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The presence of so
many exotic foreigners milling around in the crowd all adds to the holiday feel
for the herders, for whom Pushkar represents the highlight of the year, eagerly
looked forward to throughout the heat of summer and the hard work of the
harvest.
The fair typically attracts up to 200,000 people. In recent years, however,
numbers have dwindled due to the drought. Only a fraction of the normal number
of herders showed up in November 2000, because so many of them had no animals to
sell. More than ever, therefore, if you're coming to see the camels and
traditional costumes, the best time to come is at least a week or so before the
final weekend, when most of the buying and selling is done.
By the full moon, the bulk of the herders tend to have packed up and gone home
(unless the local tourist office has managed to induce them to stick around with
the lure of free fodder, as it has done for the past few fairs), leaving crowds
of pilgrims from neighboring districts to enjoy the religious celebrations.
Hotels hike their rates at least a fortnight before the full moon, and are
usually full well before the start of the fair, but extra accommodation is
provided by RTDC in tented compounds outside town where there's a choice between
dormitory beds (Rs200-300), deluxe tents (Rs2500 and upwards), or huts (Rs2500
and upwards) complete with private bathrooms.
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Be sure to book
well ahead by contacting the RTDC office in Jaipur (tel & fax 0141/316045) or by
writing to the Manager, CRO, RTDC, Usha Niwas, Kalyan Path, Jaipur. The tent
village has an information counter (tel 0145/772074), exchange facilities,
safes, shops and a medical centre.
Additional luxury camping, complete with carpets, furniture, running water and
Western toilets, is offered by the local maharaja's Royal Desert Camp , out on
the Motisar Road (Rs2500 and upwards); for reservations, contact the Hotel
Pushkar Palace (see Accommodation).
The dates given by Rajasthan Tourism for the next few camel fairs are: 2002,
16-19 November; and 2003, 5-8 November; but bear in mind our earlier advice and
get here at least one week before these times to see the mela in full swing.
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