Pushkar India Tourist Attractions

Pushkar is a town in the Ajmer district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is situated 14 km (8.7 mi) northwest of Ajmer at an average elevation of 510 m (1,670 ft) and is one of the five sacred dhams (pilgrimage site) for devout Hindus. According to Hindu theology , the pond at the Katas Raj temple Near choa saidan shah in Chakwal District of Pakistan has a theological association with Lord Shiva; it was formed by the tears of Lord Shiva which he is believed to have shed after the death of his wife, Sati. The story goes that when Sati died, Lord Shiva cried so much and for so long, that his tears created two holy ponds – one at Pushkara in Ajmer in India and the other at Ketaksha, which literally means raining eyes, in Sanskrit. It is from this name that the word Katas is derived. It is often called "Tirth Raj" – the king of pilgrimage sites – and has in recent years become a popular destination for foreign tourists.

Pushkar is one of the oldest existing cities of India. It lies on the shore of Pushkar Lake. The date of its actual origin is not known, but legend associates Lord Brahma with its creation.

Pushkar has many temples. Most of the temples are not very old because many temples were destroyed during Muslim conquests in the area.[citation needed] Subsequently, the destroyed temples were rebuilt. The most famous among all is the Brahma Temple built during the 14th century CE. Very few temples to Lord Brahma exist anywhere in the world. Other temples of Brahma include Bithoor in Uttar Pradesh, India; Khedbrahma in Gujarat, India; village Asotra near Balotra city of Barmer district in Rajasthan; Uttamar Kovil (one of the Divya Desams) near Srirangam, Tamil Nadu; 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.

Pushkar is also famous for its annual fair (Pushkar Camel Fair) held in November.

The natural environment of Pushkar and the sacred lake has become increasingly degraded in the last few decades. The problems stem mainly from overdevelopment of tourist facilities and the deforestation of the surrounding area.

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. Pushkar word may be derived from word 'Pushkarni'means- lake.It may be derived from word Pushpa means flower and Kar means hand.

History

Pushkar is one of the oldest cities of India. The date of its actual founding is not known, but legend associates Lord Brahma with its creation.

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, Saraswati, 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, Saraswati, angry and she cursed Brahma saying that he would be worshiped in Pushkar only. From that day the priests in Brahma temple are from Gurjar community.

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 Gujar 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.

Transport

By planePushkar is but a small town and hence has no airport. The nearest airport is in Jaipur. Jaipur is well connected to major Indian cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata by air.
 
By bus
Take a taxi or rickshaw from Ajmer. Frequent buses are available from Ajmer main bus station.

By train
From Delhi, regular trains are available till Ajmer. There are direct trains from Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Bhopal, Ernakulam and Bangalore to Ajmer.
 
By TaxiVarious tour operators and travel agencies offer chauffeured car-taxi services; these are charged on a per km, per day basis. You can plan to take one to arrive into the city or take one for sightseeing in and around the city.



Tourism

• Bramha temple - One of the very few temples for Lord Bramha in the world.
• Rangji temple - This is a Vishnu temple built in south Indian style.
• Chamunda temple - This is one of the 51 Shakti peeths. It is also known as Manibandh.
• Pap Mochini temple
• Panchkund Shiva temple - It is around 2-3 kms from the pushkar lake. The shiva temple is said to have been built by Pancha pandavas.
• Savitri temple - It is located on top of a hill near the lake. This temple is dedicated to the goddess savitri, wife of Hindu god Brahma. This temple is the second most religious temple in Pushkar.
• Pushkar Lake- Pushkar Lake is a beautiful, sanctified spot to visit in Pushkar. This lake is considered to be very old and of the time when the earth was created. This lake is a place of pilgrimage for the Hindus. Lake is surrounded by 52 different ghats to take bath, where Hindus and other tourists come to take a dip in the month of karthik.
• Man Mahal
• Gurudwara Singh Sabha
• Shri Vaikunthnathji
• Pushkar Fair: Every year thousands of domestic and international tourists come to be a part of this amazing Pushkar Fair. This fair is organized in 20 Nov To 28 Nov 2012 . Tourists come to take a holy dip in the pushkar lake at the time of karthik purnima, which is basically a full moon day. Pushkar fair is also famous as colourful and huge cattle fair. Pushkar is well known for it’s camel safari and other adventures activities. 

Pushkar Photo Gallary

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