Photos: The Holy City of Pushkar

Pushkar is one of the most sacred towns in India. Built around a holy lake, it is one of five major pilgrimage sites for devout Hindus and attracts an interesting mix of Indian pilgrims and Western tourists.

This is a shot of the rooftops of Pushkar, taken from the Everest Hotel, where I’m staying. Dozens of monkeys appear at sunset, lounging around, wreaking havoc and eventually being chased off the buildings by the local inhabitants. The sacred lake is hidden behind buildings to the left.

It wouldn’t be India without cows and they roam the streets here at will. While they certainly act as if they own the place, shop keepers are not above giving them a whack on the nose with a cane when they try to sample the merchandise.

And, of course, there are monkeys. Dozens of them patrol the rooftops, occasionally raiding outdoor cafes for salt shakers and generally looking adorable while plotting their next crime spree. Occasionally, monkey wars break out with the alpha males chasing each other as they leap across the narrow streets.

I love the textures you find here. Everything is painted in cheap water-based paint, which fades and bleaches away in a thousand wonderful ways. Everyone is preparing for the upcoming Diwali festival now and people are hard at work, whitewashing buildings in a fresh coat of lavender-tinted paint. Eventually, they’ll switch to something longer-lasting but I hope that day is far away.

This woman is hard at work crafting bracelets — the finished product can be seen hanging on the wall. Traffic through the main street in Pushkar is fairly heavy in the midday and I had to wait 4-5 minutes to get a clear shot.

Pushkar is full of sadhus, holy men, who roam the streets and hit up every tourist for a photo and a tip. Some are more holy than others, of course: most seem to do nothing but pester tourists for donations — the more devout rarely seek attention or stake out spots inside temples. From the red paint and clothing that this gentlemen is wearing, I would guess that he is a devotee of Brahma.

It’s hard to escape the henna ladies. They walk the streets, asking tourists for a handshake — once they have you in their grasp, they’ll start applying intricate henna patterns to your hand. The patterns are lovely, but if you don’t stop them and agree on a price upfront, you’ll be quoted a shocking rate when they’re done. They’re also prone, as the sadhus are, to asking you to take their photo and then demanding a 50-100 rupee tip after the fact.

This kid was wonderfully awkward. He insisted I take his photo, as many children here will, and then followed me for several blocks — always standing in the middle of my shot with the same awkward pose. I’m guessing that he was just very proud of the pastry he was carrying, as it featured prominently in every shot.

The boy on the right is destined to be an art director or model. He carefully managed the other two, arranging them exactly where he wanted them to be and then would strike a ‘model’ pose for the shot. The boy to the left was busy projecting a ‘tough guy’ vibe while the younger one in the middle just seemed glad to be included at all.

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