Coffee by the Lake Sunset

You could look for reflections of temples and monuments, for devotees chanting along the ghats, for travellers doing the Rajasthani swirl by a bonfire. Or simply watch the setting sun ride the ripples of the Pushkar lake

A beerless, vegetarian town would usually not be on my list of must-visit destinations. So, I ended up in Pushkar entirely by default, to attend fusion musician Prem Joshua8217;s concert. However, I soon discovered this sleepy temple town in the heart of Rajasthan is not just for devout pilgrims, but makes a good two-day break. But it8217;s bound to be more fun if you8217;re a happy teetotaller. Alcohol and anything non-vegetarian is strictly prohibited here.

I took the Shatabdi to Ajmer Rs 600 with an old Pushkar veteran, filmmaker and travel enthusiast Anu Malhotra. From Ajmer station, we took a cab Rs 500 to Pushkar. It8217;s a picturesque, half-hour drive down isolated, winding roads full of old Mughal architecture. The hilly and rocky desert terrain leads to the oasis, Pushkar Lake. Perched at one corner of the lake, right on the edge of the water is the charming Pushkar Palace. At Rs 2,200 per night, it8217;s well worth it. While it8217;s a far cry from a 5-star cramped rooms and tepid water, the rooms have a quaintly arched balcony with a 360-degree view of the lake. You could find cheaper places but remember, you8217;re paying for the best view in town.

The next morning I awoke to the ringing of temple bells and frenetic chanting. Even the most hardened atheist can8217;t help but be moved by this simple ritual of prayer. Devout Hindus gather on the banks of the holy lake at the crack of dawn to worship and recite verses and hymns from the Gita. This process, held in the heart of ancient monuments and temples, transports you back centuries. In the distance, whitewashed temples across the lake are bathed in golden sunlight and you can see pigeons silhouetted against a bright blue sky, preparing for their day. However, you8217;re better off watching, and not trying to join in the prayer, as I soon found out. As soon as I reached the Ghat, barefoot as per the rules, a gang of local priests descended on me. One particularly articulate one conned me into spending Rs 100: he handed me a few flowers to throw into the lake in the name of salvation and claimed I had successfully done the 8220;Pushkar ka samman pooja8221;. Right.

Over the day, while having coffee and fresh brown bread at Sunset Cafeacute;, just 100 yards from the hotel, I watched the priests wheedle substantial sums off unsuspecting foreigners. This cafeacute; has an idyllic location. Sunset is nestled between huge peepal trees right on the famous Jodhpur Ghat. Listed in the Lonely Planet and other tourist books, it8217;s always packed with travellers of every nationality.

As the name suggests, the truly magical moment to be at Sunset, is between 4 and 6 in the evening. It8217;s buzzing with locals, tourists, Rajasthani artisans and mystics clad in orange and white, all gathered to watch the spectacular sight of a deep orange sun set on the sacred lake, to the rhythm of the nigada, a traditional drum. Others play the flute and tabla. This jamboree of sounds merges beautifully with folk dancers and an assortment of foreigners and Indians moving to the beat. It reaches a crescendo at dusk. Look out for Andre, a New Zealander settled in Pushkar, who never misses the sunset from the Jodhpur Ghat. Right after, he goes to the banks of the lake and picks up the trash dumped by tourists.

In the evening we walked to Rangli Temple, 20 minutes away, for Joshua8217;s concert. The streets are packed with thousands of small shops selling oxidised silver jewellery and traditional Rajasthani clothes, besides the usual curios.

There are several restaurants that serve everything, from pasta to schnitzel. When I wonder aloud how all these stores survive businesswise, Anu tells me there are dozens of small export businesses running from Pushkar.

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Meanwhile, the Rangli Temple, an intricately carved 11th century monument, has been beautifully lit up for the occasion: Mirror-worked, brightly coloured stalls serve dosas and chai. Joshua8217;s music is cross-cultural: he plays the santoor, flute and the sitar, blended with Western sounds. The long-haired, German-Indophile has quite a fan following here: the lawns of the temple are packed. There are a number of young priests keeping a strict watch on the crowd.

Right before the concert started, the head priest emerged on stage. 8220;Please don8217;t do drugs or dance provocatively,8221; he announced sternly. This was uttered throughout the evening, loudly, on the mike. Sure enough, when Joshua8217;s mystic beats, an ode to the Tantric temples in India, got the crowd into the groove, younger moral priests sprung up and prevented people from dancing.

A visit to Pushkar is incomplete without going to the famous Brahma Temple, the only temple in India made for the creator. Otherwise, this religious town has a mellow, laidback atmosphere. Surprisingly, the no-alcohol and vegetarian-only food doesn8217;t take away from it one bit.

How to get there

Pushkar, 490 km from Delhi, is about eight hours by road. There are daily overnight buses from here as well. By rail, the Delhi-Ajmer Shatabdi takes about six hours. From Ajmer station, the town is just 11 kilometres away. The nearest airport is Jaipur, 146 kilometres away.