys can be seen (from afar) but not touched!
He wears a dirty shirt and pants that cry out for soap, but the coffee is good. He tells us that he has two children and that In India, marriages are still of convenience, especially in the villages.
In fact, before getting married you have to have the approval of the parents. Coffees taste better in company and with good conversation between sips.
-How long will you stay? – He asks us.
-A few days.
- Well, then you will not agree with the Camel Fair.
- Camel Fair?
-Yes, it is the biggest festival celebrated in Pushkar and one of the biggest fairs in all of India. It is spectacular. last year they came more than 10,000 camels from all over the country to trade with them. But of course, around it they put on a whole traditional show and a fair with attractions. We Indians love fairs and celebrations. We like to have a good time.
-Well, it's a shame that we can't enjoy the Fair. We Spaniards love to have a good time and get together in celebrations, although not as much as you do, and perhaps that is why we sometimes get bitter over nonsense.
In the end, We haggle over what he wants to charge us for the coffee and in return we give him a tip. We think it's fair.
The Camel Fair, one of the most anticipated events of the year
Like all Sikh temples, the Gurudwara Sahib is reminiscent of sugar cubes. It will be because of its whitish marble, its ornate architecture or, rather, because of the sweets that they always give you as a blessing when you leave.
Sikhs are hospitable to unsuspected limits. Every day they prepare meals in their temples for all those who want to share a portion with them, whether they are poor, rich or of any social condition.
To enter they only require you to take off your shoes and cover your hair. Nothing compared to the Brahma temple, the only temple dedicated to this Hindu deity that exists in the world.
This by the lake, and as we told you a few paragraphs ago, the legend says that during a battle against the devil, Brahma took out a weapon in the shape of a lotus flower. When its petals were stripped, they fell on what is now the lake. That story gives a clue as to how they worship this god in India.
inside the temple You can't bring shoes, mobile phones, or cameras. Entering with any of these items is strictly prohibited.
A kind of corridor, surrounds a sanctuary in which the Hindus swarm and utter cries and chants. The white marble is profusely stained with yellow and red left by the offerings. The interior walls are filled with coins with the names of the devotees and the image of a turtle.
Worshipers come to this place from all over the country to offer their prayers to Brahma. The temple is over 2,000 years old. Although the original temple was destroyed during the rule of the Muslims, it was rebuilt in the 14th century.
The Gurudwara Sahib temple
Alcohol and tobacco are prohibited in Pushkar. It is a holy city and any man-made stimulant substance is not allowed. It is also not okay to eat meat or eggs. Even so, it is relatively easy to find a beer to accompany a dinner based on Tandoorii Chicken, Samosa with Chutney sauce and a creamy Lassi for dessert.
At the **Heart Rock** of Pushkar, another of the temples, in this case, pagans of the city, It is possible and recommended. The food is delicious and they serve a Kingfisher that tastes like glory after a busy day, as is usually the case in India.
But its greatest attraction is in its owner, Slime Mango. With his lively eyes and a mustache halfway between Dalí and Hercule Poirot, this 27-year-old is a true entrepreneur. He left his wife and his two sons in one of the small towns near Pushkar and He came to the city to set up a restaurant that has become a reflection of himself.
The Heart Rock is a happy, colorful, uninhibited place, that mixes the essence of India with a frivolous and relative character that makes it even more authentic.
Baba Mango's place, a cheerful and colorful place to recharge your batteries
My family is far away. I see them once or twice a year –Baba confesses to us sitting next to us on the terrace of his restaurant.
- Wow, that's a shame.
-Okay, now my family is people like you who comes to see me and who directly become more than just friends to me.
Outside the night enters the streets of Pushkar and from time to time there is the barking of a dog or the rattle of a wagon pulled by a scrawny man.
Nights in Pushkar are quiet. Its poor lighting causes a feeling of insecurity, but the reality is that it becomes a peaceful place where you can walk peacefully without fearing anything or anyone. Only the animals that can go out on the road in search of the closest garbage where to feed.
Pushkar is a relaxed, calm city, compared to the hectic pace and chaos that all over India exudes. There are no great palaces nor did the Maharajas appear here. That is why it is liked by many Westerners who seek in the country relaxation, contemplative life or simply getting to know the complex culture well that makes this country and its people something indomitable and often incomprehensible.
Our journey must continue but we both know that our bodies refuse to obey the command of the mind, like when something becomes addictive, and Pushkar is.
*follow the adventure of **** Travel and Rock _ in Traveler.es. First stop: Delhi; second stop: Udaipur; third stop: Pushkar; fourth stop: Jaipur; fifth stop: Agra; sixth stop: Varanasi._
Pushkar