Pushkar Lake

Eleven kilometer to the west of Ajmer and separated from it by the Naga Pahar lies the sacred lake of Pushkar. It is one of the most sacred places of the Hindus in India, and hence it is called the king of the sacred places. No pilgrimage of the Hindu places is considered complete till the pilgrim bathes in the sacred waters of Pushkar. It is believed that unless a pilgrim had a dip in Pushkar Lake, the full benefit of visiting the other four principal holy places (Badrinath in Uttarakhand, Puri in Odisha, Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu and Dwaraka in Gujarat) cannot be realized by him. It is one of the oldest places in India, It is difficult to say when it came into existence, but as the legend runs, ‘Brahma, the creator of the Universe, is said to have founded it. Brahma was in search of a suitable place to perform a ‘yajna’. As he reflected, the lotus fell from his hand, which fell on three spots, known as the Superior Pushkar, the Middle Pushkar and the Smaller Pushkar. Brahma chose the first one. He resolved to perform the sacrifice at the Superior Pushkar. Brahma called the place where it fell, Pushkar or Padmavati after the lotus. This is perhaps the only place in the whole country with a temple of Brahma.