Pushkar

Geography

Pushkar is among the five principal places of Hindu pilgrimage. People consider the water of the Pushkar lake to be very sacred and the ritual of taking dips in the holy water IS believed to bestow salvation. It Is customary to float lighted eastern lamps ed on pattals (plates made of leaves) on the waters of lake.
For a devout Hindu Pushkar is a very important pilgrim centre, for one visit to this holy place in a lifetime is highly prescribed. Brahma forms the great Hindu trilogy of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, each symbolising the lifecycle of birth, preservation and destruction. Brahma the creator is depicted as of four bearded heads and four hands each holding a book of Vedas (knowledge). His vehicle is the swan and his consort is Savitri.
The city is located in the eastern part of Rajasthan and is at an altitude of 413 meters above sea level. With an area of 16.34 sq. km., the city has a population of 1.8 millions

History

Historically, Pushkar has its own importance and was destroyed by Mahumud of Ghazni on one of his periodic forays from Afghanistan. Later it became a favorite residence of the great Moghuls. One of the first contacts between the Moghuls and the British occurred in Pushkar when Sir Thomas Roe met with Jehangir here in 1616 Pushkar is among the five Dhams or pilgrimages that are held in high esteem by Hindus, the others being Badrinath, Puri, Rameswaram, and Dwarka.
It is said that the Lord Brahma killed the demon Vajra Nabh with a lotus flower during battle, and the petals of teh lotus floated down to earth and landed in three places in and around Pushkar. In these places, lakes sprang up, attracting much building of shrines and temples. According to legends, Pushkar Lake was surrounded by 500 temples and 52 palaces (several rajas and maharajas maintained palaces here for pilgrimage) at one point.
The Brahma temple is the most important temple here and is, in fact, the only Brahma temple of India. It is interesting to note that Brahma is not worshipped, even though he is one of the Holy Trinity of Hinduism. Brahma, it is said, had descended to earth to perform a Yajna (fire-sacrifice), but his wife, Savitri, was not with him at that time and the Yajna would be incomplete without her. Brahma then married a local girl and sat down for the Yajna. Meanwhile, Savitri too descended to earth and, upon finding this new bride sitting next to Brahma, cursed him that he would never be worshipped anywhere else on earth.

Pushkar Attraction

Bramha Temple : Pushkar boasts temples, though few are as ancient as you might expect at such an important pilgrimage site, since many were destroyed by Aurangzeb, a Mogul ruler and subsequently rebuilt. The most famous is the Brahma Temple, said to be the only temple in the world dedicated to this deity. It stands on a high plinth with the Marble steps leading up to it. A silver turtle is set on the floor facing the Sanctum-Sanctorum or Girbha-griha. Around the turtle the Marble floor is inset with hundreds of silver coins. Coins engraved with donors names are also embedded in the walls. Peacocks adorn the temple walls as they are supposed to be the vehicle of lord Brahma's consort Saraswati. A small image of the milkmaid Gayatri, flanks the four-faced image of lord Brahma and is called Chaumurti The sanctuary has silver doors inside a carved marble gateway.

Pushkar Lake : The sacred Pushkar Lake is said to have been created by the falling of lotus from the hand of Lord Brahma, the creator of the universe. It is believed to be as old as the creation. The lake is one of the most holy spots in the town, and it is said that a single dip in the waters of lake on Kartika Poornima is same as performing yagnas for several hundred years.
This enigmatic lake has fifty-two bathing ghats, built around it. The water around each ghat is supposed to have special powers. The Naga Kund is considered to give fertility, Roop Tirth bestows beauty and charm, the water of Kapil Vyapi Kund is said to have powers to cure leprosy and a dip in the Mrikand Muni Kund gives the blessing of wisdom.
The Pushkar lake is encompassed by hills on three sides and desert on the other side. It is saaid that the cave of Saint Agasthya was located on the snake mountain here. Itis also believed that Kalidasa, the great poet of the ancient times, chose this place as his locale for his Sanskrit drama, Shakuntalam.

Ramavaikunth Temple : One of Pushkar's largest and most intricate temples, the Ramavaikunth Temple was built in the 1920's and has beautifully sculpted images of no less than 361 different deities. The ornate outer gopuram over the entrance is said to have been built by a team of masons specially brought here from south India.

The Holy Lake and its many Ghats: Many Ghats run down to the Holy Lake where pilgrims are constantly bathing in the holy waters. Joining people at the ghats has to be with some respect for their culture and privacy. And for this reason, removing shoes before approaching the ghats, no smoking and restraining from photographing bathing people is well avoided. The Pilgrims here are sensitive about comments by non-Hindus. The famed waters of the Pushkar lake wash away the sins of a lifetime.

Pushkar Fair Festival

Pushkar Festival : Pushkar Fair: The Pushkar Camel Fair is one of the largest in India and the only one of its kind in the entire world. During the fair, Lakhs of people from rural India flock to Pushkar, along with Camel and Cattle for several days of live stock trading, horse dealing, pilgrimage and religious festivities. This small town, becomes a cultural phenomenon when colourfully dressed devotees, musicians, acrobats, folk dancers, traders, comedians, sadhus and tourists reach here during Pushkar fair. According to Hindu chronology, it takes place in the month of Kartika (October or November) beginning on ashtmi 8th day of Lunar Calendar and continues till full moon (Poornima). The Camel and Cattle trading is at its peak during the first half of festival period. During the later half, religious activities dominate the scenario. Devotees take dips in the holy "Sarovar" lake, as the sacred water is known to bestow salvation.

Pushkar Climate

Pushkar has an extreme climate with hot summers and cold winters. The maximum temperature during the summers can go up to 45 degrees C while in the winters it can be below 10 degrees C.

How To Reach Pushkar

Flight : The nearest airport from Pushkar is located in Jaipur which is 131 km away.

Train : Ajmer which is situated at a distance of 11 km from Pushkar, is the nearest railway station. Ajmer in turn is well connected with major destinations in Rajasthan.

Road : Pushkar has to two bus stands. The Marwar bus stand is situated to the north of the town by the post office and has buses to some long distance places including Delhi, Jodhpur and Bikaner. The Ajmer bus stand is located east of the Pushkar town and offers bus services to Ajmer and Jaipur.