Pushkar
About the city
Pushkar is a fitting place for this gratitude. A very small town, seemingly just about bigger than the lake it adjoins, Pushkar attracts Hindu devotees and Hindu dilettantes in large numbers. The dilet'tantes consist of a colourful variety of foreigners Israelis, Americans, Koreans, British all of whom lend the town an unexpectedly quaint air. Pushkar is thus as much about aarti and chants as about Om Shanti T-shirts, Shiva tattoos, Rastafarian hairstyles and digital cameras. Amidst all this, there are the genuine devo'tees: Vaishnavas in white with their eyes closed, a researcher on Hinduism who lives in her lake-facing room for six months every year, a Croatian couple who sponsor a section of the paving on a ghat. Layers of human experience, all blending together to make Pushkar as mythical as the legends warrant it to be.Lying 1 km west of Ajmer, a small sacred town which is also a tourist attraction, because of the cattle fair (one of the world,s largest) annually held here. It is a most sacred place for the Hindus and referred to as ‘Tirth Raj' or the king of all pilgrimage Centres. According to the Hindu religious text, the Padam Puran, Lord Brahma, or Lord of Creation, dropped a lotus from his hand which fell on Eath and water gushed forth from three places... one of these was Pushkar. Once Pushkar was surrounded by 500 temples and 52 palaces.
Only 11 km from of Ajmer is the holiest lake of the Hindus. Pushkar Lake, surrounded by hills, has been a major place of pilgrimage for at least 2000 years.
The many temples are, relatively, as a result of destrucion during Aurangzeb's time. Among them is one (some say the only) Brahma Temple. Apart from the novelty this is of interest only for the silver coins of the Raj period set in many of the memorial stones. The silver tortoise represents Vishnu's second incarnation. Inside the gateway is a goose, Brahma's vehicle like Shiva's Nandi. The ghats are different from those in Varanasi in that you cannot readily walk along them.
The Brahma Temple is an immaculately clean, pink domed building with a riot of blue, green, yellow and red paint giving it an ethereal look. The Savitri Temple, the Hanuman Temple and Krishna Temple are interesting places to visit. Pushkar is best by sunset when the dry heat is replaced by a cool breeze and the lake turns a crimson red in the fading light.
Except during major festivals Puskhar is a quiet, calm place where you can live very cheaply and relax. The most important festival is Pushkar Mela at the time of the October/ November full moon when as many as 200,000 pilgrims come here to bathe. Perhaps of more interest is the concurrent camel and cattle fair. Roll up! Roll ip! and see the camel races. This is the time when this tranquil haven turns into a riot of color.
Pushkar is 11 km from Ajmer, along the picturesque Pushkar Lake lies the tranquil town with the deep religious significance. 'Nag Pahar' or Snake Mountain forms a natural boundary between Ajmer and Pushkar. The main Attraction is Pushkar Lake, The Lake with 52 Ghats and an array of temples along the banks is an important pilgrimage centre.
Located just 11 kms from Ajmer, the holy lake of Pushkar is believed to have been created by Lord Brahma himself. It is as important as Benaras or Puri. Devout Hindus believe that it is essential to visit Pushkar at least once in their lifetime.
No pilgrimage is considered complete without a dip in the holy Pushkar Lake. Pushkar has as many as 400 temples and 52 ghats and the only temple in the country that is dedicated to Brahma is to be found here. While Pushkar is a heaven for the religiously inclined, it is also the venue of one of the country's most colourful cattle fairs - the Pushkar Fair of Hindus.