The Temples of Pushkar

The land of temples, Pushkar is truly a holy city. One can literally feel the rich culture and ancient history of Hinduism. Extraordinary temples, extraordinary architecture 
and extraordinary camels, all this and more awaited me at Pushkar on my India trip last year.
Quite literally and quite stoically, I fell in love with this wonderful place in Rajasthan. And to think, I did not even want to go there.

Among the hundreds of temples in Pushkar, five stand apart. These are Jagat Shri Brahma Temple, Varaha Temple, Apteshwar Mahadev Temple, Savitri Temple, and the Temple of Rangji. The Jagat Shri Brahma Templeis the only temple of the world dedicated to Brahma, who according to Hindu mythology is worshipped as the creator of the universe in Hindu mythology. The Savitri Temple is devoted to Goddess Savitri, the second wife of Brahma according to Hindu mythology. This temple is constructed on a hill behind the temple of Lord Brahma.

The Majestically colorful Brahma Temple

The Apteshwar Mahadev Temple is a worship place built in the 19th century. The striking temple is made entirely in white marble and houses a five-faced statue of Lord Mahadeva. The Temple of Rangji is also known as the Ramavaikunth Temple. This intricately carved Hindu temple has images of 361 deities and was built in 1920. The Varaha Temple is dedicated to Lord Varaha, the god with the body of a man and the head of a boar.

An avid interest in Hindu mythology will certainly drive one towards the king of all pilgrimage places in India. Pushkar is a haven of sorts for Hindu pilgrims and tourists exploring Hindu pilgrimage places. Everything is sacred about this temple town in the city of Ajmer in Rajasthan, India. Beware though, you won't get to feast on any meat here. The temples of Pushkar attract thousands of pilgrims and tourists each year, and last year, I was one of them.

Camels Galore...

On last year's trip to India, we thought of taking a walk on the wild side and heading to the hot hot hot North Indian state of Rajasthan. However, choosing the month of November to explore it was a smart idea. Nonetheless, thanks to our tour operator, we didn't really "feel" the heat (whatever of it there was). Hehehe...

So then after spending three days in Jaipur, we marched onward to Pushkar to see the huge camel fair. When we arrived we came to know that it is not just a camel fair but also a cultural phenomenon where one experiences vivacious merriment as the atmosphere is alive with vibrantly dressed devotees, musicians, folk dancers, traders, comedians, saadhus and tourists exploring this fabulous fair in Pushkar. At Pushkar, a sacred town in Rajasthan is held a one of a kind fair – the Pushkar Camel Fair, the biggest and most anticipated cattle fair across the world. It is held in the month of November.

He's a happy lad, this one!

According to a rather interesting legend the town was formed when Lord Brahma was on his way to search for a suitable place to perform a fire sacrifice ritual and dropped a lotus to the parched earth and its dew transformed to a holy lake. The lake and its surroundings were then established as the town of Pushkar. To this day Pushkar is a pilgrimage place for Hindus.

Although meant originally only for trading of camels and cattle, the Pushkar Camel Fair has now become a major tourist attraction and has earned the reputation of the biggest livestock fair in the entire world. During this ball of a fair, the population of Pushkar rises from 15000 to 200000. Cattle included!