Travel Sized Bites.

A selection of short stories submitted by visitors to the site between 500-1000 words

If you would like to submit a story or travel tale please go to the submission page

ajmer/pushkar – unforgetable experience

By Author: Nannie
E-mail: umawanchoo@yahoo.co.in

Submitted on Tuesday 14th June 2005

I am Nannie living in Rajasthan, the land of vibrant colours, in India. I have lived in the Pink City&
x2013; Jaipur, Bikaner Jodhpur and travelled all parts of the State by road. I have been to the hills in Punjab and Uttaranchal, the beaches of Kerala and Tamil-Nadu but the place which I have always liked is Ajmer/Pushkar. Ajmer because it has so much of history but no one seems to know about it. I learnt a lot about it from my father, who was a Professor of History. The city in the heart of the state is about 400kms from Delhi and 132kms from Jaipur.It is in the midst of the Aravalli ranges and has helprd in shaping the history of the land, It was ruled by the Chauhan rulers and later came under the Delhi Sultanate. In 1818 it was ceded to the British and remained in their hands until India's Independence in 1947. It has DARGAH, the famous Shrine of the Sufi Saint, a place most reverred by the Muslims after Mecce/Medina.People from all faiths come with their wishes and firmly believe they will be granted.History affirms that the Great Moghul Emperor Akbar walked from Agra ( where the Taj Mahal Is )to Ajmer to be blessed with a male child and Jehangir was born All Moghul Emperors spent a lot of time in Ajmer and visited the Shrine regularly. A local manufacturer of rose ittar ( perfume )narrated an interesting story about how the rose oil was found.As the story goes Ajmer is the place where the Rose oil was first discovered by the Hakim (medicinal man ) of Empreror Jehangir. Empress Noorjahan's Hammam (bathing Place )was sprinkled with the Indian rose petals at night. When she came in the morning ,she saw specs of oil floating on the water and sent for the Hakim, who discovered it was rose oil. Another fine building of Indo Islamic architecture is ADHAI_DIN_KA JHONPRA was a Sanskrit College which was demolished by the plunderer Mohammad Ghori and turned into a mosque in two and a half days Another legend states that an Urs was celebrated here for 2 1/2 days. The first 3 words mean 2 1/2 days and Jhonpra means a dwelling place. Akbar's Fort has its own significance. Few know that the Foundation of British Empire was laid here. The Emissary, Sir Thomas Roe came with his credentials, from the court of James 1 to Ajmer to Seek permission from Emperor Jehangir to start the East India Company. The beautiful artficial lake ANASAGAR with its marble embankment adds beauty to the place. The water from the hills flows into the lake. Pushkar, the Hindu pilgrimage centre is considered the holiest of all pilgrim centres in India.PUSHP means flower and KAR means hands.According to a hindu mythological legend Brahma, the Creator dropped a flower from his hands and a lake appeared there. No other place in the world can boast of a Brahma temple except Pushkar. The reason being Brahma was cursed by his wife that he would not be worshipped anywhere in the world as He had performed a religious ceremony without his wife. As she did not come on time and the auspicious tome was ticking by he married another woman to sit for the religious ceremony because in hindus a man cannot perform alone. It is known the world over today for Pushkar Fair, which is the largest place for trading camels mainly but some horses too. It is the time to visit for those who like to see the fanfare. I enjoyed my stay 3kms away on a farmland where simple clean affordable tents with attached w/c are pitched from Oct to March. The owner Vinod is jovial and widely travelled to Afghanistan, Spain, Portugal and USA.There is 24 hours potable water supply, farm fresh food and good view of the valley. One gets to meet the and see rural India at close quarters.A small pool to relax and books to read.A camel safari to the dunes or a cycling trip to the Lake.All modern facilities are available and the prices remain the same all the year round. If anyone wants to stay I can get your bookings done. For me it is the place.