Pushkar, one of the very old towns of India, is a Hindu pilgrimage center at a distance of 14 KM north-west of Ajmer town in the Ajmer district. It is located surrounding the Pushkar Lake at an average elevation of 510 M (1673 feet), and one of the five sacred dhams (pilgrimage sites for devout Hindus). It is often called "Tirth Raj" - the king of pilgrimage sites - and has in recent years become a popular destination for foreign tourists.

The date of its actual origin is not known, but legend associates Lord Brahma with its creation. It is mentioned that Brahma performed penance here for 60,000 years to have a glimpse of Vishnu.

The town has many temples but most of the temples are not very old, since many destroyed temples were re-built. The most famous among all is the Brahma Temple built during the 14th century AD. Very few temples to Lord Brahma exist anywhere in the world. Other temples of Brahma include Bithoor in Uttar Pradesh; village Asotra near Balotra city of Barmer district  in Rajasthan; Mother Temple of Besakih in Bali, Indonesia; and  Prambanan in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The Pushkar lake has 52 ghats where pilgrims descend to the lake to bathe in the sacred waters. It is also famous for its annual Pushkar Camel Fair.

Pushkar in Sanskrit means blue lotus flower. Hindus believe that the gods released a swan with a lotus in its beak and let it fall on earth where Brahma would perform a grand yagna. The place where the lotus fell was called Pushkar.

History:
The date of its actual founding of this old town is not known, but legend associates Lord Brahma with its creation. It is mentioned that Brahma performed penance here for 60,000 years to have glimpse of Radha Krishna.

According to legend, Brahma was in search of a place for Mahayagna and he found this place suitable. After a long time, Brahma came to known that a demon, Vajranash, was killing people here so the Lord intoned a mantra on a lotus flower and killed the demon. During this process the parts of flower fell on three places which were later known as Jyaistha, Madhya and Kanistha Pushkar. After this, Brahma performed a yagna to protect this place from demons. The consort of Brahma, Saraswathi, were needed to offer Ahuti for the yagna but she was not there that time so Gayatri, a Gurjar girl, was married to brahma and performned yagna. This act made first wife of Brahma, Saraswathi, angry and she curshed Brahma saying that he would be worshiped in Pushkar only. Since then the priests in Pushkar temple are from Gurjar community.

The Ramayan mentions Pushkar and says that Vishvamitra performed tapa here. It further says that the Apsara Menaka came to Pushkara to bathe in its sacred waters.
The Mahabharata says that while laying down a programme for Maharaja Yudhishthara’s travel, “Maharaja after entering the Jungles of Sind and crossing the small rivers on the way should bathe in Pushkara". And, as per Vaman Purana, Prahlada on his pilgrimage to holy places visited Pushkarayana.

A Gurjara Pratihara (Gurjar) ruler of Mandore, Nahadarava, restored this tirtha in the seventh century. He got the place cleared and the lake restored by making an embankment on the side of the river Luni. He rebuilt old palaces and built twelve dharmashalas (resting places) and ghats on three sides of the lake.

According to Rajputana Gazetteer Pushkar was held by Chechi Gurjars (Gujjars) till about 700 years ago. Later, some shrines were occupied by Kanphati Jogis.
There are still priests from Gurjar community in Pushkar temple, known as Bhopas.

The sage Parasara is said to have been born here. His descendants, called Parasara Brahamanas, are found in Pushkar and the surrounding area. The famous temple of Jeenmata has been cared for by Parasara Brahmans for the last 1,000 years. Pushkarana Brahamanas may also have originated here.

It is also the venue of the annual Pushkar Camel Fair. In 1901, the town was part of the Rajputana Agency had a population of 3,831

Places of tourists’ interest:
Pushkar Lake
The Sri Sawai Bhoj Temple
Jagat Pita Shri Brahma temple
Varaha temple
Apteshwar Mahadev temple
Savitri temple
Temple of Rangji (New and Old) or Shri Vaikunthnathji
Man Mahal
Gurudwara Singh Sabha (Patrons: Jaswinder Singh & Harmeet Bhatti)
Varaha Temple: This temple is to God Vishnu. It is one of the most visited temples in Pushkar city. It is said that Lord Vishnu gave a visit to this area to kill an atrocious demon Hirnayaksha.
Fairs:

Pushkar Fair: Pushkar fair continues for five days and relaxation and merry-making is permitted for the villagers. This fair time is the busiest time for them, as this is one of the largest cattle fairs in the country. Animals, especially camels, are brought from distant places. Trading is brisk as several thousand heads of cattle exchange hands. All the camels are cleaned, washed, adorned, some are interestingly shorn to form patterns, and special stalls are set up selling finery and jewellery for the camels. Camels at the Pushkar fair are decorated with great care. They wear jewellery of silver and beads. There are silver bells and bangles around their ankles that jangle when they walk. An interesting ritual is the piercing of a camel's nose.
According to Indian Mythology, after visiting all the Hindu pilgrim towns and temples (Four Dhams), Pushkar must be visited for Pooja, otherwise salvation remains unachieved. According to the Hindu calendar Pushkar Fair commences in Nawami (Ninth Moon) and ends in Purnima (Full Moon) in the month of Kartika, which can be in October or November depending on the Moon calendar. Countless people in their colourful attire gather to take a dip in the Holy Lake and pray to the deities. The whole town comes alive with vibrant folk music and dances, magic shows, horse and camel races and various other traditional entertainment competitions. Pushkar, with more than 12 local fairs and festivals of 10 to15 days duration, is a year round destination. It is a mellow town by the great lake of Pushkar amidst the perfume of jasmine and rose flowers. More than 4,000 to 6,000 visitors from all over the world come to Pushkar everyday.

Nagaur Fair
Tejaji fair

Camel Safari in Pushkar

Tourists can explore the rugged terrain of the Great Indian Desert of Thar using camels. The Aravalli Range here is one of the world's oldest mountain ranges, and has sandy fields, small dunes, beautiful hills and mesmerizing sunrises and sunsets.
The camel safaris in Pushkar will take Tourists to destinations where they will witnesses small villages along the way and during crop harvesting, the views are exceptionally enticing.
Other Attractions:
Ajmer is the nearest tourist attraction that lays outside the city boundaries of Pushkar.
Located 27 kilometres away from Ajmer, there is Kishangarh, famous for its miniature paintings, more popularly known as Bani Thani.
Brahma Temple- The most important temple in Pushkar is the Temple of Lord Brahma, one of the holy trinity of Hinduism. In fact it is the only Hindu shrine in the world where Lord Brahma is worshipped. The temple enshrines a life-size idol of Lord Brahma.
Savitri Temple- This temple that is located at the top of the Ratnagiri Hill is dedicated to Savitri, the wife of Lord Brahma. The temple houses a magnificent statue of Goddess Savitri.

Old Pushkar- Old Pushkar Lake is rebuilt and is located around 5 km from Pushkar Lake. According to the ancient texts, Old Pushkar has equal cultural and religious significance for the pilgrims.

Transport:

Air

The nearest airport from Pushkar is Sanganer Airport at Jaipur at distance of 146 km from Pushkar which is well connected with all the major cities which include Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Indore, Jodhpur and Udaipur.

Road

Pushkar is 11 km from main Ajmer bus stand. Rajasthan Roadways run very comfortable deluxe buses from Jaipur. There are buses from Jaipur to Ajmer, Indore, Nagda for every 15 minutes.

Rail

The nearest railway station from Pushkar is Ajmer, which is on the Broad Gauge and hence connected to the metro cities of India like New Delhi,  Mumbai,  Kolkata,  Chennai,  Hyderabad,  Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Indore, Kanpur, Lucknow, Patna, Bhopal, Trivandrum, Cochin etc.

Hotels in Pushkar

The tourists may contact the hotels directly at the address indicated above, where the contact details have been provided by the hotels in the above table. Alternatively, please contact your travel agent (from the list under "Travel Services" in the main menu) who deals with the concerned hotel or you may contact ArrayTours for booking. For details, please log on to www.arraytours.com or  e-mail your queries to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  or  phone +91 33 24416978, +91 9433253111.

Last Updated on Sunday, 07 November 2010 21:24