We tried to walk to Pushkar Lake but, having got lost, took a tuk-tuk who took us back the way we had come and then explained that he was not allowed to drive through the old city to the lake. We eventually walked there and, after being told to take our shoes off, walked down the steps of the ghat to watch the devotees of Lord Brahma fully emerse themselves in the dirty water. They lowered themselves into the deep water on a rope so that they wouldn’t drown. We then found our way to the Brahmin temple, fighting off demands by orange-robed gentlemen to donate money and by shopkeepers to buy little boxes of flowers and what looked like cakes as offerings to the God. We were constantly pestered to accept a pink or white flower which we should throw it the lake as a prayer, but Mukesh had warned us not to interact with any of these people
Pushkar is among the oldest existing cities in India. According to Hindu tradition, Lord Brahma, regarded as the creator of the universe, dropped a lotus flower on the ground, which led to the formation of a lake. The place where the lotus fell came to be known as Pushkar, after the Sanskrit word for lotus. The town is home to one of the few temples dedicated to Brahma, and a pilgrimage to Pushkar is considered highly meritorious within Hinduism.
A temple and our hotel room (the light orange building on the left
Pushkar Lake
Petals thrown into the lake by pilgrims. Each petal equals one prayer
Bloke wanting money off us.
The Brahmin temple. We could go in but not take pictures.
Back of the temple