Pushkar is understated. I’d describe it as a second-tier destination in Rajasthan. But if you’ve got time in India and are curious to get beyond the main sites and the famous golden triangle, there are many quietly unique things to do in Pushkar that outweigh its size for character.
- About Pushkar
- Things to know
- Scams (sorry)
- Best time to visit Pushkar
- How long do you need?
- Things to do in Pushkar
– Pushkar Lake
– Ghats
– Brahma Temple
– Rangji Temple
– Aarti
– Sadar Bazar
– Mochani Temple
– Gurudwara Sahib Pushkar
– Ajmer - Getting to Pushkar
- Where to eat
- Where to stay in Pushkar
- Where else to stay in India
A little bit about the city of Pushkar
The city of Pushkar is believed to be over 2000 years old, making it one of the oldest cities in India.
There is a lot of history that is evident in visiting Pushkar with the ancient temples still used daily, and the narrow lanes with traditional houses. And more than the physical visible history is the age-old customs that are still practiced today in religious and spiritual customs in the city. (Fascinating as a visitor!).
But any story about Pushkar begins with Lord Brahma, the Hindu god of creation. The legends of Pushkar say that Brahma dropped a lotus flower from his hands and the place where it landed became a holy lake. This is Lake Pushkar.
And thus, Pushkar and the lake are important sites of pilgrimage for Hindu making it one of India’s most important religious destinations.
Pushkar is home to the only temple of Lord Brahma in the country as well as the world. More about the temples later.
Why do people visit Pushkar? Is it worth a visit?
Pushkar is often an extension to the typical Golden Triangle itinerary for India. Because it is relatively easy to get to by road (approximately 3 hours from Jaipur) it is a welcome addition to the larger cities of Agra and Jaipur.
And if in the main golden triangle trip, you haven’t yet had a chance to ride an Indian train there is a fast train from Ajmer direct back to New Delhi that makes it an easy return to point A.
But logistics and religion aside, Pushkar is a small city destination that offers a relaxing and quiet option in Rajasthan.
It is a popular place for vegan and hippie (hipster?) travellers with yoga retreats and green cafes in higher proportion than anywhere nearby. And its small size and seemingly lack of tourist-dedicated things to do in Pushkar make it even more attractive.
Things to know about visiting Pushkar
The small city of Pushkar is a holy place for Hindus and Sikhs, and therein lies its charm. However, there are a few things about being such a sacred place that are good to know in advance before visiting Pushkar.
Oh. And there are a couple of popular scams (sorry) that I need to tell you about too.
There is no meat, egg or alcohol in Pushkar
Pushkar is officially meat, egg and alcohol free. And as far we could see it truly is. (Not like some destinations in India *cough Varanasi cough* that claim to be alcohol free but quite apparently aren’t).
Because the entire town is a temple town, any form of meat and alcohol is strictly prohibited. There are loads of vegan and 100% vegetarian cafes. They do serve dairy (milk is as popular as ever). But egg is not part of the Brahmin diet and so meat, and egg are forbidden.
You won’t have any problem finding marijuana though. Good luck if you have any sort of tattoo that might deem you an obvious target. Even if you are traveling with children, you will indubitably be asked…
You’re going to need to take your shoes off
Around the Holy Lake and many of the religious sites and temples you will need to remove your shoes. And with upwards of 400 temples in Pushkar you need to be prepared to take your shoes off for quite a part of exploring this small city.
Prohibited photography (and how it is actually enforced)
It’s not like its law enforced with huge security guards or anything like that. But picture staunchly proud (or cunning) locals that will tell you off with no qualms at all if you take a photo in the wrong place.
There are some temple sites and other sacred spaces where due to the religious nature they have issued a ban on photography. For example, you can’t take photos inside the Brahma Temple or in the Sikh Gurudwara.
You likely won’t miss the hand-painted signs stating where photos are forbidden. But even if you do, don’t be alarmed if some apparently over-zealous local lets you know. Just don’t agree to any payment in compensation of taking photos mistakenly in said areas. This is not part of the actual protocol and more likely a scam.
The flower scam (and a few others just to be aware of)
This is something that you do need to be aware of. We didn’t find it as forcibly ensued as we had read. But at literally a first turn towards Varah Ghat and we were offered a flower.
This is Pushkar’s most well-known scam. (Definitely not something to be proud of, Pushkar).
It is common for tourists to be approached and gifted a flower to release onto the lake in return for ‘good karma and blessings’. The gifter will insist the flower is free and can even insist you are offending them by saying no. But paradoxically if you do accept the so-called free flower and head to the lake to release it, they will follow you and request for money once you have done so!
Say a firm ‘no’ and keep on walking.
When is the best time to visit Pushkar?
Ah ha. This is often a question with travel in India. And having now visited India in every season of the year (it’s not like the four seasons in the west) I can confirm winter is best.
The winter months in India are from October to March and this time of year offers a dry, pleasant climate in Rajasthan. The days are hot without being overly so. And the mornings and evenings are cool but not cold like in the north.
Despite Rajasthan being labelled as a desert state it does get very wet at times during the monsoon season anytime from July to September. This is also the peak time for viruses and other tropical or wet weather illnesses.
- Read about visiting Ajmer in the monsoon season and why it’s somewhere we won’t visit again.
How long do you need?
It’s a small city and especially by Indian standards. There isn’t a whole lot that is specifically tourist-geared in Pushkar but that’s part of its charm. I’d say with two nights you could enjoy all the things to do in Pushkar in a relaxed pace of exploring.
And if you are even more into relaxing – or yoga – this is a popular place to do just that. Many travellers talk about Pushkar in a devoted retreat kind of way. And if that’s your style then its peaceful enough to take it slow and join the local pace.
But if your travel style in India is more for exploration then I’d say two days in Pushkar is a win-win for retreat and interest.
10 Best things to do in Pushkar
So yes, it’s a small city. But there is enough of a range of things to do in Pushkar to suit hippies and holidaymakers and anyone in between.
I was going to save this for last but in case you’re here for a short time here is one of the most unusual things we saw. It’s not technically one of the things to do in Pushkar (obviously). But in case you are still awaiting the gist of this small, religious but relaxing tourist town this kind of sums it up…
1. Pushkar Lake / Pushkar Holy Lake
Pushkar Lake is referred to as Holy Lake. This is the main religious site. Plus, it’s pretty much impossible to visit Pushkar without sighting Pushkar Lake as the entire city surrounds the small lake in the middle.
The cultural history of the lake is in the story of Lord Brahma who dropped a lotus flower and created the Holy Lake of Pushkar. Now the story of the lakes origin makes it a site of pilgrimage for Hindu’s who come from all over the world to bathe in its water.
It is the centrepiece of the entire city. But if you aren’t visiting to bathe in the sacred water, one of the popular things to do in Pushkar as a visitor is to walk around the Holy Lake.
2. The Ghats
There are about 400 temples and 52 ghats in Pushkar. (That’s not a typo by the way).
A Ghat, is a term used in India to refer to the series of steps leading down to a body of water. Often the steps are multi-purposed and used to enter the water for bathing or for a place of cremation along the banks of a river or lake.
In Pushkar there are 52 ghats around the Holy Lake. And the best way to experience the sanctity of this holy town is to visit its Ghats.
As a visitor the ghats are a fascinating place to observe. Respectfully, obviously. Because some of the ghats are used for cremations and the others are used daily for worshipping.
Locals and pilgrims use the ghats as an entry point to make their bathing rituals, religious and otherwise.
Gau Ghat is one of the most famous ghats and one of the things to do in Pushkar that makes this place unique.
If the chiming bells, chanting and wafts of incense haven’t inevitably already led you to the ghats of the Holy Lake then make your way to Gau Ghat. It is the most famous ghat and is often referred to as ‘Ghandi Ghat’. It was here in 1948 that Mahatma Ghandi’s ashes were scattered after his assassination.
It’s a good place to start and will pretty quickly clue you up on Ghats and religious bathing rituals that you didn’t know you weren’t already clued on. The water looks grim up close. It’s a wicked brown colour and stagnant. And yup, there’s algae too. But it doesn’t smell.
Go check out the ghats.
3. Brahma Temple / Jagatpita Shri Brahma Mandir
Pushkar’s most famous temple is the Brahma Temple. Although the current structure dates to the 14th century, the ancient part of the temple structure is believed to be 2000 years old.
Pushkar has the only temple dedicated to Lord Brahma. Brahma is revered as the creator of the material universe. He is one of the main gods of Hinduism and is one of the holy trinities of Hindu gods with Vishnu and Shiva.
It is said to be one of the few such temples in the world because of a curse by Brahma’s consort, Saraswati. And this is the reason why the city is a pilgrimage site for Hindus.
The temple is a masterpiece of Hindu architecture with carved white marble and red sandstone. The main poles of the temple structure are painted in a vivid blue with gold and green embellishments. And inside you can see a life-size statue of Lord Brahma, with four heads and four arms, symbolizing his power of creation.
You can find the temple set back from the main bazar and Brahma Ghat. And despite not being possible to photograph inside the complex it is well worth a look and after the lake, it tops the list of things to do in Pushkar.
- Tip: Photography is not permitted inside the temple.
4. Rangji Temple / Hindu Temple
As well as Brahma Temple, Rangji Temple is the other most famous Hindu temple in Pushkar.
The temple is a dedication to the Lord Vishnu, the incarnation Lord Rangji. Despite the city’s long history however, the Rangji temple is believed to have been commissioned in 1823. So, it is comparatively new (in terms of Indian temples and history).
It isn’t possible as a visitor to go right inside the temple. That is for worshippers only. But you can enter the complex and admire the size and scope of the huge, gated archway entrance to the temple.
5. Pap Mochani / Gayatri Temple
The Gayatri Mata Temple in Pushkar is also known as Pap Mochani. It’s the smaller of Pushkar’s hilltop temples and is often overshadowed for the ropeway and temple of Savitri. But part of the allure of Gayatri Temple is its understated quietness and the closer view over Pushkar Lake.
It is normally listed as a 30 minute ‘hike’ to the top of the small hill. But in reality, it’s not technically hike. And I’m sure it took us less than 15 minutes to the top.
And would you believe that despite this being one of the things to do in Pushkar where you can take photos, we didn’t even head out with the camera this time?!
We didn’t go up the ropeway so I can’t compare the two hikes. But this was a peaceful walk and minus the monkeys that Savitri Temple is woefully famed for.
6. Experience Aarti / Things to do in Pushkar
If you have visited Varanasi on your trip in India, you will be familiar with the evening Aarti ceremony on the River Ganges. And if Varanasi isn’t yet on your India itinerary then this is a great introduction and a much calmer way to experience it. (Varanasi is next level, by the way).
An Aarti ceremony is a Hindu religious ritual of worship. It takes place at temples or sacred sites where holy priests, also known as brahmins, perform the ritual of Aarti at the end of the puja or prayers.
In a practice sense, the ceremony is a ritual of light and prayers. It is performed in greeting and thanksgiving of the Deities where devotees are reminded of humility and gratitude of God’s presence and providence.
Watching an Aarti ceremony is undisputably one of the most beguiling things to do in Pushkar. The ceremony doesn’t last long. It takes around 30 minutes and is performed each evening at sunset.
The priests and devotees light oil lamps and candles and make their prayers and offerings with chants and songs.
- Tip: The evening Aarti at Varah ghat starts at 7:00pm during summer and around 5:30pm during winter.
7. Pushkar Bazar / Sadar Bazar
The main market in Pushkar is called Sadar Bazar. Sadar means ‘main’ and this is indeed the largest market in the small town.
The bazar is definitely a tourist market. There are hundreds of smalls stalls and shops, nooks and hole-in-the-wall type stores. Each of them displaying a very colourful array of pretty much anything that screams India and tourist and everything in between.
Closer to the lake and Brahma Temple are stalls selling incense, flowers and trays for offerings. There are all kinds of oil lamps and candles. And leaves and flowers to float in the lake at sunset for the evening Aarti.
There are leather goods (some genuine and others less so). Rows of stalls sell brightly coloured tapestries in similarly genuine and less-genuine ranges. And there are as many elephant-pants or camel-pants that any tourist could possibly want.
Even if you aren’t out for souvenir or home-décor shopping its worth a wander. Dodge the touts popping up with unrequested flowers. The market might not be one of the most relaxing things to do in Pushkar, but it is certainly an interesting one.
8. Visit neighbouring Ajmer / Things to do in Pushkar
I’m not a fan of lists suggesting expensive day tours or itineraries outside of the actual city itself. But in this case when the next suggestion is only 30 minutes away and the city is small, a day trip to Ajmer really is one of the interesting things to do in Pushkar.
Now, Ajmer is nothing like Pushkar. So, this is really only a suggestion if you have extra time to fill. And/or if you are craving adventure off the beaten track to a smaller city (bigger than Pushkar) that no one else really knows why you’d visit…
Ajmer is less than 15km by road. You actually will have passed through Ajmer or at least skirted the city to get over the hill to Pushkar. But the neighbouring city of Ajmer is interestingly the largest site of pilgrimage for Muslims in India. It’s a little bit like Mecca in that way. Ajmer has the shrine of a 12th century Sufi saint that draws crowds like you wouldn’t believe. (Trust me on that one).
It also has one of the oldest mosques in the country. And so, with the Hindu pilgrimage sites and things to do in Pushkar there are similarly cultural sites of interest in Ajmer.
- Read about all the things to do in Ajmer here (and why not to visit this part of the country in the monsoon season. Did I mention that already?).
9. Gurdwara Sahib Singh / Sikh Temple in Pushkar
A Guru Dawara is a place of worship for the followers of Sikhism. In Pushkar, the ornate, multi-domed Gurdwara Sahib hosts Pushkar’s Sikh community and welcomes visitors.
The Guru Dawara in Pushkar is dedicated to the teachings of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism and to Guru Gobind Singh. The temple was built in the late 19th century to commemorate the visit to Pushkar city by Guru Nanak Sahib Ji in 1509.
You can see the Gurdwara standing tall behind the lakefront city and many Hindu temples. It is a place of worship for Sikhs, but it also welcomes visitors of all faiths to come and learn about Sikhism. If you haven’t yet visited a Gurdwara in Delhi or Amritsar, Pushkar is a good place to experience it. The temple is unpretentious, and visitors are welcome.
- Tip: Entry is free but note that you will need to cover your hair. Photography is not permitted inside the Gurdwara.
10. Yoga, meditation and other things to do in Pushkar
Yoga, meditation and massage go together with Pushkar’s considerably hippie-vibe. The city is a spiritual place and has a heightened energy about it which makes it popular for pilgrims and travellers alike.
It is a popular place to slow down the pace of travel in India. And accordingly, there are many hotels and retreats offering yoga, meditation and massage.
Getting TO Pushkar / How to get to Pushkar
Perhaps the biggest question when considering Pushkar for your India itinerary is whether it is worth the journey to get there.
There isn’t a train station in Pushkar. So, if like us you make your journey around India by train it seems a bit more complex to arrive at.
But really, it’s not.
Ajmer is the closest train station to Pushkar. It is only 15km from Ajmer to Pushkar and takes less than 30 minutes by car or taxi up over the hill from Ajmer.
The other option that’s popular in adding Pushkar as an extension of the golden triangle is to get a driver from Jaipur to Pushkar which takes around three hours.
- Ajmer to Pushkar: 35 min (14.9 km)
- Jaipur to Pushkar: 3 hr (142.9 km)
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Where to eat / Restaurants and cafes in Pushkar
- Café Lake View: Good(ish) coffee and open early in the morning with a view of the Holy Lake to boot.
- Inn Seventh Heaven Restaurant: This is the rooftop restaurant of the Haveli we stayed in Pushkar. The restaurant is open for breakfast and does good eggless pancakes (truly) and a good strong coffee.
- Arty Vegan: A great café in Pushkar dedicated to proving any doubters that vegan food can be both vegan, exciting and tasty.
- La Pizzeria: This restaurant comes highly recommend in Pushkar for its vegetarian (of course) wood-fired pizza. We managed to go twice and despite not having ‘rooftop’ in its name it does do good, thin-crust cheesy pizza.
- Pushkar Café Roof Top: Good food and good views. The café is located at Hotel U-Turn on Varah Ghat.
Where to stay in Pushkar
Pushkar is a small city and wherever you choose to stay is likely to be in short walking distance from the lake and the bazar.
We stayed at Inn Seventh Heaven (lol; the name) and really enjoyed our stay.
They were even kind enough to let us change dates on the day and arrive a day earlier than planned as we needed to get out of Ajmer quick smart.
The hotel is a 100-year-old Haveli (mansion) and is beautifully set up inside with an internal courtyard and common places to relax on each level.
The restaurant is great and does a sweet breakfast with egg-free pancakes that surprised us all in a good way. We had a delicious vegetarian dinner at the rooftop restaurant and rate the great service too.
Where else to stay in India
There are some great places to stay in India. But I’ll be the first to admit that starting out searching for accommodation in India is a bit of a needle-in-a-haystack type challenge.
These are the hotels and accommodation we use regularly on our travels in India and that we can recommend for your trip.
- Amritsar: Hyatt Regency
We have a fabulous stay each time at the Hyatt Regency with a swimming pool, restaurant and the incredible breakfast buffet.
- Varanasi: Hotel Temple on Ganges
Great location; basic rooms and restaurant. Close to Assi Ghat – good location to explore Varanasi from.
- Jaisalmer: The Wanderlust Guesthouse
AMAZING guest-house! We love staying here and can highly recommend. Great rooms; rooftop restaurant overlooking the fort; awesome camel safaris!
- New Delhi Airport: Taurus Sarovar Portico [beautiful hotel only a few km’s from Delhi International Airport. A great first stop arriving in India with buffet breakfast included and a restaurant onsite.
- Delhi: Hotel Hari Piorko
Good location in the heart of the Main Bazaar, Delhi. Close to restaurants and train station. No view from rooms.
- Delhi: Smyle Inn
Extremely basic hotel in small back alley. Very friendly, helpful staff and simple breakfast included. Just off Main Bazaar.
Where else to stay in India
- Kolkata: Hotel Golden Palace
Close to New Market with very friendly service and a great in-house room service restaurant.
- Mumbai: Gulf Hotel
Good location in Colaba few mins walk to Gateway of India. Basic rooms (and very old elevator) and very basic breakfast included. Also lots of (questionably so?) mirrors.
- Jodhpur: Raj Mandir Boutique Homestay
Good location in Blue City, spacious room with small balcony inside Haveli style home. Tiny little doors, lots of unique decor and artefacts.
- Jaipur: Jaipur Haveli
Incredible old haveli home in heart of Jaipur. Highly recommend; beautiful rooms; great attention to detail and very friendly staff and owners.
- Agra: Aman Homestay
Very friendly family-run homestay with rooftop views of The Taj Mahal. Great rickshaw driver service and home cooked meals.
- Kochi: Hotel Abad Plaza
Good location next to mall with supermarket. Multiple restaurants on site; huge buffet breakfast. Swimming pool. Note this hotel is not in the old city of Kochi.
More about travel planning for India and beyond…
These are the companies we use while traveling fulltime as a family and that we would recommend to anyone planning and booking travel.
- Booking.com – The best all-around accommodation booking site that constantly provides the cheapest and lowest rates. They have the widest selection of budget accommodation and it’s easy to filter and sort into price and availability with all the extras you are looking for personally.
- Skyscanner– This is by far our favourite flight search engine. They are able to search small websites and budget airlines that larger search sites often miss. We book all our flights through Skyscanner.
- GetYourGuide– Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace for tours and excursions offered all around the world including everything from walking tours, to street-food tours, cooking classes, desert safari’s and more!
- SafetyWing – A global travel insurance that covers people from all over the world while outside their home country. You can buy it short or longterm; and even if you are out of the country.
- World Nomads – Travel insurance tailored for longterm travel and nomads (including those who have already left home). Make sure you have travel insurance before riding those trains in India!
Read more from travel in South Asia
- How to use a squat toilet: Everything you didn’t want to ask…
- Our complete packing list for travel in India.
- Taking an overnight train in Pakistan.
- How to apply for a Pakistan e-Visa: And can you use it at the Wagah Border?
- Crossing the Wagah Border from India to Pakistan.
- Pakistan with kids: A complete guide to travel in Pakistan.
- Using ATM’s, withdrawing and carrying your money safely in India.
