Pushkar - 15km northwest of Ajmer in the
state of Rajasthan - is one of the holiest sites in India. What
makes it so scared to the Hindus is the presence of some 500
temples, which surround the lake. Devotees congregate in these
temples in large number to seek the blessings of the gods. Some
of the important shrines are the Brahma Temple, Savitri Temple,
Rangji Temple, Varah Temple and Apteshwar Temple. Visit these
temples with India Profile. It is advisable for the visitors to
remove their shoes at a reverential distance from these
temples.
Brahma Temple
Undoubtedly the most important shrine in Pushkar, this temple is
the only one exclusive to Brahma, revered as the Creator in the
famed Hindu Trinity. Legend has it that it is the where Brahma
performed a Yagya.
Varah Temple
The Varah Temple is dedicated to Vishnu, Preserver in the Hindu
Trinity of Gods. The temple is home to an image of Vishnu in his
fifth incarnation of wild boar. Constructed by King Anaji Chauhan
(1123-1150), the temple is equal in importance to the more famous
Brahma Temple. It is believed that Vishnu came to earth to kill
the demon Hirnayaksh who had stolen the Vedas. He took the shape
of Varah (wild boar) and killed the demon thereby liberating the
world from his atrocities.
Savitri Temple
Dedicated to Savitri, one of Brahma's wives, the temple is
located on the highest hill above the Pushkar town. You have to
climb a long series of steps to reach the shrine. The temple
offers a panoramic view of the Pushkar Lake and surrounding sand
dunes.
Pushkar Festivals :-
Once
trading is under way, camels and cattle are meticulously groomed,
lined up and auctioned, while women dressed in mirrored skirts
and vivid shawls lay out embroidered cloth, jewellery, pots and
ornaments beside the herds, stopping trade occasionally to gather
dung to fuel the evening fires. Cattle, poultry, sheep and goats
are entered for competitions, and prizes given for the best
displays of fruit and vegetables. Away from the main activity,
the dusty ground is stirred up by vigorous camel races , noisily
urged on by gamblers. Things become even more animated as
acrobats balance precariously on tightropes and cartwheel between
the crowds.
ide from its overwhelming size, the most striking feature of the
Pushkar camel fair from a foreign visitor's point of view is that
it is attended by equal numbers of men and women. With the
harvest safely in the bag and the surplus livestock sold, the
villagers, for this brief week or so, have a little money to
spend enjoying themselves, which creates a lighthearted
atmosphere that's generally absent from most other Rajasthani
livestock fairs. As a result, photo opportunities are endless.
Proudly dressed in their most colourful clothes and jewellery,
both the menfolk and their wives and daughters tend to be happy
to pose for the camera, being as interested in you as you are in
them. The presence of so many exotic foreigners milling around in
the crowd all adds to the holiday feel for the herders, for whom
Pushkar represents the highlight of the year, eagerly looked
forward to throughout the heat of summer and the hard work of the
harvest.
The fair typically attracts up to 200,000 people. In recent
years, however, numbers have dwindled due to the drought. Only a
fraction of the normal number of herders showed up in November
2000, because so many of them had no animals to sell. More than
ever, therefore, if you're coming to see the camels and
traditional costumes, the best time to come is at least a week or
so before the final weekend, when most of the buying and selling
is done. By the full moon, the bulk of the herders tend to have
packed up and gone home (unless the local tourist office has
managed to induce them to stick around with the lure of free
fodder, as it has done for the past few fairs), leaving crowds of
pilgrims from neighbouring districts to enjoy the religious
celebrations.
