Pushkar

I had two options. First, I could go to a place called Pushkar and see another town with a sacred spot. Or I could go right on to Jaipur, the Pink City. Actually there was a third option, which was suggested to me by Terence at the desert camp. I could go to Pushkar early in the morning and see what there was to see. Then I could hop on another bus and head to Jaipur that afternoon. But I didn't like my chances too much of finding a place in Jaipur if I arrived late in the day. I have been having trouble with hotels when I do that. So I planned to just go to Pushkar and stay for the night and head on to Jaipur the next day.

I went to the bus station and caught a bus. It turned out to be a small error. There was a scheduled bus to Pushkar at 10:00. I took one that was sitting off to the side of the bus terminal. They told me they were going to Pushkar. And they were, but they took the long way. Instead of a probable 4 hour bus ride, I got the 5 and a half hour bus ride. And the conductor forgot about me, so I had to remind him... a kilometer or so outside of the center of town. But I found a reasonable hotel within a short time. Then I headed out to see the sights of Pushkar, which consisted mainly of a holy lake in the center of town. Buddha is said to have thrown some kind of leaves or something. Lakes sprang up where the leaves landed. The biggest of these lakes was the one in Pushkar.

I left the hotel and headed off to find the lake. I was pretty much immediately accosted by someone who insisted on giving me a flower. It was to place in the lake for good luck. I really didn't want it because I knew it would mean money would be asked of me in return for the privilege of placing the good luck flower in the lake. Oh well. I wasn't given much of a choice and I didn't want to just drop it on the ground and offend anyone. Giving religious offense can be a fairly egregious transgression. So I kept on to the lake with the flower in my hand. But I had put it in the other hand and that was the wrong hand, according to another passerby who told me that I had to place it in the lake with my right hand. The left hand was for women. Okay.

I got to the lake and headed down towards it. As I approached, I noticed a donation box. And I decided that I wasn't going to be donating. And if I wasn't going to be donating, I felt I shouldn't go ahead with putting the flower in the lake. But the two guys at the lake's edge had other ideas. As I stood at the top of the stairs looking down at the lake, they told me I had to take off my shoes in order to approach the lake. I told them I wasn't going to be putting the flower in the lake. And it was like I was committing some kind of crime. They got all annoyed and started telling me I couldn't take it to the market, it wasn't for the market, and stuff like that. I had no idea what they were talking about. And I was still not about to take the flower to the lake. And I wasn't making a donation. In the end they were waving me away with the backs of their hands. I told them plainly they were being rude as I left them behind and walked away. If the people associated with this holy lake are going to act like that, then there is going to be a drop in tourism. I know what my advice to anyone who visits India is: DON'T GO TO PUSHKAR.

And if you do, don't bother with the lake. It's nothing. It's a concrete bounded (and possibly underneath as well) pool of water that seems to have no water coming in or water going out. That will mean that it is extremely dirty to the point of polluted and stagnant. And with people bathing in the “holy” waters it is only getting more so. But it's nothing to bother with the rude people who are defending it against infidels. And if you really have to see what it looks like:

The other put off of the area is the ring of tourist crap selling shops around the lake. It just adds to the impression that there is not much in the least holy about this particular lake. It's just a tourist trap.

But if you are in Pushkar, there are other interesting places to see. One is to go for a wander in the community beyond the center of town. Once away from the tourist area, the people are friendly and once again inviting you into their homes and to meet their families. It is quite a contrast. And it reminds one that not everything about a tourist trap is necessarily evil and off-putting.

That is what I did. I had seen a temple atop a nearby hill and was trying to find a way up to it to get a good view out over the town and to watch sunset. I was directed by a number of people in my search to find, unfortunately also by a young boy who felt that a gift of some small amount of money would be appropriate for the information. I got up to the temple which was a nice perch and did offer a great view of the town below.

 

Sunset was a bit disappointing as there was a fair amount of haze and the sun just slowly faded from view behind the haze of probably pollution rather than actually setting. But the atmosphere at the top of the hill in the temple of the second of Brahma's wives was peaceful and friendly. The monk in training served us tea, without any expectation of anything in return and I met some friendly lawyers who were in town taking a test to become state prosecutors. There were also some other foreign tourists up there and we all watched the sun disappear together. The temple visit helped turn my impression of Pushkar around a little bit. I'll still suggest that you give it a pass if you are ever tempted, but I will concede that there is a little bit of good to the little town.