 AutoCar (Jan. ’09) journeyed along the NH8 from Delhi, into Rajasthan, past Jaipur and Ajmer, into Lord Brahma’s abode, Pushkar. NH8, being part of the Golden Quadrilateral, is not a biking roads by any means. It’s long, straight and sizzling hot as well. The trip to Pushkar from Delhi is 420km, of which close to 400km is on the arrow-straight H8. However, to give it due credit, the NH8 is one of the most beautifully paved roads around and munching away many a kilometer is a breeze.
Pushkar has often found its way into religious references and Indian mythology, not to mention Kalidas’ Abhigyan Sakuntalam. It is said that after Lord Brahma struck the demon, Vajra Nabha with a lotus, the petals fell at three different places, one of them being Pushkar. Now the holy place has a few rules, the two most important being – No meat and no alcohol.
The town’s claim to fame is the renowned Pushkar Mela which is held every year during the first week of November. The fair is said to be the largest camel festival in the world, with millions of pilgrims coming from far and near, to wash away their sins in the lake and also pay homage to Brahma, the creator. The temple in Pushkar is the only one in the world dedicated to him. Also in Pushkar is the Rama Vaikunth temple built sometime in the 1920s and host to carvings of about 361 deities.
 One isn’t allowed to enter the temple carrying anything and this rule cannot be bent or broken. So one thing you’d want to do before entering any of the temples is ensure that you leave your cameras, bas and anything else that’s terribly important in the hotel.
Pushkar is a major tourist attraction and hence cluttered with hotels, jewellery stores and clothing boutiques. There are tons of bike rental shops and hordes of camels that will take you for a leisurely ride through the streets of Pushkar. There are also sweet shops and a host of eateries ranging from everyday dhabas to pizza and pasta houses. But if you’re itching for a good meal and not in the mood for continental food, head down to the RS restaurant just opposite the Brahma temple for some awesome stuff.
Abiout the ride itself there isn’t much to write home about. Pushkar is a sleepy town with its lakes and temples all lending it a very peaceful tone. So if you do want to plan a trip in the first week of November, make the bookings well in advance, as everyone, and their second cousins twice removed, will want to be there at that exact time of the year. But despite the crowd, the trip will certainly be worth it. |
| Articles By IndiaBike.com on 6th March 2009 |
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