Pushkar: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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Hindu tradition says Pushkar was born when Brahma, the creator, dropped a lotus flower and a lake appeared where its petals fell. That makes this small desert town one of the holiest places in India, and the reason it is vegetarian and dry by law: no meat, no eggs and no alcohol in town. This walk goes round the ghats to the temple of Brahma and up the two hills that hold the temples of his wives' story. Start before dawn on the hill, do the lake in the cool morning, and keep shoulders and knees covered.

A short history of Pushkar

Pushkar is built around a small lake in the Rajasthan desert, which according to Hindu belief was formed when the god Brahma dropped a lotus flower here. The town's Brahma temple is one of the few temples in the world dedicated to this god. Around the lake there are about 52 ghats, steps down which pilgrims go to bathe in the water. In 1948 some of Mahatma Gandhi's ashes were scattered in the lake, and one of the ghats has been named after him ever since. Every year, in the autumn month of Kartik, a fair is held here at which tens of thousands of camels and cattle are sold, one of the largest of its kind in the world.

The ten best sights in Pushkar

1
Pushkar Lake
Shoes off on the ghats, and no photos of people bathing; politely refuse the priests who press flowers into your hand for a donation
2
Brahma Temple
One of the very few temples to Brahma anywhere; phones and bags go into a locker before the gate
3
Savitri Temple
On the hill south of town; walk up an hour before sunrise or take the ropeway
4
Varaha Temple
Vishnu as a boar; the temple sits just above the busiest ghat
5
Gandhi Ghat
The ghat for the evening aarti, with lamps floated on the water at dusk
6
Old Rangji Temple
A Vishnu temple in the bazaar; non-Hindus may be asked to stay at the door
7
Pap Mochani Temple
Short climb on the north side for the sunrise over the lake, with fewer people than Savitri
8
Pushkar Mela Grounds
Empty most of the year; in the camel fair week in October or November the whole desert seems to camp here
9
Ajmer Sharif Dargah
The shrine of the Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti; cover your head, and expect crowds on Thursday evening
10
Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra
A mosque from the 1190s built from temple pillars, five minutes uphill from the dargah

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What is an audio walk?

Tours in Pushkar →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Pushkar:

Free walking tours in Pushkar

The lake of Brahma

Savitri Temple · The legend says Savitri, Brahma's wife, was late for the great fire ritual he held here, so he married the milkmaid Gayatri to complete it. Furious, Savitri cursed him to be worshipped only in Pushkar, and went up to this hill; Gayatri's temple stands on the opposite hill.
Brahma Temple · Because of Savitri's curse, temples to Brahma are almost unknown in India, and this is the most important one. The red spire and the hamsa, the swan Brahma rides, mark the building; by local custom married men do not enter the inner sanctum.
Jaipur Ghat · Pushkar's ghats carry the names of the states that built them — Jaipur, Gwalior, Jodhpur, Kota — because the princes of India kept palaces and pilgrim houses on the lake. There are some 52 ghats in all, and this one has one of the widest views across the water.
Gandhi Ghat · This was Gau Ghat until 1948, when part of Mahatma Gandhi's ashes were immersed in the lake here; it was renamed after him. It is also where the evening aarti is held, with priests swinging lamps over the water.
Varaha Temple · Varaha, the boar, is the incarnation in which Vishnu dived into the cosmic ocean and lifted the earth up on his tusks. The temple above the ghat of the same name holds his image, and the ghat below is the busiest bathing place on the lake.
Pap Mochani Temple · Pap Mochani means 'release from sin', and pilgrims climb here believing the goddess frees them of their wrongs. For visitors it is the quieter of Pushkar's hilltops, about twenty minutes up from the northern edge of town.

Ajmer, the city of the saint

Over the hill from Pushkar, Ajmer is a city of a different faith: it grew around the tomb of Moinuddin Chishti, the Sufi saint who came from Persia and died here in 1236, and it became the most visited Muslim shrine in India. Mughal emperors walked here barefoot to pray, and their palace still stands in the middle of town. This half-day route goes from a lake on the Pushkar road through the Mughal fort and a Jain golden hall to the shrine and the mosque behind it, and ends at the fort above the city. The dargah lanes are crowded and you leave shoes at the gate; go in the morning and dress modestly.

Foy Sagar · The lake was dug in 1892 as a famine relief work, giving wages to people in a year of drought, and it is named after the English engineer Foy who designed it. It sits in the hills on the Pushkar side of Ajmer.
Akbari Fort and Museum · In 1616 the emperor Jahangir received Sir Thomas Roe here, the first ambassador sent by an English king to the Mughal court. The palace Akbar built has housed the Government Museum since 1908.
Soniji Ki Nasiyan · The red temple was built in 1865 by the Soni family of Ajmer. Its hall holds a huge model of the Jain universe, with the mythical city of Ayodhya, flying ships and mountains, all in gilded wood, which took decades to complete.
Ajmer Sharif Dargah · Two huge iron cauldrons stand in the courtyard, gifts of the emperors Akbar and Jahangir, and food for pilgrims is still cooked in them. Akbar came on foot from Agra to pray here, a journey of more than 300 km.
Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra · The name means 'hut of two and a half days'. It was built at the end of the 12th century, after Muhammad of Ghor took Ajmer, re-using the carved pillars of Hindu and Jain temples; one story says it rose in two and a half days, another that the name comes from a fair held here for that long.
Taragarh Fort · Ajmer was founded in the 12th century by the Chauhan king Ajayaraja, and this hill fort above the city is credited to him; the city's name comes from his. Inside is the shrine of Miran Sahib, a governor who died defending the fort.

Camels, a lake and Kishangarh’s white desert

Pushkar sits at the edge of the Thar, and once a year, in the Hindu month of Kartik, it becomes the meeting place of the desert: herders bring tens of thousands of camels, horses and cattle to sell, and pilgrims come for the full moon. This route starts at the fair grounds and the camel lines west of town, crosses to the lake in Ajmer and goes on to Kishangarh, a small royal town famous for one painting and for a landscape of marble waste. It is a full day by car, back to Pushkar's ghats for sunset. Midday in Kishangarh is blinding; keep it for the afternoon.

Pushkar Mela Grounds · Besides the trading, the fair holds contests that draw crowds — camel races, decorated camels, and a competition for the longest moustache. It is timed to end on Kartik Purnima, the full moon, when pilgrims bathe in the lake.
Camel Market · Outside the fair this is where camel safaris into the dunes begin. Raika and other herding families of Rajasthan have bred camels here for centuries, and their numbers have fallen sharply since the camel stopped being needed for transport.
Ana Sagar · King Arnoraja dammed the valley in the 12th century to make this lake, and it is named after him. Five centuries later Shah Jahan added the white marble pavilions, the Baradari, on the embankment.
Kishangarh Fort · Around 1750 the court painter Nihal Chand painted Bani Thani for Raja Sawant Singh — a woman with a long curved eye and a sharp profile, often called the Mona Lisa of India. Kishangarh's whole school of painting grew from that face.
Kishangarh marble dumping yard · Kishangarh is one of the biggest marble markets in Asia, and the slurry left from cutting the stone is dumped here. The result is a field of white hills and pools that looks like snow, used today for film and wedding photo shoots.
Pushkar Lake · Back in Pushkar for sunset, the lake is at its fullest after the monsoon; in dry years it has shrunk badly, and it has had to be cleaned and refilled. Pilgrims believe a dip here on Kartik Purnima washes away the sins of a lifetime.

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Getting to Pushkar and getting around

Ajmer Junction · The main station for Pushkar, 14 km away over the hill; Shatabdi and Vande Bharat trains from Delhi and Jaipur stop here
Pushkar bus stand · Local buses to Ajmer run all day from here and take about half an hour
Kishangarh Airport · The nearest airport, about an hour by road; few flights, so most travellers fly into Jaipur

Cheap eats in Pushkar

Pushkar is a holy town, so everything is vegetarian and there is no alcohol or eggs inside it by law — even the pizzas. The local eating is Marwari: dal baati, thalis, kachori for breakfast and malpua, sweet fried pancakes soaked in syrup, from the sweet shops in the bazaar. Decades of backpackers added falafel, pancakes and rooftop cafés. Prices are per person in rupees.

Ganga Restaurant (Laffa & Falafel) · Falafel in laffa in the bazaar, about ₹150-250
Falafel Wrap Stalls · A row of wrap stalls next door, about ₹120-200
Rose Lassi Stall · Thick makhaniya lassi near the Brahma temple, about ₹60-100
Shiva Buffet · All-you-can-eat vegetarian buffet, about ₹200-300
Shri Vinayak Restaurant · Local thali and chai, about ₹150-250
Sunset Cafe · Lakeside café for the sunset, snacks about ₹150-350

Museums in Pushkar

Akbari Fort and Museum · Sculpture, arms and Mughal history in Ajmer
Soniji Ki Nasiyan · The gilded Jain universe, seen from a balcony
Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra · Carved temple pillars inside an early mosque
Kishangarh Fort · The town of the Bani Thani painting

Nature and day trips near Pushkar

Savitri Temple hill · Sunrise over the lake and the desert
Pap Mochani Temple · A quieter sunrise hill north of town
Foy Sagar · A small reservoir in the hills on the Ajmer road
Ana Sagar · Lakeside promenade and gardens
Kishangarh marble dumping yard · A snow-white landscape that is not snow

Things to do in Pushkar with kids

Savitri Mata Ropeway · Cable car up the hill, a hit with children
Camel Market · Short camel rides at the desert edge
Pushkar Mela Grounds · Fair week means rides, races and a funfair
Ana Sagar · Paddle boats and gardens in Ajmer

Where to eat in Pushkar

Out of the Blue · Rooftop with Indian and travellers’ food
The Laughing Buddha · Indian dishes off the bazaar lane
Tyagi's Roof top · Rooftop dinner above the bazaar
Om Shiva Garden Restaurant · Garden restaurant with a long menu, known for its buffet
Honey & Spice · Wholesome café food and fresh juices
Heart Rock Cafe · Thalis and curries near the ghats

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Frequently asked questions about Pushkar

What is there to see in Pushkar?

The top sights in Pushkar are Pushkar Lake, Brahma Temple and Savitri Temple. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Pushkar?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Pushkar without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Pushkar?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Pushkar, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The lake of Brahma.

How do you get to Pushkar and get around?

The main ways are Ajmer Junction, Pushkar bus stand and Kishangarh Airport. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Pushkar, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Pushkar that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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