Pushkar - the holy city

Let´ s go to the holy city of Pushkar. On the way is the Eklingji Temple and we are lucky that it is open. It is a pilgrimage site in honor of Shiwa, with a special spiritual atmosphere. One is not allowed to take pictures and so we hold this special place in our memory. In the entrance area, the women sit and sell the flower chains and sacrificial plates. These are carried by the faithful reverently to the main temple. A monk beats the drum, the faithful sit in front of the main shrine and mutter their prayers. The sacrificial shells are delivered. A soothing atmosphere. In the complex surrounded by a wall there are supposed to be more than 100 temples, everything seems somehow nested in each other and not everything is freely accessible.

Equally impressive is the stop in Ajimer, where we immerse ourselves in a very different world of India, the Muslim one. With bazaars at the colorful Dargah Sharif Mosque decorated with abundant gold, in the center of which is the dome mausoleum of the important Sufi saint Muin-ud-din Chisthi. For evening prayer, the pilgrims flock through the splendour of colour to the washing troughs and to the church. The song of the suras is in the air and in the alleys it smells of fried meat. The ruins of the Adhai-din-ka-Jhonpra Mosque, built from a former Jain temple, impresses with its columns and friezes, richly decorated with Arabic characters. With the basalt stone, this fits more with India.

Pushkar is, compared to previous cities, a quiet little town characterized by many pilgrims, yogis in white or orange robes with yellow stripes on the forehead, beggars, priests and some Western seekers in colorful Indian clothing. We also discover whimsical things like a yogi with a live cobra in the basket. We let it be at the food stalls taste on the way and get to know another delicious food today - Dosa. Delicious, like everything. We love Indian cuisine and have tolerated everything well so far. It smells of incense sticks, bells ringing, from believers entering the sanctuaries, on almost every wall of the house there is an effium, or a small altar of one of the countless Hindu deities. Both are adorned with flowers, flower chains, as well as food gifts. At the Gath, the faithful perform ritually washing, saying prayers, being blessed by priests, letting flowers float in the lake for good karma and igniting oil lamps. There is a peaceful atmosphere that invites you to meditation in addition to the observation. But whether I would jump into the lake and swim, as some young men do, I don't know. Next to the Brahma Temple, by the way, one of the few in India, we visit the Savitri Temple in the morning and the Gayatri Temple at sunset. This Sunday, many believers are everywhere, bringing the gods their gifts of flowers, food and rubbish, blessing themselves with holy water, taking home blessed flowers and pearls of sugar for their house altar, or with their heads and hands the figures of the gods Touch. They speak mantras and ring the bells and bells. All three places radiate a strong spiritual power with their different moods. The tranquillity on the Gayatri was particularly soothing.
The Seven Heaven, our hotel with a central location is very lovingly arranged, with large clean rooms with windows to the atrium, which gives us quiet nights for a change. The food and the teas on the Roof Top are very mild, the portions are quite large. Unfortunately, there is no Indian breakfast. The Ayurvedic massage with fragrant oil was a new soothing relaxation.

Knowledge of the day - be your own luck blacksmith. Put a dot on your forehead in the temple and no quacker wants to give you more flowers for his good Karma.