A journey to the Land of Kings -PART 17: Pushkar

 Pushkar

After a night of packing and rest, we woke up refreshed and got ready for the new day of adventures. I was feeling much better and the weather had become more comfortable for me. 

Savitri Mata Temple

Our first destination was a temple dedicated to Savitri Mata- the first wife of Brahma. We travelled via ropeway to this temple located in the heights of Ratnagiri hill. The journey was nice- we could see the dry landscape stretching towards the desert, the ghats, lake and iconic buildings. Once we  reached the entrance of building, we were shocked after seeing a troop of fearless monkeys. Some were fed  and petted by the tourists, while some more courageous ones were snatching things. The air smelled of monkeys and their cries echoed in the area. My mind was filled with details of various zoonoses you could get if you are scratched or bitten by them. We both collectively decided not to take the risk and we jumped into the next available ropeway and started our descend.

Brahma Temple

We were taken to the famous Brahma temple. Photography was not allowed inside the temple, so I'm describing what I experienced solely based on my memories. As the name indicates, this temple located along the banks of Pushkar lake is dedicated to Brahma and hence one of the rare temples in India. The temple is made of marble and stones. Some marble surfaces are embedded with silver coins also. It was actually a lot more crowded inside than we anticipated. One interesting thing I noticed was devotees putting bindis/ tilaks on the walls of the building as a part of their prayer. Actually this practice was ruining the paintings and inscriptions on the walls.. but what could one say in front of devotion?

Pushkar desert

Since we missed the desert experience in Jaisalmer, we were kind of excited about visiting Pushkar desert. We took a package for a jeep safari and camel ride and began our desert travel. The heart racing jeep safari was a little too much for me... but I took the seat beside the driver rather than being on the outside... My hubby finally did the camel ride and I declined as I was still recovering from the fever. We took some photos in the backdrop of desert and spend some time there. There were areas to change into traditional Rajasthani costumes and photoshoots, but I couldn't bring myself agree to that... The idea of sharing clothes used by many before was not a welcome one... I know that Pushkar can't be compared to Jaisalmer, but the desert experience in Pushkar was somehow satisfying. 

White sand desert

After lunch we visited the marble waste dump yard. When I saw this in the itinerary, I was honestly confused. What is there to see in a dumpyard?

But when I saw the view.. I was convinced...

The large amount of white marble residues during the processing of numerous marble stones were dumped in this area, creating a white sand desert. It was indeed an otherworldly experience. There were some large stagnant water bodies in between, filled with aqua green water. Even though the  area was crowded with visitors, we took some stunning memorable pics there. After spending about an hour there, it was finally time to leave.

The Road Back

On the way to Jaipur airport we had our last tea from Rajasthan, in a 'mitti' cup. We savored the taste for a long time, the memories of the past days, flashing through my mind. We had initially planned a train journey for the return trip, but due to my health condition, we booked flights. It was a long journey back home- 2 airports and 2 flights later, we landed in Thiruvananthapuram airport, next day morning.

Our first stop was Vettucaud church, and we attended the Holy Mass. Then we travelled back home, thanking the Almighty for the safe trip.

Well, that concludes our journey to the Land of Kings... 

I hope that you may also be able to visit your dream destinations and keep those memories forever with you...

← Previous Page | Back to Home