Pushkar Camel Fair Expedition

 

The focus of this Expedition is the celebrated Pushkar Camel Fair, the largest camel fair in the world, which takes place in the holy town of Pushkar, on the edge of the Thar Desert in Rajasthan once a year, during the Hindu month of Kartik, or November.

The fair attracts semi-nomadic camel drivers, breeders, and traders from all over the state of Rajasthan, the second largest in India, as well as pilgrims and visitors from India and beyond, swelling the population of this usually quiet town by more than 200,000.

As well as drawing the largest gathering of cattle in the world, the Pushkar Mela, as it is known, is an event of great religious significance for Hindus who believe that the lake at the heart of the town was created when a lotus blossom slipped through the hand of Lord Brahma, the Hindu God of creation, on a full moon during Kartik.

In the days that precede the start of the religious festivities, during the Cattle Fair, the traders conduct their animated transactions in encampments that seem to stretch to infinity into the surrounding desert. Then the secular festivities begin in and around the town, best known amongst them is the Pushkar Camel Race, but there are also horse races and competitions – (such as the moustache competition), alongside jugglers, acrobats, snake-charmers and folk dancers.

The celebrations reach their peak during the full moon, when thousands of pilgrims come to bathe in the waters of the pink-hued lake to be purified of their sins. Encircling the lake, the small town of Pushkar is amongst the oldest in India. It is one of the five sacred dhams, the pilgrimage sites for devout Hindus, and is often called ‘Tirth Raj’- the king of pilgrimage sites.

A chaotic, captivating, and intensely colourful event of both religious and commercial significance, the Pushkar Fair offers superb photographic opportunities. In keeping with the photographic ethos of all our Expeditions, we follow the story by trekking into the Thar Desert, with our own tents and camel carts, alongside the semi-nomadic tribes as they return to their villages with the new livestock acquired at the Cattle fair.

At the end of our trek, we will reach the town of Jaisalmer, in the westernmost corner of Rajasthan. Famous for its amber-coloured sandstone bastions, and intricately carved merchants havelis – or mansions, the “Golden City” owed its wealth to the taxation of goods that passed through here on camel back.

Our journey will then take us through Jodhpur, and Jaipur, the modern-day capital of Rajasthan, for a chance to photograph the life and architecture of these vibrant centres known respectively as the Blue City and the Pink City. Kipling described Meherangarh Fort that dominates Jodhpur, as “the work of angels, fairies, and giants, built by Titans and colored by the morning sun”, adding that : “he who walks through it loses sense of being among buildings. It is as though he walked through mountain gorges (…)”.

This is an intense Expedition marked by extremes; the journey will take us from photographing the animals and enormous crowds of the Pushkar Mela, to the emptiness of the Thar Desert, and the bustling atmosphere of its fortified towns. It is a trip that takes us face to face with one of the largest gatherings of people and animals in the world, and provides outstanding opportunities for photographing people and their rituals in what is broadly considered the most colorful state in India.

 

Dates: 8 - 21 November 2008
This Expedition begins and ends in Delhi, India. Dates refer to actual days on the ground (13 nights).
Expedition Leader: Dariusz Klemens
Participants: 6-8
Cost: £ 2250
Includes: Tuition.13 nights accommodation, on twin-share basis, with breakfast daily. Transfers between Delhi and Rajasthan by train, first class, and by private, air-conditioned four-wheel drives in Rajasthan. Translator and local guides. All entrance fees.

 

Notes:

The group will meet in Delhi and transfer to Pushkar, Rajasthan on day 2 of the Expedition. From day 6, we will trek and travel through Rajasthan for the following 6 days, before returning to Delhi.

Accommodation in Rajasthan is in fixed, luxury tents in Pushkar, heritage hotels and havelis (town mansions) in Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Jaipur, and in single tents during the desert trek.

Travelling in our own vehicles through the desert will allow us to move in comfort and give us the flexibility needed to access areas outside the reach of commercial tourist routes for a chance to capture images of a unique way of life.

Although we make every effort to ensure that we travel and sleep in comfort, participants should note that the desert environment is by definition harsh. We will sleep and trek in the desert, and spend long days looking for images in towns and in remote parts of the desert, making stamina and flexibility essential.

For a sample of images from the area, please visit our Rajasthan Gallery. You can request further details of this Expedition through our Contact page.

If you are interested in photographing Rajasthan, you may also want to look at our Thar Desert Expedition, which takes place in the early spring.

 

For a sample of images from the area please visit our Rajasthan Gallery.

For any further information please email us through our Contact page.