Peapix

  • Bing Gallery
  • Extension
Peapix
Bing Gallery
Extension
  • United States
    All
    Australia Canada China Germany France India Japan Spain United Kingdom United States Italy Brazil

Bing Gallery

Australia Canada China Germany France India Japan Spain United Kingdom United States Italy Brazil
  1. Bing Gallery
  2. United States
  3. 2019
  4. November 05
  5. Camels gather with their herders at the Pushkar Camel Fair, Rajasthan state, India
arrow_back_ios arrow_forward_ios Camels gather with their herders at the Pushkar Camel Fair, Rajasthan state, India

November 05, 2019

Camels gather with their herders at the Pushkar Camel Fair, Rajasthan state, India

© Anand Purohit/Getty Image

Balloons and camels are two ways to catch a ride here. Balloons and camels are two ways to catch a ride here

Welcome to India's largest camel and livestock festival, the Pushkar Camel Fair. Thousands of people travel across mountains and through the Thar Desert to buy and sell livestock and enjoy the carnival-like atmosphere here. The fair offers visitors many diversions, but it's the camels who get top billing. Considered 'ships of the desert,' camels were domesticated by nomads thousands of years ago to carry goods across forbidding landscapes. When well fed and hydrated, a camel can travel great distances without needing water or food, sometimes for weeks. The humps on a camel's back serve a purpose: they're fatty deposits that act as a source of nutrition. Here, on the edge of the Thar Desert, the camel remains a mode of transport for nomads as well as a source for textiles, goods, and sustenance (did you know a camel's milk does not curdle in the desert heat?). The camel is held in such high esteem, the Pushkar Fair even stages camel decoration contests.

But there's another reason why people flock to Pushkar. The fair coincides with the holy festival of Kartik Purnima, which occurs during the Hindu lunar month of Kartik. The 8th-century desert town itself is a beauty, with medieval architecture and over 50 whitewashed ghats—stairs that descend into Pushkar Lake. Pilgrims consider the lake water to be holy, especially during Kartik's full moon when they believe their sins can be washed away. Needless to say, with all the pilgrims bathing here, photography is not allowed near the lake during the full moon. However, many shutterbugs opt for a view of the fair from a balloon ride at day's end.

sky outdoor camel standing animal arabian camel sunset camelid elephant sun giraffe desert day

Related Images

Masai giraffes, Amboseli National Park, KenyaMasai giraffes, Amboseli National Park, Kenya
Elephant family in Amboseli National Park, KenyaElephant family in Amboseli National Park, Kenya
Elephants near Mount Kilimanjaro, Amboseli National Park, KenyaElephants near Mount Kilimanjaro, Amboseli National Park, Kenya
Two Bactrian camels in Kazakhstan for TwosdayTwo Bactrian camels in Kazakhstan for Twosday
Grizzly bear cub relaxing, Cook Inlet, Chinitna Bay, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, AlaskaGrizzly bear cub relaxing, Cook Inlet, Chinitna Bay, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Alaska
Elephants in Amboseli National Park, KenyaElephants in Amboseli National Park, Kenya
Geladas in Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia Geladas in Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia
Camels braying at the Pushkar Camel Festival, Pushkar, Rajasthan, IndiaCamels braying at the Pushkar Camel Festival, Pushkar, Rajasthan, India

Today on Bing

Autumn sunrise over the National Mall, Washington, DC

Autumn sunrise over the National Mall, Washington, DC

Nov 05, 2024
Quartzite formation, Playa del Silencio, Asturias, Spain

Quartzite formation, Playa del Silencio, Asturias, Spain

Nov 05, 2023
Tigh Mor Trossachs on Loch Achray, Scotland

Tigh Mor Trossachs on Loch Achray, Scotland

Nov 05, 2022
Pont Rouge (Red Bridge) over the Palmer River in Sainte-Agathe-de-Lotbinière, Quebec, Canada

Pont Rouge (Red Bridge) over the Palmer River in Sainte-Agathe-de-Lotbinière, Quebec, Canada

Nov 05, 2021
Albarracín, Spain

Albarracín, Spain

Nov 05, 2020

Related Tags

outdoor animal camel sky mammal day field elephant grass herd group safari standing mountain desert ecoregion savanna background distance giraffe
Share photo
Share
Pin
Tweet
Line
  • © 2025 Peapix.com
  • API
  • App
  • Privacy
The images are provided for wallpaper use only.