Jaipur to Puskar Same Day trip

One of the very few Brahma temples in the world

Pushkar is 150 km south-west of Jaipur, about three hours each way, and it is worth the drive for one reason above all others: Hindus hold that the lake formed where Brahma dropped a lotus, and this is the principal temple to him anywhere.

There are perhaps a dozen in existence. Brahma is the creator in the Hindu trinity and almost never worshipped directly — the reason is a story your guide will tell you, involving a curse from his own consort.

The lake and the ghats

Fifty-two ghats ring the water, each built by a different ruler or noble family, and pilgrims bathe at them at dawn and dusk. The lake itself is artificial in the sense that it has been embanked and desilted for centuries.

One warning worth taking seriously: men at the ghats will offer you a "Pushkar passport" blessing — a thread tied on your wrist and a short puja — and then demand a large donation, sometimes aggressively. A firm, polite no is all that is needed, and no genuine priest will chase you down the steps.

The Brahma temple

14th century in its present form, on a much older site, reached up a flight of marble steps. The silver turtle set into the floor and the hamsa motif over the entrance are the things to look for.

Shoes off well before the entrance, and leather items should stay in the car.

Savitri Temple

On the hill above, up a long staircase or by cable car, with the whole lake and town laid out below. Best in the last hour of light.

The bazaar

Good for silver, embroidered textiles and secondhand books, and genuinely relaxed by Rajasthani standards.

Practical

The town is strictly vegetarian and alcohol-free — no meat, no eggs, no alcohol inside the municipal limits. This is enforced.

The camel fair falls in Kartik, usually November, when the population multiplies several times over.

Twelve hours door to door.