Part 1
HOW TO GET THERE : Exit Delhi and take the NH8. Cross Gurgaon and then continue on the Jaipur-Delhi stretch. After 218km take a right turn from Chandwaji to take the Jaipur bypass, avoiding the traffi c from the city. This bypass leads you past Kishangarh and towards Ajmer where you are sniffing distance away from Pushkar.
Mysticism, myths, legends, colour and straight roads led us to one of India’s oldest towns, Pushkar. Every road trip brings about its own concoction of adventure. Heading to Rajasthan always brings a smile on my face as the Rajput state welcomes you with wide, straight roads which is makes driving hassle free, to say the least. Getting out of Delhi via Gurgaon always dampens one’s mood with traffi c jams and bottlenecks and to make matters worse our war horse, the Volkswagen Polo 1.2 TDI Highline didn’t come with an auxiliary output or USB port, so we were at the mercy of the radio.
Once we hit the sprawling wide roads we stepped on the gas and to our surprise the Polo wasn’t a slouch. It might not be the windtalkers the land of Maharana Pratap may have been used to historically but this slightly noisy diesel hatch was our Chetak. The sad part about National Highway 8, leading to Jaipur, is that the scenery is mundane and sore to the eyes. Once we took the Jaipur bypass we got to see the actual scenic beauty of Rajasthan as we zipped past tiny forts and towers with the road running the Aravalli mountain range and at times cutting hills into half.
As we were nearing Ajmer, south west of Jaipur, it was getting clear that this 7th century city was an oasis wrapped in the mountain range. The city signifi es unity in diversity with Dargah Shariff of Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti at the heart of the city. But what really captured our attention was the imposing Taragarh Fort overlooking the city. The 1354AD fort is situated on Nagpahari hillside driving up was one steep path. The ghat roads had such sharp turns that one late turn could bring you closer to Ajmer by taking a one way elevator going down. With the Polo being a good handler, our ride easily conquered the road, but I must confess the terrain did make us sweat a bit.
Part 2
Where to stay : Pushkar is a backpacker's paradise, but it also caters to everyone's budget. Hotels overlooking the Pushkar lake are the places to stay.
The ruins of the daunting gateways are a glittering edifice to the past glory of the fort.
Heading to Pushkar, 11km from Ajmer, and hoping for a dip in the waters of the lake side settlement and maybe get salvation. Pushkar literally means born out of a flower and lies on the shore of the tranquil lake. Pushkar Lake has a halo of sacredness and divinity. The lake is one of the five most sacred pilgrimages for Hindus. According to scriptures Brahma saw the demon Vajranabha trying to kill his children. He killed the demon with his weapon, the lotus flower. In this process, the lotus petals fell on the ground, one of them landed in Pushkar, thus leading to the creation of the Pushkar lake.
Pushkar is claimed to have Brahma’s one and only temple in world. This 14th century temple is one of a kind as Pushkar is suppose to be under the protection of the god of wisdom. The temple is described to have been built by sage Vishwamitra after Brahma's yagna. It is also believed that Brahma himself chose the location for his temple. Our take is that the temple city can be quite unforgiving as the only way to reach these religious sites is by walking over long distances. But after having made the journey, one feels that the experience is definitely worth the trouble.
