Brahma Temple, Pushkar
One of a tiny handful of temples to Brahma anywhere. Fourteenth century in its current form, on the edge of the lake.
Pilgrimage circuit
Pushkar & Ajmer Tour
One of the few Brahma temples in the world, and the Chishti dargah that draws millions. Two hundred and eighty kilometres north, two days from ₹8,500.
Overview
One of the very few Brahma temples in the world, and a dargah that draws millions.
Pushkar and Ajmer sit fourteen kilometres apart and could hardly be more different. Pushkar is a small lake town of five hundred temples where pilgrims come to bathe at the ghats, and where the annual camel fair in Kartik turns the place into something between a market and a carnival. Ajmer is a working city built around the dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, the most important Sufi shrine in South Asia.
Together they make a natural two-day trip from Udaipur — two hundred and eighty kilometres each way, with Chittorgarh sitting almost exactly on the route if you want to break the drive.
For a great many Indian travellers this pairing is the reason for the journey rather than an addition to it. We run it regularly for family groups, often in a tempo traveller, and our drivers know the parking situations at both, which on a Thursday at Ajmer is not a trivial detail.
Fares
Pushkar & Ajmer trip fares
From Udaipur. Car, chauffeur, fuel, tolls and driver allowance included.
| Trip | Sedan | Innova Crysta | Tempo Traveller 17 | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One-way drop, Pushkar or Ajmer | ₹4,500 | ₹5,400 | ₹10,000 | 280 km |
| 2 days / 1 night | ₹8,500 | ₹10,000 | ₹18,000 | 560 km round |
| 3 days with Chittorgarh | ₹11,000 | ₹13,000 | On request | 620 km round |
| Pushkar + Ajmer + Jaipur | On request | On request | On request | 4–5 days |
| Camel fair period (Kartik) | On request | On request | On request | Book early |
| Driver night allowance | ₹300 | ₹300 | ₹400 | Per night, included |
The Pushkar Camel Fair falls in the Hindu month of Kartik, usually October or November. Accommodation and vehicles both get scarce for that week, so book well ahead if you are going.
Highlights
What to see
Six stops across the two towns, and one that is easy to miss.
Pushkar Lake & the ghats
Fifty-two ghats around a lake said to have formed where Brahma dropped a lotus. Bathing here is the point of the pilgrimage.
Ajmer Sharif Dargah
The tomb of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, who died in 1236. Qawwali in the evenings, and crowds that do not thin.
Adhai Din ka Jhonpra
A twelfth-century mosque built from the material of earlier temples, with a screen of seven arches that is remarkable up close.
Ana Sagar Lake
The twelfth-century artificial lake with Shah Jahan’s marble pavilions along the Daulat Bagh embankment.
Savitri Temple, Pushkar
Up the hill behind the town, reached by steps or a ropeway. Go at sunrise for the view over the lake and the desert.
Pushkar and Ajmer from Udaipur
Two hundred and eighty kilometres, about five and a half hours on NH-48 through Chittorgarh and Bhilwara. It is a good road and an easy drive. Doing both towns properly needs one night; trying to do them as a day trip from Udaipur means eleven hours of driving for four hours on the ground, which we would not recommend.
The dargah at Ajmer
The shrine is busy every day and extremely busy on Thursdays and during Urs, the annual commemoration. The approach is on foot through a narrow bazaar; heads should be covered, and there are cloth sellers at the entrance. The qawwali in the evenings is the thing to stay for. Our drivers know where to park so the walk in is as short as it can be, which matters when the lanes are full.
Pushkar and the fair
Out of fair season Pushkar is a quiet town where the main street has become rather backpacker-oriented and the ghats remain entirely serious. During Kartik — usually October or November — the camel fair brings tens of thousands of animals and traders, plus a stadium’s worth of events, and the town becomes one of the great sights of India. It also becomes impossible to find a room or a vehicle at short notice.
Etiquette at the ghats
Shoes off well before the water, no photography of people bathing, and be aware that self-appointed priests will offer to perform a puja and then name a price. Doing the puja is entirely fine; agreeing the amount first is strongly advisable. Our drivers will warn you about this before you walk down, which is the sort of thing you only get from someone local.
Enquiry
Two days is the right length
Send your dates and the number of travellers. For the camel fair period, book as far ahead as you can.
- Office
Uday Towers, 58, Road No. 1, New Flora Complex Colony,
Near Navratna Complex, Udaipur, Rajasthan 313001 - Phone & WhatsApp
+91 96101 55555 - Email
info@udaipurtaxibooking.com - Hours
Booking desk 24×7. Walk-in office 9 AM – 8 PM.
About two hundred and eighty kilometres, five and a half hours on NH-48 through Chittorgarh and Bhilwara. Ajmer is fourteen kilometres further on.
Not sensibly — that is eleven hours of driving for four hours on the ground. One night makes it a proper trip and costs ₹8,500 in a sedan for two days.
In the Hindu month of Kartik, which falls in October or November. It is one of the great sights of India and also the week when rooms and vehicles vanish. Book as far ahead as you can.
Heads covered, shoes left before the approach, and expect crowds — Thursdays and the Urs period especially. The walk in is through a narrow bazaar. Evening qawwali is worth staying for.
No official one, but priests will offer to perform a puja and then name a figure. Performing it is fine; agreeing the amount beforehand is strongly advisable. Our drivers will brief you before you walk down.
Easily — Jaipur is about a hundred and forty kilometres from Pushkar. A four or five-day package covering Jaipur, Ajmer and Pushkar is a common booking and quoted per plan.
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