Pushkar is one of the oldest continuously inhabited towns on earth: a small white settlement wrapped around a sacred lake, ringed by the Aravalli hills. It is easier to reach than its remoteness suggests. Here is the practical part first, then the part worth coming for.
I.The three ways in
By train, to Ajmer Junction
Ajmer Junction is the nearest railhead and the easiest arrival. It sits on the busy Delhi–Ahmedabad corridor, with fast daily trains from Delhi (about 6½ hours on the Shatabdi) and direct services from Jaipur in roughly two. From the platform it is a thirty-minute drive over the snake mountain pass into Pushkar. For atelier guests we arrange a car to meet the train; tell us your service when your batch is set.
By air, into Jaipur
Jaipur International is the practical airport, with direct flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and the Gulf. The drive to Pushkar takes around two and a half hours on good highway. Airport transfers are coordinated with your retreat plan, so a batch can begin the morning after an evening landing.
By road
Pushkar lies roughly 145 km from Jaipur and 400 km from Delhi. Buses run constantly between Jaipur and Ajmer, with local connections over the hill. A private car from Jaipur is the comfortable version of the same journey.
II.When to come
| Season | Months | At the bench |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn | Oct–Jan | The prize season. Cool desert air, golden light, and the famous camel fair in November. Book early around the fair. |
| Spring | Feb–Apr | Warm days, a quiet town, roses in the fields around Pushkar. Lovely working weather. |
| Summer | May–Jun | Hot afternoons; the atelier works mornings and evenings. The town is at its emptiest. |
| Monsoon | Jul–Sep | Green hills, dramatic skies over the lake, warm rain. A moody, beautiful time to make things. |
Batches run all year. There is no fixed calendar, so the season you can travel is the season we arrange around. The batch formats explain how that works.
III.The town itself
Everything in Pushkar radiates from the lake. Fifty-two ghats step down to the water, each with its own story. The Brahma temple, one of very few in the world, stands a few lanes back, and the old bazaar wraps around it all: a single winding street of silver shops, rose sellers and chai stands. The atelier sits in this old quarter, a short walk from the water. Pushkar is vegetarian and alcohol-free by temple law, which is part of why its evenings feel the way they do.
IV.Evenings: the aarti
At dusk, bells begin around the lake and the evening aarti, Pushkar's oldest ritual, is performed at the ghats, lamps circling against the darkening water. Guests on the retreat plan walk down together, then return to the haveli for a home-cooked Rajasthani dinner and rooftop chai, where the day's silver is passed around under the temple skyline. What those days at the bench actually hold is the subject of its own account.
V.Where you stay
Guests on the full retreat stay in a restored heritage haveli near the lake: a private room, sattvic home meals at the family table, and the atelier a stroll away. Stay, meals and transfers are all arranged with one enquiry, so the only planning you do is choosing your month.