Pushkar

  Pushkar, Rajasthan, India
Thursday, January 8, 2009

We arrive in Pushkar after a long but easy trip from Jaisalmer. We took an overnighter in the relative comfort of an AC car to connect with another train at Jodhpur to Ajmer. Here we rode a bus over a small mountain range to the picturesque Pushkar. On arrival we have to fend off the many hotel touts looking for a commission, we simply duck around the back of the bus and take off at speed.

Chai in the bazaar

Pushkar is surrounded by mountains and is perched around a lake created when Brahma dropped a Lotus flower to earth. It hosts the worlds only temple dedicated to Brahma. We are shown around the temple by a young student nicknamed Monkey. He instructs us in the elaborate ceremonies that Hindu's perform here. They involve flowers, petals and sweets and all ask for the respective things that each god is in charge of. For instance, Ganesh is the god of good fortune in work or family but Lakshmi is asked for monetary good fortune. 

Tara high above Pushkar

There is a scam running in Pushkar on the ghats whereby a priest - or someone appearing to be a priest - thrusts a flower into your hand and then leads you to the water to recite a puja (prayer). The puja is to bring good fortune to your family and in an act of emotional blackmail they demand large sums for each member. Tara and I are wise to this thanks to a warning in the Lonely Planet and only "donate" a small amount. However, later we are told by some friendly and knowledgeable guys in an internet cafe that the "priest" has performed the puja incorrectly. This he can tell by the way a red thread is tied to our wrists. This bothers Tara and she wants it fixed.

We hire a motorbike and go off on a search for some rumored Shiva temples out of town. The countryside is quite dry around Pushkar, semi desert, although there is farming. It is a nice feeling to get out of town and have some freedom of movement. The traffic can be a bit disconcerting at first though - maniac bus drivers on the wrong side of the road and camel led carts. We drive a way out in two different directions but find no temples, just small villages. Later we ride up to the the base of the mountain the Savitri temple is atop. Savitri is Brahma's first wife. There is a great view of the valley and Pushkar lake from the top but the sky is quite misty and it makes it hard to take photos that do the view justice.

Monkeys in the hills

The following morning we get up early as we have to return the bike by ten fifteen. Tara wants another go at finding the Shiva temple so we head out of town. It's freezing though and my hands can't take it - it has been much colder than I expected on this trip. We have brekky and try again at nine. This time we head for Panchkund, a spot a few locals have told us to go to. We eventually find what seems to be a collection of various temples at the bottom of the mountain populated by fornicating monkeys. A short climb reveals more, including a weird looking pink god atop a crocodile!

We are about to leave when a priest materialises from nowhere motioning to us. My bullshit alert meter goes off but I give him the benefit of the doubt. He turns out to be the priest of the Ganesh temple and invites us into a small room - where he lives - for chai. He explains some of the finer details of all things Ganesh and puts Tara into a correct yoga position. We have an excellent chai with him and his sadhu friend which contains a lot of pepper, which is a first. He also shows us his hash explaining they only have a "little bit" to aid their meditations.

Guru Shamji

Tara mentions her disappointment at our fake puja and the priest offers to correct it. He warns us it will take an hour though - we agree not realising what we are letting ourselves in for. The following rituals show the fakers in town up for who they really are. First we are taken into the Ganesh temple and Shamji, our new guru, recites a mantra into our ears. We are then told we must chant it for five minutes silently. He tells us we must switch off our minds - no easy task when your trying to sit cross legged with my stiff legs! He returns after five minutes and begins preparing a string necklace for each of us which holds some sort of seed or fruit pit that has been dipped in the ghee that fuels the eternal flame in the Ganesh temple. This seed must sit in exactly the right spot on your chest to line up with the heart chakra, apparently good for your health. 

Shamji's Ganesh temple

After we have finished in the temple we retire to his little room were he teaches us another mantra and even shows us how to sing it. He informs us that now he, Shamji, is our guru and we can no longer allow anyone else in town to do puja for us. We then enjoy "prasad", blessed food, that consists of a kind of uncooked sweet pastry and cold pakora. Tara is nervous about eating it and hides some in her pocket! I fully indulge though; surely blessed food won't make me sick?

Shamji then takes us up the mountain to reflect on our prayer while gazing over Pushkar. He insists on a few photos and places his hand on Tara and my head as we pose. A truly bizarre experience the whole thing. Stark in contrast to the rush job the "priests" in town do - Shamji has very little respect for them and recognises that it is money that causes the problems. We bid goodbye promising to repeat our mantra every morning.

Later, in the internet cafe we have been frequenting, Tara finds that the young guy she is talking to in there also boasts Shamji as his guru. In fact, everyone we mention his name to has heard of him! The fact that we just stumbled on the place that morning made it all the more strange an experience. 

Overall, Pushkar was one of the best spots we've been to. I was expecting too many hippies and a lot of hassle but it turned out to be a friendly place that lacked pollution and had plenty of interesting sights. Definitely somewhere I'd return.