Pushkar – the cultural phenomenon of Rajasthan

Rajasthan, with all its culture, heritage, sand dunes, safaris and wildlife is a destination nonpareil. The oldest mountain range of India creates the magical backdrop as the spectacular sand dunes treat your eyes to a strange serenity. You might just want to go for a bird watch in the wetlands or for a tiger trail. It’s counted in the world’s most vibrant and colorful deserts. A plethora of celebrations can be seen in the great Thar Desert. The desert is a large part of this state, but an even larger part is the music, dance, festivals and fairs. The festive fervor can be seen throughout the year. The cattle marts are more like delightful fairs.

The Pushkar cattle fair is the India’s largest and the world’s one of its kind. You can see a large part of rural population there with their camels and cattle for various activities such as livestock trading, pilgrimage, horse dealing and other religious activities. Pushkar is a small town but how it transforms into such a large, spectacular and magnificent fair ground is a thing to be witnessed by one’s eyes. You can find here musicians, traders, devotees, folk dancers, acrobats, sadhus and comedians. The fair starts in the month of October (kartika) and continues till Poornima. The first half of the fair sees a major cattle trading and rest half is dominated by religious activities. The sacred waters of the holy Sarovar Lake are known for bestowing salvation. Devotees come here to take a dip in these waters. You can see people from many different regions with their own form of dancing, traditions, folk entertainment and dialects.

Other fairs that are not to be missed include Elephant festival, camel festival and the Desert festival. The age – old traditions have given birth to these festivals which transform this land into a colorful one. These celebrations are fueled by passion and jest.

Image Source: Indiatourismworld Blog

There are a number of make shift stalls offering stuffs of daily utility to art. Then there are horse and camel races. The art exhibits of the fair can be seen at the Shilpgram near RTDC tourist village campus. You can find all types of hotels ranging from budget hotels to heritage and luxury hotels. You can also opt for a true desert experience by renting a luxury tent provided by private operators as well as RTDC. Still a lot of time for October to come, plan on a trip. The magic of the Pushkar is a lifetime experience.