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Pushkar

The pious Pushkar Lake, believed to have been created by the falling of lotus from the hand of Lord Brahma. It is considered to be as old as the creation. The lake is considered as one of the most sacred spots, and believed that one dip in the waters of lake on Kartika Poornima is equivalent to performing yagnas for several hundred years. It is surrounded by hills on three sides and desert on the other side. The cave of Saint Agasthya was located on the snake mountain here. There is one belief that Kalidasa, the Indian counterpart of Shakespeare, had this place as his locale for his Sanskrit drama, Shakuntalam.

According to a legend, the lake was formed when Lord Brahma wanted to perform a yagna here. Prominent among the ghats are Gau Ghat, Brahma Ghat and Varah Ghat. Also called Main Ghat, Gau Ghat is the place from which ashes of Mahatma Gandhi were sprinkled into the lake. Brahma Ghat is believed to be the spot where Brahma himself is said to have worshipped. The Varah Ghat is famed to be the place where Vishnu, the preserver of the Hindu Trinity, appeared in the form of Varaha (a boar), third in the line of his nine incarnations. It is advisable for the visitors, who travel to the Pushkar lake, not to take photos and to remove their shoes before going to the ghats.
Brahma Temple

It is said that Lord Brahma's lotus flower fell in three separate places in the Pushkar area, and that water came from the ground at each place. The three places are located within a radius of six miles. Senior Pushkar, where the hotels are located, is considered the most holy, because the lotus fell here first. Middle Pushkar is 3km down the road and has a small Hanuman temple and a 200-year-old banyan tree. New (Junior) Pushkar, 3km further north, has a small Krishna temple. As Brahma threw the pushpa (flower) with his kar (hand), so the place received the name Pushkar.

In the Mahabharata it is said concerning Pushkar: "The holy place of Lord Vishnu, Pushkar-tirtha, renowned in the three worlds, is situated on this earth. Fortunate souls can enter that place. O son of the Kuru dynasty, at Pushkar-tirtha billions of tirthas (holy places) gather at daybreak and sunset. Simply taking a bath at Pushkar-tirtha destroys sins of both men and women, including the sin that caused their birth. As Madhusudana (Krishna) is the original God, so Pushkar is the original tirtha."

Brahma wanted to perform a yajna (sacrifice) on the full moon day in Kartika (Oct/Nov), and he was in search of a suitable place to perform the yajna. The lotus from his hand fell down, rebounded, and fell at three places, from where water sprang. Thus Brahma decided to perform the yajna at Pushkar. The yajna, however, could not be performed without his wife, Savitri, by his side, and she was late. Brahma therefore had to request Indra to arrange a marriage for him so that he could fulfill the religious obligations. The priest manifested a daughter called Gayatri. Because she was an untouchable, she was put into the mouth of a cow and removed from the other end, which totally purified her. Gaya means "cow" and tri means "passed through." When Savitri arrived, she saw that Brahma had married without her permission, so she cursed him that he would be worshiped only at Pushkar. Enraged, Savitri went and established a temple on top of Rathkagir, the hill a little south of Pushkar. It is said to be due to Savitri's curse that Brahma is worshiped almost exclusively at Pushkar.

How to Reach Pushkar

Air : Sanganer Airport Jaipur is nearest (154 km/ 2 ½ hrs).

Rail : Ajmer Junction -11 km / 15 mins. Ajmer Shatabdi Train from Delhi and Jaipur.

Road : Pushkar is on NH-89, 11 km off NH-8 that connects Delhi and Mumbai. 15 mins from Ajmer, 2 ½ hrs from Jaipur, 7 ½ hrs from Delhi.

Places of Tourist Interest

Gavitri & Savitri Temple - The temple is dedicated to Savitri, the wife of Lord Brahma and located on the top of the Ratnagiri Hill. According to the legends when Lord Brahma performed a Yagna (holy fire devoted to gods) along with Gayatri, a local milkmaid, furious Savitri cursed her husband that he would never be worshipped anywhere except in Pushkar and that too only once a year. Savitri left for the Ratnagiri Hill after cursing her husband and immolated herself there. There is beautiful statue of Goddess Savitri inside the temple.

Camel Market - Pushkar has one of the best shopping bazaars in India. There are hundreds of shops selling camels,horses,bulls,cows and much more. Most of the animals sold are low prices and the prices are some of the best in India. Many people spend a day or two for shopping. You should bargain hard, especially for camel and horse. You can be quoted five times the correct price at first.

Since pushkar fair is added with animal fair,besides the arrival of pilgrims,peasants and farmers with their livestock and the merchants;Rajasthan being a desert area, the fair is the biggest camel market, besides horses, bulls and oxen as a necessity the fair shops are setup and camel races are arranged.