Pushkar Prohibition and Bundi's Bounties

Pushkar is the home of the Indian God Brahma and the only temple in India dedicated to this fellow. Without meaning offence I hope he was teetotal and vegetarian because he would have suffered for the last umpteen millenia otherwise. You can't even get an omelette let alone a quick half.





We duly went to pay our respects at the ghat on the lake where locals worship Brahma only to be informed that it would cost a minimum 500 rupees to get a receipt for our generosity. We gave 200 rupees and the fellow calmly pocketed the money without a "By your leave" or a receipt. One of the strange anomalies of India.





Pushkar is famous for its annual camel fair which takes place in November. Some 200,000 of these smelly beasts of burden are traded and it is quite a sight apparently. In March very little happens except for the fact that the Holi Festival was about to be observed as we left. There were bonfires and fireworks the night before, about the most exciting thing that happened. We were offered a contraband beer in the Ali Baba rooftop cafe which was peopled by a pool table and hippies. A sign on the wall said that cannabis smoking was prohibited but it didn't seem that way. We had a Seven Up and left. Even public displays of affection are banned by order of the police - some place Pushkar.





To Bundi and a nightmare journey occasioned by the celebration of Holi which designates the end of Winter and beginning of Spring. People throw coloured powders and water over one another. It is apparently fair game for gangs of youths to pretend they are Dick Turpin, placing large rocks across the road and refusing to allow the free flow of traffic until the drivers have volunteered some rupees. In one village this happened no fewer than five times. Eventually our driver Bobby gathered his courage and ran the gauntlet of one gang only to have his car pelted with blue and red paint. Even the road toll operators took a little extra because of Holi! The only bonus was the evident lack of traffic - those in the know stay at home.





In Bundi we were confronted by a sea of people a lighter shade of purple as all the colours had mingled together. We checked into a delightful boutique haveli (former private house) called Bundi Villas which had been recently featured in the Sunday Times. It was run by a charming young Indian called Arun Sharma who was also a guide round the Palace and very knowledgable to boot. Needing a siesta after climbing several hundred feet up to the Palace we were suddenly awaked by the door to our room flying open. A large Rhesus monkey sprang across the room and tried to exit through our window. Linda almost hit the ceiling in shock while the monkey did a quick about turn and exited whence he came - to our great relief. Doors locked henceforth and there was no surprise to see Arun weilding a pistol and large stick when we had our rooftop breakfast in the morning. Another monkey had tried to steal a banana being eaten by a French couple minutes earlier!





Bundi is small and quite sweet with most houses painted indigo blue. It has its own school of art and we were sorely tempted to buy. The Palace has only been recently reopened and has the most exotic and erotic works of art using the natural Bundi mineral paints (largely greens and blues) . The old Maharaja was quite a fellow by all accounts. According to Arun the present incumbent who lives in Delhi is contrastingly modest and often mistaken for a tourist when he visits. Last year Arun showed Mick Jagger around - but didn't know who he was until afterwards! He asked who was the richer, most popular or famous - Jagger or Prince Charles. We couldn't decide.

We visited the small lakeside palace called the Sukh Mahal, just outside Bundi, where Rudyard Kipling wrote part of Kim. Sadly the building was closed and rather in need of a lick of paint. But it was easy to see how Kipling could be inspired by the peace and beauty of the view of the lake and its surrounding mountains.





Colin is missing the start of the Cheltenham Festival but, having seen some of the results, is quite glad not to have taken a financial interest. Being in India, though, it is quite possible we might have backed the new Champion Hurdler Punjabi at 22-1. That's a pipedream now.