Jaipur Pushkar Yatra

Highlights & Route

Rajasthan’s eastern belt mixes pilgrimage and heritage more naturally than anywhere else in north India. This six-day circuit starts in Delhi, pauses at Alwar for the Ambika Devi shrine, spends two nights in Jaipur for its forts and palaces, and ends with two nights in Pushkar, the small lake town that holds one of the very few temples in the world dedicated to Lord Brahma. The yatra closes with a transfer to Jaipur airport or railway station, so you need a one-way ticket in each direction.

Pushkar is the heart of the yatra. Tradition holds that the lake formed where a lotus fell from Brahma’s hand, and that bathing in it on Kartik Purnima brings merit equal to many years of penance. Around the lake stand 52 ghats, the Brahma temple, and two hilltop shrines: Savitri Mata, Brahma’s first wife, on Ratnagiri hill, reached by ropeway or a steep path, and Gayatri on the hill opposite. The evening aarti at the lake is quiet and unhurried compared with the big river cities.

Jaipur is given a full day and a half, enough for Amer and Jaigarh forts, Jal Mahal, Hawa Mahal, City Palace, Jantar Mantar and an evening in Johari Bazaar. Hotels throughout are mid-range and vegetarian meals are easy to find in all three towns. Daily breakfast and dinner at the hotel are included, lunch is on your own. The pace is set for families with elderly members: one driving stretch a day, never more than four hours.

Route

Delhi → Alwar (1 night) → Jaipur (2 nights) → Pushkar (2 nights) → optional Ajmer → Jaipur airport/railway station drop

Good to know before you book

• Pushkar is a vegetarian and alcohol-free town by local rule; eggs, meat and liquor are not served anywhere in it.
• The Savitri Mata temple ropeway ticket and the entry fees at Jaipur’s forts and museums are paid locally and are not in the package price.
• Kartik Purnima (November) brings the Pushkar Fair and the holiest bathing day of the year; hotels are full and prices double, so book months ahead for that week.
• Pushkar’s ghats have strict rules: remove footwear before the steps, no photography of bathers, and politely decline unsolicited priests offering a puja for a large donation.
• Jaipur’s forts involve long walks and steps; Amer Fort can be reached by jeep from the base, and elephant rides are optional and paid separately.
• October to March is the pleasant season. April to June is very hot across Rajasthan and local darshan is best done early morning.