Being blessed on the holy ghats of Pushkar

Lovely lovely Pushkar
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"What is your grandmothers name?"

"Francis.."

But one memorable thing has to be the sheer number of cows wandering the streets - huge great bulls the size of small cars and it is no laughing matter bumping into them late at night in the cowpat encrusted lanes.

"She wishes you a long life. Do you wish to bless her?"

The ghats of Pushkar
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"Go on then.."

"Throw the flowers on to the lake.."

So I sat barelegged on a stone ghat (set of steps) above a tranquil lake. A teenage pujari (Hindu priest) sat next to me with a red spot of kohl on his forehead. All around us were the the bathing ghats of Pushkar - sadhus were bathing in the water, stalls brimmed with birdseed, and families of pilgrims shared the steps with scrawny cows.

I am very glad I have come to Pushkar. This tiny town tucked away in the Aravalli hills is very special. Pushkar lake was formed when Lord Brahma dropped one of his petals and it really is a beautiful lake surrounded by temples, steps and palaces. It really is a tonic after Delhi. I dont find everyone I meet is out to fleece me (although the puja at the lake is abit of a scam). There is less hassle on the streets - probably because the streets are so narrow to allow auto-rickshaws and they are atmospheric with overhanging palatial havelis looking over the medieval streets. But one memorable thing has to be the sheer number of cows wandering the streets - huge great bulls the size of small cars and it is no laughing matter bumping into them late at night in the cowpat encrusted lanes.

Gorgeous Pushkar lake
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Suresh loves it here and took pleasure in showing me around. Men spotted us and we decided to get the "Pushkar puja" over and done with and allowed them to lead us down to the bird-shit encrusted steps overlooking the lake.

"You take off shoes here!"

Around us was one of the exotic sights in Asia - Pushkar lake. The Maharajahs palaces gave private puja for their owners and the whole facade reflects in the holy waters of the lake. So fifty rose petals were put in my hand and I had to recite a mantra from the pujari and I had to throw the petals and red powder onto the lake.My hands were washed in a silver bowl and a red dot was drawn on my forehead. Red and yellow string was tied around my wrist and this was my "Pushkar passport" meaning I wouldnt be bothered by pujaris on the ghats.

So the rest of the morning was just spent enjoying the ghats and just watching Hindu life.Brahmins patrolled the ghats making sure no one wore any shoes or sandals, kids jumped in and out of the water, sadhus poured jugs of water over their own heads and cows followed each others nose-to-tail along the breakwaters. Pushkar utterly charmed me.

The rest of the day was a leisurely walk around Pushkar lake. The number of cows here takes some getting used to. If they got in the way you'd lightly tap them on the head and they would get out of your way. They serve a religious purpose as thousands of years ago it was a way for the spiritual leaders to ensure the people didnt starve in times of famine by eating their own livestock. Once in a while we'd stumble onto the lake and just enjoy the breeze. Suresh got into conversation with a man cutting bushes. What were the bushes? They were fresh jasmine.

That evening I checked out the Rainbow restaurant with a vegetatian mushroom stroganoff. The restaurant was at the top of the building giving good views of the langurs (monkeys) bounding around the rooftops and the sunset which washed Pushkar with purple light...