The Pushkar Camel Fair has been on my ‘bucket list’ for quite a few years, and this year I was lucky enough to book it all in and travel with two good friends - Alison and Sue. We headed off with no kids and felt like we were constantly forgetting something - it was quite funny with 3 mums of 2 kids each feeling 'lost' without our kids......
The Pushkar camel fair runs for 5 days during the month of November, where animal traders come to buy and sell. The women and children assist with the animals but also get to shop in the local market stalls and socialise with other nomads. This week is the most important week on the calendar for the tiny town of Pushkar. After the selling has finished, it is then a celebration of a different kind with the Hindus making the pilgrimage to the sacred Pushkar Lake to 'cleanse themselves'.
As Pushkar is a 'dry city' (why oh why, I ask?) I decided to be a little rebel and take a hip flask of gin with me. Well, that was my first mistake of the trip - security had never seen such a thing in 'under carriage' luggage and they nearly confiscated it. Some swift talking by Sue and all was good. Arriving in to Jaipur and we met our fabulous driver, Rajesh, and started the 3.5 hour drive to Pushkar. We informed Rajesh that, even though we are not alcoholics, we 'needed' to stop for some wine - his face was hilarious ! He found a 'Wine Shop' on the side of the road and I was sent to buy some red wine (we didn't think we would have a fridge to keep the white chilled, and we were right). Four bottles of nasty Indian wine for $70 - I could feel the headache immediately !!
Arriving at our little Havali and we were concerned by the upfront advertising they used ......
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| These were our drinking vessels - metal drink thermos, plastic water bottle and peanut tin |
The evenings in Pushkar we sadly ruined by the constant barking dogs, music from many weddings, crying kittens, fireworks, people talking, pigeons....... I will not go on. Luckily, we had a 6.30am start to photograph the sunrise and see all the horses, camels, donkeys, cows, goats and people waking up at the fair.
My first impressions were just 'WOW' - there are over 50,000 camels for sale at the fair, along with thousands of horses, cows etc. The colours of the fair were spectacular and we visited twice daily for the four days.
The horses for sale are called, 'Marwari Horses' and are very easily identified with their 'inward-turning ears'. It is a rare breed from the Rajasthani region and are renowned for their hardiness. The white horses are used specifically in religious ceremony, greys are considered auspicious, and black horses are considered bad luck. So, the trading process can get a little feisty and heated. Whilst at the fair, we saw some beautifully healthy animals, but also saw many devastatingly sick or injured animals. It was a massive contrast walking around, but we appeared to be the only ones horrified.
After a morning of photography, it as time for some culture, and shopping. The Sikh temple in the middle of the town was a 'must visit' for us and we were not disappointed. It was my first time in a temple of this kind and it was extremely grand, made completely of marble. Our driver Rajesh was a Sikh and was happy to show us around.
Sunset photography was short-lived really due to the large amount of dust and smoke that is around due to the pure volume of people. Each day in the evening, the women start lighting fires to keep warm, and the dust from moving the camels is insane. My eyes and throat were burning from it very very quickly.
Below are some of my photos form the Camel Fair - animals everywhere. My next blog will be about the 'People of Pushkar'.
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| I love this photo - he was just calmly sitting .... waiting. |
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| Pushkar Lake |
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| A bit of a location hazard |
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