We got up fairly early so as to take advantage of the Camel fair, to which we drove on camel pulled carts along a rather short side road from the camp.
Pushkar, whose name derives from "pushpa" (flower) andkar (hand) after a legend claiming that its lakes were created from the petals that fell from the divine hands of Brahma, is said to be a rather peaceful pilgrim town, except when in the Hindu month of "Kartik" (October/November) comes alive with the annual cattle fair, which is precisely when we visited it.
The Pushkar Fair is one of Asia's largest cattle fairs, despite the fact that the village has always been the region's central cattle market for local herdsmen and farmers who buy and sell camels and indigenous breeds of cattle.
Tents and camp-sites could be seen almost everywhere to accommodate the thousands of livestock traders who had come to participate in the event. I must say it was quite impressive, once it stretched as far as our eyes could reach.
People huddled around a variety of food stalls and improvised shops selling a whole variety of goods.
(To be continued)
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