Old Rangji Temple

A Dravidian gopuram (a South Indian gate tower) rising over Pushkar's low white rooftops is not what this corner of Rajasthan prepares you for. The temple was commissioned in 1823 by the Hyderabad merchant Seth Puran Mal Ganeriwal for Lord Ranga, a form of Vishnu, and was the first in Rajasthan built in the South Indian Ramanuja tradition; Rajput carving and a Mughal-style entrance sit alongside that southern tower. Shoes are left at the gate. Non-Hindus are often not admitted past the entrance and practice varies, so many visitors see the facade and courtyard. It is still worth the detour.

A southern temple tower where you least expect one, and the town's most photographed silhouette