Showing posts with label Ajmer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ajmer. Show all posts

Monday, 11 August 2014

Ajmer & Pushkar

Good Morning!!!

After having aloo ke parathe and curd for breakfast we checked out from our hotel and headed to Ajmer.

#Ajmer is 130 kms from #Jaipur and the roads are smooth. Ajmer is a small and unplanned city. The road leading to the #Dargah is narrow and crowded. You cannot take your car till the dargah and thus we had to park our car and walk down to the holy place. One interesting thing to note is that since there is not ample space for car parking people are giving their house’s courtyard for parking for a fee.



The Dargah attracts people of all religion, caste and creed.   It is believed that whatever one prays here is granted to him as a boon.

It was Monday but still there was huge crowd inside and near the dargah. There are umpteen shops selling flowers and offerings for the dargah.  

There is no separate queue for women to get inside the main dargah which is normally the case in most of the dargah’s where I have been. At many stages, I almost gave up anticipating a stampede or the fear of getting my ribs crushed.

People tie threads on the doors asking for wishes, showing their faith.

10 Mins walk from the dargah is #Dhai din ka Jhopra. It is said to be made in two and a half day.

#Taragarh Fort is located on a hill. We thought that it is a fort but we were wrong. It ia a dargah on a hill. If you are not interested in one more Dargah, you can miss this.

We headed to #Pushkar which is around 12 kms on the other side of the ghat. En-route Pushkar we visited #Anna Sagar Lake. It is a huge lake with fountains and a garden.

After we reached Pushkar, we checked in our hotel. It was a basic hotel with huge garden. The room was big and bathroom huge. The hotel is surrounded by the Aravalli Range on all sides. We had our lunch in the hotel itself and after resting for sometime headed towards the Brahma Temple.

Needless to say, #Brahma Temple is the reason we went there and was undoubtedly the highlight of the visit. They don’t allow camera, bags, etc. inside and you can deposit these at one of the shops near the temple. When we went to the temple there were not many people around and that gave us ample time to spend in the temple.

The feeling you get in the temple is beyond words and if you are religious or spiritual person, you’ll be amazed.

Post the Brahma Temple we decided to take a stroll in the market which will show us the day to day life and colour of Pushkar’s life and which will also show us the famous ghats of Pushkar.

During our stroll in Pushkar we reached the area where the #Camel Fair has just about ended. But the area was still bustling with activity, there were shops selling winter wear, kitchen utensils made of iron, pickles, eateries, rides for children.


It was getting very cold and we decided to have dinner in our hotel. 

Saturday, 9 August 2014

Ravishing, Royal Rajasthan!!!


Kesariya Balam aawo ni padharo mhare des ni Kesariya Balam aawo sa padharo mhare des...
[O Beloved with the saffron coloured turban, I heartily welcome you to my country..]

In 2013, we decided to go to Rajasthan for our Annual Vacation.  Rajasthan – The Land of Royals, The Land of Palaces. The land which is dry and arid but colourful and vibrant in its own special way.

So dates were discussed (16th Nov – 24 Nov 2013), umpteen links on hotels and locations were sent back and forth, many phonecalls were made, an itinerary evolved and most bookings made. In fact this was possibly the most meticulously planned trip we've ever made.

Rajasthan was going to be a total touristy deal, with places to see and stuff to do in each city, and with our ambitious schedule - Jaipur-Ajmer-Pushkar-Jodhpur-Jaisalmer-Udaipur-in 9 days we had to plan inter-city transfers and everything to the last detail. We did the booking related to travel and hotels 3 months in advance. We were 4 adults and 1 kid - Me, my husband, Nikhil, my friend Pramod, his wife Preeti and their daughter Tarushi.

I have written this travelogue in 9 phases, covering each day of the trip in each phase.

We started our trip from the ‘Pink City’ – #Jaipur, to Darga Sharif#Ajmer, to the only Brahma Temple#Pushkar, to the ‘Blue City’#Jodhpur, followed by the ‘Golden City’#Jaisalmer and finally the ‘Lake City’#Udaipur.

Google Map of Rajasthan trip
Chand Baori - Jaipur - Ajmer - Pushkar - Jodhpur - Jaisalmer - Udaipur

Our detailed itinerary for Rajasthan Trip is as follows:


Place
Night Stay At
Details
Day 1
Mumbai to Jaipur
Jaipur
Upon Arrival, check in the hotel. Proceed to visit:
1. Chand Baori, Abhaneri - 100 kms
2. Harshad Mehta ka Temple
3. Chokhi Dhani for dinner
Day 2
Jaipur
Jaipur
After breakfast proceed to visit:
1. Man Sagar Lake (On way to Amber Fort)
2. Amber Fort
3. Jaigarh Fort (1 km from Amber Fort)
4. Nahargarh Fort
5. Gaitore (Foothills of Nahargarh Fort)
6. City Palace
7. Jantar Mantar
8. Hawa Mahal
Day 3
Jaipur to  Ajmer – Pushkar
Pushkar
After breakfast, check out of hotel and proceed to Ajmer. At Ajmer visit:
1. Dargah Sharif
2. Dhai din ka Jhopra
3. Taragarh Fort
4. Ana Sagar Lake

Proceed to Pushkar:
1. The Brahma Temple & take a holy dip at at the Pushkar Lake.
2. The Pushkar Fair
Day 4
Pushkar to  Jodhpur
Jodhpur
After breakfast, check out of hotel and proceed to Jodhpur. Check in the hotel, then proceed to visit:
1. Mehrangarh Fort
2. Jaswant Thada (close to the fort)
3. Umaid Bhawan Palace (Museum)
Day 5
Jodhpur to Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer
After breakfast, check out of hotel and proceed to Jaisalmer.
Check in the hotel & relax. In the evening visit drive about 40 km away from Jaisalmer to Sam Dunes/Khuri.
Day 6
Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer
After breakfast, proceed to visit:
1. Jaisalmer Fort incl. Jain Temple & Tazia Tower
2. Patwaon ki Haveli
3. Nathmal ji ki Haveli
4. Salim Singh ki Haveli
5. Gadisagar Lake
Day 7
Jaisalmer to Udaipur
Udaipur
After breakfast, check out & proceed to Udaipur
Day 8
Udaipur
Udaipur
After breakfast, proceed to visit:
1. City Palace
2. Jagdish Temple
3. Boat ride at Lake Pichola
4. Dharohar - Classical Rajasthani Dance show at Bagore ki Haveli at 7 pm
Day 9
Udaipur to Mumbai
Home sweet home
After Breakfast:
1. Sahelion ki Bari
2. Fateh Sagar Lake
3. Dudh Talai (Near Lake Pichola)
Catch the evening flight to Mumbai

To give you an idea of my trip I am uploading few pictures:

Chand Baori Abhaneri
Chand Baori - Abhaneri

Gaitore Jaipur
Gaitore - Jaipur

Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur
Mehrangarh Fort - Jodhpur

Patwaon Ki haveli Jaisalmer
Patwaon Ki Haveli - Jaisalmer

Lake Pichola Udaipur
Lake Pichola - Udaipur
Detailed description of the trip to be followed......