Puskar is one of the many holy places I visited on my trip through India. The city is tucked between jagged hills and sand dunes on the edge of the Thar desert. The drive from the train station in a neighboring city of Ajmer reminded me of southern Arizona's high desert. Pushkar is home to a holy lake that is said to have been made when a lotus flower petal fell on the desert and Lord Brahma is said to have worshipped. Pushkar also has one of the only temples to Lord Brahma. It is understandable why a spring fed lake would be held in high regard by any population trying to survive on the fringe of the Thar desert.
Due to the Holy stature of the city and lake, as a visitor you are encouraged to take part in a Puja ceremony on the lake's ghats (stairs for worship and bathing). The puja ceremony is a series of chants/prayers of respect for the holy lake and wishes of good health and life for you and your family. The ceremony ends with the tying of a holy string around your wrist, which is commonly referred to as a 'Pushkar Passport.' Without the passport you will be hassled by Brahman's (holy men) to go down to the lake and give offerings and take part in a puja ceremony, and you will not be allowed to visit the many temples in the small town. Taking part in the ceremony was interesting, and the focus on respecting the lake, local beliefs, and good fortune for family were all positive. However there is an associated cost for the ceremony, which cheapens the experience. The amount is left up to the participants, but they are often guilted into giving large donations. In addition, small donations are usually met with complaints that it won't even cover the cost of the offering items (a dry coconut, some rice, sugar, colored rice flour, flower petals and the passport string). Our ceremony was coordinated through our local guide, so we didn't need to barter our donation expenses, but that didn't keep our Brahman priest from closing with an additional pitch for donations (he noted that they have ranged from one rupee to one million).
Due to the religious significance of the town there are many forbidden items and conduct in the city. A sign at the lake outlines the expectations for guests. In particular there is no meat or alcohol allowed within the city limits, conservative dress is required and no 'embracing,' which I assume covers all public displays of affection. The prohibition of alcohol was problematic to the group, because we had a birthday to celebrate and the birthday boy had been traveling around India with a bottle of South African spirits he had packed for the occasion. So, after our puja ceremony, our guide coordinated a bus out of town for a traditional local meal, drinks, accompanied by gypsy dancers and musicians.
The group did not know much of the details other than the fact that our guide had made coordinations for the party. Everyone went into the evening with different expectations, most involving a city and/or bars and clubs, but no one expected the rural patch of grass tucked between struggling fields of sand as the venue. When we arrived there was some grumblings, but by the end of the evening, the bottle of spirits from South Africa along with many local chasers, dancing with the gypsies, and the great company of our group all made it into one of the best nights of the trip.
Our second day in Pushkar we wondered the city, but couldn't be bothered to tour the temples we now had passports to see. In the evening we met for dinner and watched the sunset over the lake. Something didn't agree with me and I ended up with stomach cramps for the night and had to make multiple trips to reception for addition rolls of toilet paper. (One of the oddities of India is the fact that toilet paper is a hot commodity and the rolls provided in hotel rooms are good for about two sessions before you need a new one.) Fortunately I survived the bus ride to Jaipur in the morning.
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