The Pushkar Camel Fair is a vibrant festival held annually in Rajasthan, attracting over 50,000 camels and a surge of visitors for camel trading and cultural activities. Taking place from late October to early December, it showcases a blend of livestock trading and religious rituals, along with folk performances and artisan markets. The event is a significant cultural gathering and offers various accommodations and dining options for tourists, while maintaining a strong emphasis on the local customs and traditions.

1. Pushkar Camel Fair: All you need to know
about Pushkar Mela

2. Pushkar
Pushkar, one of the oldest cities in India
hosts one of a kind Camel & livestock
trading fare where more than 50,000
camels are decorated, raced, displayed
& traded ever year. Fare originally
started to attract local cattle traders to
do business has now also turned into
one of India's most famous tourist
attraction. This festival of vivid colors
now attracts tourists in large numbers
from across the globe. It is the second
largest cultural gathering in India next
only to the great Kumbha Mela. Besides
camel trading various folk performances,
puppet shows, handicraft shops,
moustache competition, acrobatics and
many such activities have become a
highlight of the fair.

3. • The Pushkar Fair mainly has two components -- a) the camel trading b) religious rituals.
The camel trading happens in the first 5 days of the festival which attracts most of the
visitors. Towards the end of the Pushkar Mela various religious rituals such as bathing in
the Holy Pushkar Lake takes place.
About Pushkar city:
• Pushkar is a small religious town in Rajasthan near Ajmer, famous for Ajmer Sharif.
Pushkar was never too popular among Indians as a tourist location but number of visitors
has been increasing rapidly in recent years owning to the Puskar Festival’s rising
Popularity among the masses. Interestingly only Brahma temple in the world is in
Pushkar. Pushkar Lake in Pushkar is the center of many religious ceremonies like pilgrims
taking the holy dip along the 50 odd ghats along the lake.
When is the Fair held?
• The Pushkar Camel Fair usually takes place in late October to early December. Usually it
is November or the Hindu month of Kartik which depends on the cycle of the moon.
Dates are announce at least one year in advance. Since Camel trading takes place in early
days of the Fair it makes sense to come early to experience the festival in full glory. Dates
for upcoming festivals are:
• 2014: Pushkar Fair from 30th October to 6th November.
• 2015: Pushkar Fair from 18th November 25th November.
• 2016: Pushkar Fair dates have not been announced yet.

4. When to visit Pushkar otherwise
State of Rajasthan being in north
western part of the country and much
of it falling in the Thar Desert, it gets
pretty hot during the summers; nights
are much cooler though. November to
February is the ideal time to visit most
of Rajasthan including Pushkar.

5. What happens at the fair?
A huge carnival mostly
concentrated on the road along
the Pushkar Lake takes place.
Camels are dressed nicely and
decorated, entered into races,
paraded in beauty contents and
traded. Carnival attracts wonderful
mix of musicians, folk dancers,
magicians, snake charmers and
other artists who entertain visitors
at this marvelous celebration.
Sand dunes get over crowded with
Camels and population of Pushkar
surges to over 300,000 people
from mere 10,000 due to influx of
camel traders, pilgrims, artists and
tourists. Camel races are definitely
the highlight of the camel fair.

6. Where to stay at Pushkar
• Before suggesting where to stay, we would like to emphasize on where not to
stay. Avoid the cheapest hotels, they may not be safe. There have been cases of
guests being drugged and robbed in the past. If at all money is a constraint
read reviews before booking or staying at the hotel. Having said that, Pushkar
is quite safe otherwise.
Due to large number of visitors during the festival, hotel prices shoot up
drastically so it makes sense to book well in advance. Hotel rates vary from Rs
400 ($7-10) to Rs 5000($85-90), although some very high end options are also
available. Accommodation options include basic guest houses, desert tent
stays, high end heritage hotels and ordinary run of the mill hotels. Scores of
tented tourist camps are set up all around the Pushkar town for the camel fair,
but need to be booked in advance.
• You can even opt for packages that include stay, food and some activities.
Some people prefer to stay at Ajmer travel to Pushkar by bus or taxi.

7. What and where to eat
• Surprisingly for a small town, Pushkar has lot to offer for the foodie in you.
Buoyed by the large number of foreign tourist to the city, food served at some
of the restaurants is as good as some of the metros and definitely cheaper as
well. You will be surprised to find Israeli food at many of the Restaurants; in
fact some of the restaurants have menus written in both English and Hebrew.
Obviously Indian food is available everywhere but continental breakfast
options are also aplenty. Many varieties of European and Asian cuisine are also
available at many restaurants in Pushkar. Some of the recommended
restaurants are:
• Funky Monkey Café for good coffee and quick bites
• Nirvana cafe and Pizzeria for great ambience and Israeli, Pizza & Pasta
• The Laughing Buddha Café for vegetarian food.
• Baba Restaurant for good continental breakfast
• Sunset Café for good food by the lake
• Te.. Lawala for good Indian and international cuisine.
• Om Shiv Buffet for healthy vegetarian buffet.

8. The Holy Pushkar Lake along which the whole
town transforms into a marvelous carnival

9. Activities to do
• Hot Air Balloon ride: Get on a Hot Air Balloon to view the camel fair. It will become
one of the unforgettable moments of your trip. SkyWaltz is one of the vendors
providing exciting balloon flights over Pushkar.
• Camel Safari: Take the Camel Safari and enjoy the desert landscape and the camel
fair spectacle from the best seat in town.
• Witness or take a dip in Holy Pushkar Lake: Pilgrims do it as part of religious rituals
and it is believed to wash away sins committed just like a holy dip in River Ganges.
• Brahma Temple: Visit the ancient and famous only Brahma Temple in the world.
• Shopping: you can buy a wide variety of things such as clothes, jewelry, Beads,
bangles, small idols, lovely glassware, antique items etc. Pushkar offers one of the
very unique shopping experiences in India. Remember to always bargain with the
shopkeepers.
• Experience the culture: Take walk in makeshifts bazaars & colorful streets. Witness
cultural events, interesting exhibitions and folk performances.

10. Tips
• Alcohol is prohibited in Pushkar as it is a holy place. Some places do sell
booze at hiked prices. It’s advisable to avoid buying from these places.
Best option is to carry your own liquor from Ajmer. Consuming non-vegetarian
food is also banned here for the same reason.
• Finding various drugs is quite easy in Pushkar but that does not mean it’s
legal.
• If you are a girl travelling alone or just a group of girls then keep your
distance with men trying to be too friendly.
• Be very careful of the con men who may ask you to show the town
around or ask for donation in name of blessing or prayers to ancestors.

11. Photographic Attribution
• Thank you all for your contributions!
• Featured Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/dobs/
• Pushkar: https://www.flickr.com/photos/thebigdurian/4326459967
• What happens at fair: https://www.flickr.com/photos/thebigdurian/4180007534
• When to visit Pushkar: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cristic/8233461231
• Pushkar Lake: https://www.flickr.com/photos/37911116@N04/3526340652