Easily the most easily identifiable of Rajasthan's many fairs, Pushkar has come to symbolize the febrile heartbeat of the people of the state. Held in November in Pushkar, the temple town close to Ajmer, where an 8th century temple of Brahma draws the faithful, it is located on the banks of a lake. Pilgrims bathe at the ghats and pray at the temple, while the actual fair is held in the vast stretching desert around it. Here, traders set camp to strike deals at India's, and probably the world's largest camel fair, though hors3es are also sold. It is also a time for friends and families to get together, camp in the desert, entertain each other with folk songs and dances, cook meals over camp fires, and wander through the exuberant melee of people looking for handicrafts, or merely to stand in a queue for the giant wheel... Special tented camps are set up on the occasion for visitors but such is the draw of this fair internationally, that even these are soon exhausted, and people may have to stay in nearby Ajmer, or even as far as Jaipur, visiting here by day.

The lake, situated on the edge of the desert and surrounded by hills on the three sides, is separated from Ajmer by 'Nag Pahar'- the snake mountain. On this mountain the Panchkund and the cave of saint Agastya are located. It is believed that Kalidasa - the 4th century Sanskrit poet and play right, chose the setting for his masterpiece 'Abhigyana Shakuntalam 'in this forest heritage. According to legend, the origin of Pushkar dates back to the time when Lord Brahma was on his way in search of a tranquil land to perform a 'Yagna'. A lotus fell form the hand of the Lord into this valley. A lake sprang up on this spot and was dedicated to him. A Brahma temple located here is a popular place of pilgrimage.

The Red temple on Prithviraj Marg is a Jain temple built last century and is definitely worth checking out. Its double storey hall contains a fascinating series of large, gilt wooden figures from Jain mythology which depict the Jain concept of the ancient world. This red coloured Jain temple was built in the late 19th century. The wooden gilt in the double storeyed hall depicts scenes from the Jain mythology. The beauty of this temple is widely acclaimed.

This lake was built by Anaji during 1135-1150 AD. Later the mughal emperors made additional constructions to beautify the lake. The 'Baradari', a marble pavilion was built by Shah Jahan and the ' Daulat Bagh ' gardens were laid by Jahangir. This lake is located towards the north of Ajmer city.

Ajmer is venerated as a holy place for both Hindus and Muslims. It has the mausoleum of the Sufi saint, Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti whose blessings are eagerly sought by pilgrims to his dargah. Known as the ‘Dargah Sharif’ the last resting place of the saint who died in 1235 lies at the foot of a barren hill. It is said that Mughal Emperor Humayun built the shrine and the Buland Darwaza, carved in silver, was built by the Nizam of ajmer. The tomb of Khwaja is surrounded by a silver railing and there is a separate women's praying room, said to be built by Chimni Begum - the daughter of Shahjahan.  The tomb attracts hundreds of thousands of pilgrims every year on the anniversary of the saint's death.