- touring the lake
- the Savitri Temple
Gayitri's Temple (left) overlooking the North shore of Pushkar Lake.
a truly lousy night's sleep was the consequence of non-stop, tannoyed music from the Vishnu Temple next door, played at extraordinary volume from 9pm to 5am. we found out in the morning that it was essentially a wake for someone who had died. he must have accomplished a great deal in his life. the singer's voice was strong and powerful and cut through earplugs with ease. Phil also had some heatstroke issues, so all in all, it was a bit of a washout.
we were supposed to be off for the sunrise climb and view of Pushkar from the Savitri Temple, but there was no way that Phil was going to make it, since she'd had almost no sleep at all. instead, we went for an early morning walk around the much quieter South side of the lake and back along the main bazaar before the sun got too hot.
around Jaipur Ghat we were accosted by a 'priest' named Dharma into a celebration of tonight's full moon, which didn't auger well for a quiet evening's sleep! we explained that we had already enjoyed a Pushkar Puja, but he still went ahead with a ceremony that was a poor and distant cousin to that supplied by Nando. he even demanded an additional donation, which we had explained to him from the start that he wasn't going to get.
we walked across a bridge affording great views of the ghats clustered on the North shore. they were all busy, with a lot of holy men, beggars and locals giving thanks, washing or making their way to and from them.
the main bazaar in particular took on a more rush hour feel. before we arrived there, was passed another wedding procession, followed swiftly by a line of old women digging holes in the road with pickaxes under the sun. the men were, as usual, either undertaking the difficult task of manning shops or riding up and down the road on their motorbikes.
by the time we got back near our end of the bazaar it was fiercely hot. we grabbed a drink in what we think is the original Om Shiva, but it really wasn't much, so we went to the copycat again, which is cooler, has a far better location and a good menu. there was just time for a little clothes shopping before, with midday just past, the quietened streets indicated the onset of the hottest part of the day and we were driven back to our room in the guest house to escape. although we had no thermometer to confirm it, we would certainly believe that it's the hottest day we have had so far, but at least here in Rajasthan it's a dry heat. it was clearly not too hot for everyone, though - the large and decidedly odd-acting man in the adjacent room to us was actually sunbathing, which seemed to us like asking for trouble.
after several hours of hot and hazey pseudo-rest, we decided we'd have another crack at the Savitri Temple, at sunset rather than sunrise. after 5pm, the sun's strength was beginning to wane and we should have just enough time to get up the hill and back down again before it got dark.
we walked down the full length of the main bazaar in the fading but still very bright sunlight. the people we met were all smiles and greetings this evening and the atmosphere was more light hearted. it would be a full moon tonight and it was also monkey god Hanuman's birthday, so there was a celebratory air about the place. we felt bad about not having a pressie to give. we found the road to the Savitri Temple very easily and were soon outside of town on a sandy road to the base of the hill.
Savitri, a river goddess, was Brahma's second wife, having missed the astrologically-important timing of her planned marriage day by taking too long to get ready. Brahma had to marry someone at that time, but the only person available was Gayitri, from the untouchable caste, who was quickly purified by being passed through the mouth of a cow. like you do. narked, Savitri cursed Brahma so that he would only be worshipped at Pushkar. she also cursed Gayitri's caste, so that they can only gain liberation after death if their ashes are scattered in the Lake (as were Ghandi's, although we was not from this caste himself).
all of which helps to explain why Savitri's hill and temple is way higher than Gayitri's, as a placation to the goddess. she must still be pissed. pilgrims also always climb her hill first. having now done so, we were both really pleased that we were unable to attempt the climb in the morning. even in the fading sun it was quite an effort, the first third paved steps and the remainder rock step-like levels, becoming quite steep and the top. black-faced monkeys observed our travails with bemused interest. we became more and more elevated from Pushkar, the town progressively encircled by high, ridged hills, irrigated lands and dense scrub. from this distance, the lake seemed a tiny, small puddle, ringed with whitewashed buildings, each with its own indistinct reflection.
we passed many Hindus going both up and down and only a few Westerners. everyone was finding it really tough, while many of the Indian pilgrims were struggling up in unshod feet.
the red dots are Hindus ascending.
when we finally made it to the top, some 60 minutes or so later, the views were more than worth all of the effort, although we were both exhausted. almost stereotypically, a small and finely bearded old man, possibly a Sadhu, was sitting peacefully cross legged on a rock at the top. eyes twinkling, he acknowledged our arrival with a barely perceptible movement of the head and a face filled with good natured humour. either that or he was stoned.
Edd with sadhu leprechaun in his ear.as we had read, the temple itself is a fairly shabby modern building, about which we're sure Savitri is not pleased. incongruously, the much older statue inside is ringed with flashing neon lights. far more preferable to drink in the massive vistas afforded by this matchless viewpoint before taking a slow and careful descent, sent on our way by another small nodding movement from the still otherwise motionless old man. aside from a few Hindi women making puja inside and the shrine keeper, our time at the top had been entirely silent and reflective.
well worth it.
the walk down was a slow and deliberate one, accompanied by chattering monkeys sitting in the tree branches and soundtracked by the incessant hurdy gurdy-like organ sound drifting up from a marriage procession somewhere in the village, which gave the descent a slightly hallucinatory, gameshow feeling. we only made it back into town as darkness was falling, tourist-laden camels at one point leading the way. very hot and sweaty due to our exertions, we bought some souvenirs for a change. one shop was full of old coin and shell jewellery and mirrored bags where we were the first customers. the boy running it blessed the room before dealing with the money. Philippa also picked up a lovely embroidered, mirrored hanging item from a stall we'd seen before, run by a Brahmin priest. we were also his first custom of the evening and he blessed the money we gave him.
the bazaar was busy with people, full of large numbers of cows and too many young men on fast motorbikes. another groom and wedding party went by, possibly the one we had heard on the hill, organ blaring out of loudspeakers, accompanied by drummers, wild dancing (men only) and a line either side of bright lights held by onlookers, all followed up by a van with a generator. a man was firing stones at monkeys scampering above food service areas with the aid of a catapult. elsewhere, people were celebrating Hanuman's birthday with their own events, music and colours.
surprisingly, we were Om Shiva's only customers, although it was only 8:20pm. it was at this time that we discovered the miracle of mixed fruit pancakes. we saw sunglasses man road up and down the narrow street below us on his pride and joy Royal Enfield numerous times; perhaps he had forgotten something. we walked the short distance home through the busy and boisterous but friendly streets. as the music from various sources crept into our courtyard, we ended a great evening sitting on our terrace while our legs recovered, very thankful indeed that we had not attempted the sunrise walk as originally planned. hopefully, Savitri would not be too disappointed.
hope this reaches all healthy and happy
edd & philippa {:-)
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