Brahma | Blue Lapis Road

DAY 6 (1/3): SUNRISE OVER PUSHKAR LAKE, Pushkar, Rajasthan, India, 2018.11.29

At 6:30 in the morning, we returned to the ghats of Pushkar Lake. The eastern horizon was about to turn yellow. We came to have a final stroll along the sacred water. We regret that we couldn’t spend more time in Pushkar, a place that is meant for slow indulgence for its spiritual qualities. We, however, were making a brief loop of Rajasthan in a rather limited time. Situated between Jaisalmer and Jaipur, Pushkar was a convenient stop in our itinerary. We didn’t come in time to attend the famous camel fair, nor did we hike up the nearby hills or visit the Brahma Temple (no cameras, shoes, leather). Just spending several hours strolling on the ghats turned out to be more than worthwhile for us. Among cities and sites that we visited in Rajasthan, Pushkar stood out as a charming and peaceful destination that truly touched our hearts.

At 6:30, some locals were already lingering at the ghats.

It was interesting to see how a local interacted with a cow.

The forever presence of pigeons at Pushkar Lake.

The sun rose beyond the hills while a dog rested on a ghat with marked 2018.

The adjacent temples had yet come to life. Scattered temple staff and pilgrims arrived at the ghats.

Once again the ghats were covered with a coat of orange glow.

The setting looked magnificent with the morning reflections.

Following the sunlight, we walked over to the west side of the lake.

Every moment could be captured as a peaceful painting of the old India.

Some worshipers were listening to the priest’s teaching at one of the ghats.

At the northwest corner of Pushkar Lake we bid farewell to the sacred water.

We stopped by a tiny cafe called Honey Dew for morning coffee.

Brahma Temple in Pushkar is one of the very few Hindu temple in the world dedicated to Brahma, the creator god in Hinduism.

Robin Jewels is a nice jewellery shop we found online. Before leaving Pushkar, we dropped by the shop and picked up a few pieces. Robin is specialized in silver, brass, gold and gemstones, with their own manufacturing workshop in town.

We took us a while to narrow down to a few pieces to bring home.

After Robin, we followed the main market street along the north side of Pushkar Lake back to Inn Seventh Heaven.

For a little less than 24 hours, we had a taste of the spiritual side of India in the sacred town of Pushkar.

We checked out the lovely Inn Seventh Heaven and get on a hired car to Ajmer Junction Railway Station.

In an hour or so we would arrived at the bustling city of Jaipur, the capital and largest city of Rajasthan.

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Posts on 2018 Rajasthan:-

Day 1: Jodhpur
DAY 1.1: IN TRANSIT TO RAJASTHAN
DAY 1.2: PAL HAVELI & THE OMELETTE MAN, Jodhpur
DAY 1.3: SPLENDOR OF THE SUN FORT, Mehrangarh, Jodhpur
DAY 1.4: SUNSET OVER THE BLUE CITY, Mehrangarh, Jodhpur
DAY 1.5: SADAR MARKET AND GHANTA GHAR CLOCKTOWER, Jodhpur

Day 2: Jodhpur, Osian, Jaisalmer
DAY 2.1: MARBLE CENOTAPH JASWANT THADA, Jodhpur
DAY 2.2: MEDIEVAL STEPWELLS, Mahila Bagh Ka Jhalra, Gulab Sagar, & Toorji Ka Jhalra, Jodhpur
DAY 2.3: PILGRIM OASIS IN THAR DESERT, Sachiya Mata Temple, Osian
DAY 2.4: SUNRISE AT THE FIRST GATE OF GOLDEN FORT, Jaisalmer

Day 3: Jaisalmer
DAY 3.1: THE GOLDEN LIVING FORT, Jaisalmer
DAY 3.2: JAIN TEMPLES PART 1, Jaisalmer
DAY 3.3: JAIN TEMPLES PART 2, Jaisalmer
DAY 3.4: FORT PALACE, Jaisalmer

Day 4: Jaisalmer
DAY 4.1: RESERVOIR OF THE GOLDEN CITY, Gadsisar Lake, Jaisalmer
DAY 4.2: ARCHITECTURAL JEWEL OF RAJASTHAN, Patwon Ki Haveli Part 1, Jaisalmer
DAY 4.3: ARCHITECTURAL JEWEL OF RAJASTHAN, Patwon Ki Haveli Part 2, Jaisalmer
DAY 4.4: DESERT HERITAGE, Hotel Nachana Haveli and Thar Heritage Museum, Jaisalmer
DAY 4.5: LAST STROLL IN THE GOLDEN CITY, Jaisalmer

Day 5: Pushkar
DAY 5.1: RANIKHET EXPRESS
DAY 5.2: 52 BATHING GHATS, Pushkar
DAY 5.3: SUNSET OVER SACRED WATER, Pushkar

Day 6: Pushkar & Jaipur
DAY 6.1: SUNRISE OVER PUSHKAR LAKE, Pushkar
DAY 6.2: GRANDEUR OF THE MAHARAJA, City Palace, Jaipur
DAY 6.3: IN SEARCH OF 1860 CARL ZEISS CAMERA, Jaipur

Day 7: Jaipur
DAY 7.1: AMBER FORT, Jaipur
DAY 7.2: JAIGARH FORT, Jaipur
DAY 7.3: MAHARAJA’S ASTRONOMICAL LEGACY, Jantar Mantar, Jaipur
DAY 7.4: PALACE OF WINDS, Hawa Mahal, Jaipur

Day 8: Bhangarh, Abhaneri & Agra
DAY 8.1: ON THR ROAD TO AGRA
DAY 8.2: HAUNTED RUINS, Bhangarh, Rajasthan
DAY 8.3: CHAND BAORI, Abhaneri, Rajasthan
DAY 8.4: THE ABANDONED CAPITAL OF MUGHAL EMPIRE, Fatehpur Sikri, Agra, Uttar Pradesh
DAY 8.5: FRIDAY MOSQUE, Fatehpur Sikri, Agra, Uttar Pradesh

Day 9: Agra
DAY 9.1: CROWN OF THE PALACES, Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh
DAY 9.2: AGRA FORT, Agra, Uttar Pradesh
DAY 9.3: RAWATPARA SPICE MARKET, Agra, Uttar Pradesh
DAY 9.4: SUNSET AT MEHTAB BAGH, Agra, Uttar Pradesh

Day 10: Delhi
DAY 10.1: TRAIN 12627, Agra to Delhi
DAY 10.2 : HUMAYUN’S TOMB, Delhi
Day 10.3: NIZAMUDDIN BASTI, Delhi

March 14, 2019 | Categories: India, India: Rajasthan, Agra and Delhi 2018, Pushkar, Rajasthan | Tags: Ajmer, birds, Brahma, cafe, dog, ghat, honey dew, India, inn, jewellery, jewels, lake, Pushkar, railway, Rajasthan, Robin, Sacred, Seventh Heaven, Temple, train | Leave a comment

DAY 3 (6/8): NAPAYA, MANUHA AND GUBYAUKGYI, Myinkaba, Bagan, Myanmar, 2017.12.25

After Sulamani, Dhammayangyi and Thatbyinnyu, Win Thu suggested we could shift to see some smaller and unique temples in the nearby area. We headed south from Old Bagan to the village of Myinkaba. We first stopped by Napaya Temple to check out the Brahma sculptures. Instead of Buddhist images, Napaya is famous for its Hindu wall relief. The temple was smaller than what we imagined, but the relief was quite remarkable and unique. We stayed in Napaya for a short while, then moved on to Manuha Temple, one of the oldest temples in Bagan. Manuha was quite interesting for us because firstly it still remained as an active worshiping place and secondly it housed several prominent Buddhist statues. Lastly we dropped by the Gubyaukgyi, another small temple famous for its Jataka murals. Luckily temple keeper was around and we were allowed to get into the temple.

With the small openings on the brickwork, Napaya Temple was small and dark inside and we were the only visitors.

At the centre of Napaya, there was the main altar surrounded by the Brahma relief sculptures.

Though not pleasant to the eye, the metal sub-frame inside Napaya Temple helps to prevent further deterioration of the original structure.

Near the Napaya, the Manuha Temple offered a completely different picture: a busy place of worship full of local visitors.

There are several buildings and four different images of Buddha at Manuha Temple.

The largest seated Buddha image is located in a building at the centre of the temple complex.

A large crowd of worshipers gathered at the base of the Buddha statue. They placed their hands and faces onto the golden statue, and murmured prayers with their eyes closed.

We were overwhelmed by the scale of the Buddha when standing right in front of the statue.

We stood behind the worshipers. Through the entrance archway, we could only see the base of the Buddha and his crossed legs.

Right across from the seated Buddha, there was huge golden alms bowl on display. Visitors lined up to climb a ladder and look inside the bowl.

In another building, we came face to face with a 90 foot reclining Buddha, a fine example of the iconic posture of the Buddha lying on his right about to enter the parinirvana.

The reclining Buddha is housed in a simple shelter just large enough to cover the lying statue.

A group of young monks walked past the building that houses the reclining Buddha.

Young monks is a common scene throughout Myanmar.

After Manuha Temple, we followed Win Thu back to the sleepy village of Myinkaba.

The village of Myinkaba is famous for traditional lacquerware.

The last temple we visited in Myinkaba was Gubyaukgyi Temple. We came to see the well preserved frescoes made by the Mon people.

Built in 1113 AD by Prince Yazakumar, Gubyaukgyi Temple is another small gem with fine examples of Indian and Mon architectural ornaments.

We were lucky that the temple keeper was around to let us in to check out the frescoes. Outside the temple, souvenir and puppet vendors gathered under the late afternoon sun.