Pushkar is calling again || International Camel Fair in Pushkar, Rajasthan, India

7 years back when I started learning and practicing Photography seriously, I planned to visit Pushkar Camel Fair. It's a very good place to go and shoot diverse things - people, action, games, camels, colorful dresses, dance performances, trades, mela, temples, lake and lot more. It's definitely worth exploring once and camera is a not must :). This Photo Journey shares 7 years old photographs from Pushkar, along with some of the experiences you can expect during Pushkar Camel Fair. My mentor told me about the fair, although I was not sure if I would be able to take out that weekend for Pushkar visit. On Friday evening, I realized that I don't have anything pending for weekend. So went home, packed my bag and reached ISBT Delhi. I got a comfortable bus from Delhi bus-stand to Ajmer. It was a good ride from Delhi to Ajmer in Rajasthan Road Trasport bus. Bus dropped me at Ajmer before 5am. Again took a local bus and reached Pushkar town. It was very cold in the morning, so took out my jacket and started searching for a place to stay & keep my stuff safe for next two days. It's recommended to do advance booking if you want to stay in a good hotel, otherwise smaller options can be explored when you are there. But I am talking about it from my 7 years old experience :)I got a nice hotel along the lake-side. There are many havelis around the lake which have been converted into Hotels. During the fair, these hotels have special arrangements on roof-top to party and enjoy special evenings with friends. Above photograph is shot from the roof-top of my hotel. During my stay, I realized that many of these hotels also have dormitories. Lot of groups from Israel & other foriegn countries prefer to stay together and try to keep the cost low. That's how they can travel more to explore different parts of our country.  There is a 5-10 minutes walk from Bramha temple to the grounds where Camel Fair happens. There is a stadium in Pushkar which is mainly used for various games and competitions, in which camels, horses and elephants participate. Check out this video showcasing horse dance competition - This lake in Pushkar is huge and has religious importance. You can notice lot of religious activities happening around the ghats. Lot of pandits may approach you to do different types of worships, so be very aware of all that. Don't indulge into any discussions with these guys, because I have seen these folks shouting on innocent folks roaming around and make them do different things without their wish. They create pressure on people by different means and at times, tourists feel helpless. It's sad to see such activities happening at such a beautiful place, because many times foreigners take back those bad experiences with themI am sure that you must be wondering about camels in this Photo Journey. I have lost most of my Pushkar shots in a HDD crash and these are picked from other locations & friends. So at Pushkar Camel Fair, you can expect lot of camels all around. Header photograph of this blog is also one of the shot from Pushkar.The fair happens every year in the month of October, so if you feel like visiting Pushkar Camel Fair this year, just check out the schedule and plan your visit. It's a week long fair, so you may want to check the schedule and decide appropriate days to visit Pushkar town in Rajasthan.Food at Pushkar Camel Fair is another special experience. It gets really hard to find Indian food in Pushkar, except some of the dhabas on fair ground. Most of the restaurants in main town serve non-Indian cuisine. They of-course charge higher but still reasonable :).  During the stay, make it a point to talk to local folks and try to undertsnad more about the Camel trading and various other activities of this fair. You would be surprised to know about some facts around pricing of camels, types of camels and how people bring them here etcPushkar is also a great place to capture some colorful portraits from Rajasthan State of India. I am sure that many of you can click far better portraits than what is shared on this blog.I am also trying to figure out the possibilities to visit Pushkar Camel Fair this year. Keep me informed if any of you want to come along. Comment back.. We can connect and plan together.

Lot of excitement is there during this week, as International Camel Fair is happening in Pushkar town of Rajasthan State of India. Lot of Photography enthusiasts are heading towards Pushkar to explore various things around the golden dunes, streets full of colorful folks around old havelis of Rajasthan, camel traders and huge number of camels & horses around the main fair ground. Apart from that lot of competitions happen during evenings. 

It has also become a great event for Photography enthusiasts to network with like minded folks, learn from each other and come back with some special captures of golden sand dunes, camels dressed up for various activities, colorful people, the beautiful lake surrounded by ancient temples and lot more...

Comments

Arun said…
They have started calling it 'International' camel fair? :)
There are lot terms which have popped up for Pushkar Fair. Many say that it's one of the few Tourist Fairs in India :)
MyHome-MyNeeds said…
good and stylish rajasthan photography
Stylish Photography

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