Pushkar

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We arrive in Pushkar by deluxe bus this time as tickets were cheap and avoided the nearby city of Ajmer where we would have to change on a local bus.

Brahma dropped a lotus flower on the earth and Pushkar appeared - so the legends tell, and then came a million tourists and turned it in to Brighton. Each and every dread-head looks to the man to his left blaming him for what Pushkar has become and each of them somehow in turn are not responsible.
None the less the temples that crown the highest hilltops still retain some of the energy this holiest of towns became famous for - if you can brave the often treacherous climbs to see them. Up here far above the bazaars, ghats and cheap hotels that surround the holy lake, the air is pure and peaceful.


Journal excerpts:

Tom: "..As we arrive at our guest house we are greeted by a robed man with peaceful eyes. In the central area of the clean but sparse ground floor living quarters there is a fire surrounded by chanting family members in yet more saffron robes. Incense chokes the air as we make our way up the winding stone steps to our room. Although welcomed with smiles we cannot help but feel we are intruding. I ask our host what the occasion is and we are told that for two days a month the family must gather and pray. Positive energy is emanating from the walls of this place and we know instantly this is where we will stay..."

Tom: "..I am trying to get to grips with the art of heena and in the evenings after our 10pm curfew I practice on Ness and I. Ru300 for one hand is what to expect from the many stalls but a tube of henna will cover ten people from head to foot for Ru20 - if one has the patience to learn..."

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