Ajmer and Pushkar Tourist Places: 14 Places to Visit in One Trip

Short answer: Ajmer and Pushkar are 15 km apart over the Nag Pahar hill, so one trip covers both. In Ajmer the Ajmer tourist places to see are the Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Dargah (free, about 5:00–21:00), Ana Sagar Lake, Adhai Din ka Jhonpra mosque, Taragarh Fort, Soniji ki Nasiyan Jain temple and the Akbari Fort museum. In Pushkar: the Brahma temple, the 52 ghats around the lake, Savitri temple by ropeway, and the camel fair, which runs 10–26 November 2026 with Kartik Purnima on 24 November. One night in Pushkar and a half day in Ajmer is enough.

Why visit Ajmer and Pushkar together?

Ajmer is a working city of about half a million people with one of the most visited Sufi shrines in South Asia; Pushkar is a temple town of a few thousand people around a sacred lake, with a Brahma temple that is one of very few in the world. They sit either side of the Nag Pahar ridge, 15 km and 30 minutes apart by the ghat road. Pilgrims of both faiths have been combining them for centuries, and so should you: see Ajmer’s sights in half a day, then sleep in quieter Pushkar.

From Jaipur it is 135 km on NH-48 to Ajmer, about 2–2.5 hours (Triveni Cabs, Sept 2026); our Jaipur to Pushkar guide covers the train, bus and car options in detail. If you are coming for the camel fair, our Pushkar Mela 2026 dates and schedule post has the full day-by-day programme.

Ajmer and Pushkar tourist places at a glance

Almost everything here is free or charges a token fee; the Dargah, the Jhonpra, Taragarh and all Pushkar temples have no ticket. Timings are approximate and change on festival days.

What should you see in Ajmer?

1. Ajmer Sharif Dargah. The tomb of the 13th-century Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, Garib Nawaz, visited by people of every faith; Akbar walked here from Agra, and the two giant degs (cauldrons) in the courtyard are still used to cook rice for the poor. Enter through Nizam Gate and Buland Darwaza to the marble shrine. Head covering is compulsory (scarves and caps are sold at the gate), shoes are left at a counter, and bags may be checked. The Dargah is open from roughly 5:00 to 21:00 (Triveni Cabs Ajmer guide, updated Sept 2026). Early morning, before 8:00, is the calmest; Thursday evenings and the qawwali after the evening prayer are the most atmospheric. Khadims (hereditary attendants) will offer to guide you; a small voluntary offering is customary, but do not feel pressured into a fixed sum.

2. Adhai Din ka Jhonpra. Five minutes’ walk uphill from the Dargah, a 1190s mosque built, by legend, in two and a half days from the remains of a Sanskrit college. The seven-arched screen with its Kufic calligraphy and the forest of carved pillars behind it are among the oldest Islamic structures in India. ASI-protected, free, open sunrise to sunset; 30 minutes is enough.

3. Ana Sagar Lake. A 12th-century artificial lake in the middle of the city. Shah Jahan added the five marble baradaris (pavilions) along the bank, and Jahangir’s Daulat Bagh garden adjoins them. Come for sunset: the pavilions light up, families stroll, and boats run until dusk. There is a new lakefront walkway and a small Jawahar Lal Nehru-era park, Subhash Udyan, next door.

4. Soniji ki Nasiyan. A Digambar Jain temple built in 1865, known as the Red Temple for its sandstone. The reason to go is the Svarna Nagari hall behind the shrine: a two-storey gilded model of Ayodhya and the Jain cosmos, with gold-plated figures, airships and elephants, made in Jaipur over 25 years. There is a small ticket and it is open about 8:30–17:30.

5. Akbari Fort and Museum. Akbar’s 1570 palace near the station, where Sir Thomas Roe presented his credentials to Jahangir in 1616. It is now the government museum, with Rajput and Mughal armour and sculpture. Small ticket, closed Fridays.

6. Taragarh Fort. On the hill above the Dargah, one of the oldest hill forts in India (founded in the 7th century by the Chauhans, rebuilt many times). The drive up is 20–30 minutes on a narrow road; the walls, the Miran Saheb ki Dargah inside and the view over Ajmer are the attractions. The fort itself is in ruins, so go for the view rather than the architecture.

7. Mayo College. The 1875 public school for princes, with a white marble main building and a small museum of school and royal history. Visits are by prior permission from the school office; worth it for architecture enthusiasts.

What should you see in Pushkar?

8. Brahma Temple (Jagatpita Brahma Mandir). One of very few functioning Brahma temples anywhere, in its present 14th-century form with a red spire and a silver turtle on the floor. Darshan is roughly 6:00–13:30 and 15:00–21:00, slightly shorter in winter; mobile phones and cameras are left at the counter and the queue moves fast outside festival time. Legend says Brahma performed a yagna here, which is why Pushkar has the temple and Savitri’s curse explains why there are almost no others.

9. Pushkar Lake and the 52 ghats. The lake is ringed by bathing ghats, each linked to a king or a clan: Gau Ghat, Varaha Ghat and Brahma Ghat are the main ones. Shoes come off at the top of the steps and photography of bathers is discouraged. The evening aarti at Varaha Ghat, with lamps floated on the water, is the best half hour in Pushkar. Priests will offer a puja ending with a red thread (the ‘Pushkar passport’); agree a sum first or politely decline.

10. Savitri Temple and ropeway. On Ratnagiri hill south-west of the lake, dedicated to Brahma’s first wife. The ropeway from the base near the mela ground takes about six minutes and saves a 45-minute climb; the sunrise view over the lake, the town and the dunes is the finest in the area. Return tickets are a few hundred rupees per adult; check the current price at the counter. The temple is small and often has langurs waiting for prasad.

11. Varaha Temple and Rangji Temple. Varaha, dedicated to Vishnu’s boar avatar, is the oldest and largest temple in the town, rebuilt in the 18th century. Rangji (1823) is in South Indian style with a gopuram tower, built by a Hyderabad merchant; non-Hindus may be asked to stay outside. Both are a short walk from Sadar Bazaar.

12. Sadar Bazaar. The single long market street from the Brahma temple towards the mela ground, lined with silver jewellery, leather bags (Pushkar is a leather-craft centre), Rajasthani puppets, books and rose products from the surrounding rose farms. Malpua with rabri from the sweet shops near the lake is the local treat. The town is vegetarian and alcohol-free by rule; respect that.

13. Pushkar Mela ground and camel safaris. The mela ground on the western edge hosts the November fair; for the rest of the year camel-cart and camel-back safaris leave from here in the late afternoon for the low dunes behind the town, with a sunset stop and chai. Expect to pay about ₹300–800 per person depending on the length; agree in advance.

14. Rose gardens and Man Mahal. Pushkar grows roses for gulkand and rose water; farms on the Ajmer road welcome visitors in the flowering months (roughly November to March). Man Mahal, Raja Man Singh’s 17th-century palace on the lake, is now an RTDC hotel whose terrace is open for a drink and the lake view.

What happens at the Pushkar Mela in November 2026?

The Pushkar Fair is two overlapping events. The animal fair, when Raika herders bring camels, horses and cattle to trade on the sands west of town, runs from 10 to 26 November 2026; the liveliest trading is in the first week, before the religious crowds arrive. The official programme of the district administration and Rajasthan Tourism runs 17–24 November 2026, with a flag hoisting on 17 November, a food and craft festival at Shilpgram from 20 November (Dev Uthani Ekadashi), the moustache competition and village sports finals on 21 November, and the Kartik Purnima holy dip and Maha Aarti across the 52 ghats on Tuesday 24 November (Ajmer District Collector’s release of 7 October 2026, reported by ETV Bharat and Sabguru News). Hotels in Pushkar are two to four times normal rates in this fortnight and the tented camps fill by early October; staying in Ajmer and driving over each morning is a sensible fallback. Our best time to visit Rajasthan guide puts the fair in the context of the whole season.

How should you plan the trip?

From Jaipur, leave by 7:00 and be at the Dargah by 9:30, before the midday crowds. Walk up to Adhai Din ka Jhonpra, then drive to Soniji ki Nasiyan and the Akbari museum, lunch near the station, and drive over the Nag Pahar to Pushkar by 15:00. Check in, walk the ghats and bazaar, take the ropeway for sunset or watch the aarti at Varaha Ghat. Next morning: Brahma temple at 7:00, breakfast on a rooftop, and return to Jaipur (or continue to Jodhpur, 200 km, or Udaipur, 280 km) by noon. On the return via Ajmer, Ana Sagar at sunset is the one sight you may have skipped.

By train, the 12015 Ajmer Shatabdi leaves New Delhi at 06:10 and reaches Ajmer around 13:00 after Jaipur (10:35), and many Delhi–Ahmedabad trains stop at Ajmer Junction; confirm current timings on IRCTC. Pushkar has a small station with a few trains from Ajmer and Merta, but the RSRTC bus (every 15–30 minutes, about 45 minutes) or a taxi is more practical. Kishangarh airport, 27 km from Ajmer, has flights from Delhi and a few other cities.

Ajmer and Pushkar fit naturally into the Jaipur–Jodhpur run in our Rajasthan trip plan for 5 days, and the wider list in Rajasthan tourist places. For what to see before and after, read Jaipur tourist places and Jodhpur tourist places.

When is the best time to visit Ajmer and Pushkar?

October to March. November is the month of the camel fair; if you want Pushkar quiet, come in early October, December or February instead. The Urs of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, six days of commemoration ending on the 6th of the Islamic month of Rajab, falls in early 2027 and brings lakhs of pilgrims to Ajmer; sightseeing is difficult then unless the Urs is your purpose, and hotel prices rise sharply. Summer (April–June) is hot at 38–42°C and Pushkar’s lake can shrink; the monsoon (July–September) is humid but turns the Nag Pahar green. Holi (Monday 22 March 2027) is celebrated loudly in Pushkar’s main square and has become a big draw for young travellers.

Frequently asked questions

What are the main tourist places in Ajmer?

The Ajmer Sharif Dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti is the main one. Add Adhai Din ka Jhonpra mosque a short walk uphill, Ana Sagar Lake and its marble pavilions at sunset, the Soniji ki Nasiyan Jain temple with its gilded Svarna Nagari model, the Akbari Fort museum and Taragarh Fort on the hill above the city.

How far is Pushkar from Ajmer and how do you get there?

Pushkar is about 15 km from Ajmer over the Nag Pahar ridge, roughly 30 minutes by road. RSRTC buses run every 15–30 minutes from the Ajmer bus stand, and taxis and autos are easy to find near Ajmer Junction. Most travellers see Ajmer in half a day and stay the night in quieter Pushkar.

What are the Pushkar Mela 2026 dates?

The animal fair runs 10–26 November 2026 and the official programme of events 17–24 November 2026, with Kartik Purnima, the main holy dip and Maha Aarti, on Tuesday 24 November. The schedule was released by the Ajmer District Collector on 7 October 2026; events can shift, so confirm with Rajasthan Tourism before travelling.

What are the rules for visiting Ajmer Sharif Dargah?

Entry is free and open to all faiths, roughly 5:00–21:00. Cover your head (scarves and caps are sold at the gate), remove shoes at the counter, dress modestly and keep phones silent inside the shrine. Khadims may offer to guide you; a small voluntary offering is customary, but you are not obliged to pay any fixed amount.

Can you do Ajmer and Pushkar as a day trip from Jaipur?

Yes. Jaipur to Ajmer is 135 km, about 2–2.5 hours on NH-48. Leave by 7:00, see the Dargah and Adhai Din ka Jhonpra by 11:00, drive to Pushkar for the Brahma temple, ghats and lunch, and return to Jaipur by about 19:00. An overnight in Pushkar is better if you want the evening aarti and the sunrise ropeway.

Which is the best time to visit Pushkar?

October to March for weather. November brings the camel fair (10–26 November 2026), which is spectacular but crowded and expensive; book months ahead. For a calm visit choose early October, December or February. Avoid April to June, when daytime temperatures reach 38–42°C and the lake level drops.