Pushkar seems to have played a great role in the development of the religious concepts of Hindus, Buddhists as well as Jains. The discovery of stone-age implements in Pushkar and adjoining region shows that it was inhabited even in the earliest times. Epigraphic evidence takes us back to 54 century BC and numerous references are found in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain texts to prove that Pushkar continued to be regarded as a religious centre by all. Even the foreigners like Shakas venerated it. Devipuran (देवीपुराण) mentions Pushkar among the nine sacred forests (अरण्य - aranyas). The Padma Purana (पद्मपुराण) mentions that when Brahma, the creator of the world, was in search of a suitable place to perform a ‘yajna’ (यज्ञ), the lotus fell down from his hand and rebounding struck the earth at three places. Brahma, then, descended and called all the three places Pushkar after the lotus and resolved to perform the sacrifice at each of these three places. These are situated within six miles and are called the Jyesth (elder) Pushkar, the Madhya (central) Pushkar and the Kanishtha (younger) Pushkar. The Ramayana refers to the performance of penance by Sage Vishvamitra at Pushkar. Ramayana mentions the visit of Apsara Menaka to Pushkar for taking bath in its sacred waters. In Mahabharata, Rishi Ved Vyas lays down a travel plan of Yudhishthir which includes sacred dip into holy Pushkar Lake.
Situated in the Ajmer district of Rajasthan, Pushkar is a noted place of pilgrimage. It contains a magnificent lake and a temple sacred to Brahma. The Pushkar Lake lies in the midst of sand mounds with a few hills in the distance. The lake appears to have been excavated by one of the kings of Mandor. He was returning one day after a hot chase in the forests and seeing a fountain of water on the spot, rushed and washed his hands therein. He was delighted with the spot and soon excavated the historic lake. Other Rajput kings and men of wealth soon followed suit and patronized the spot. The Rajas of Jaipur and Jodhpur are said to have been the keenest devotees. These kings and other pious men soon began to fill the banks of the lake with temples and the places of royal residence which exist and add greatly to the beauty of the lake. Some of them are to be found in the midst of the waters, constructed when the bed was dry. Lake offers a very pleasant and exotic view with its 52 bathing ‘ghats’ on its banks. The crowd of people gathers at these ghats to take an immersion in the holy lake and wash away all their sins, as is the popular belief here. It was the day of full moon in the month of Kartik that the lake was formed. This religious reason has given the world an opportunity to be a part of one of the most spectacular fairs in the world, known as Pushkar Fair.
The town contains fine temples dedicated to Brahma, Savitri, Badri Narayan, Varaha, and Shiva Atmateshvara. They are all of modern construction. Brahma Temple is a fine big temple richly built of marble, situated on the summit of a mound over-looking the lake where Brahma is regularly worshipped. It stands in a small courtyard, surrounded by buildings in which live the priests. In front of the temple are two marble elephants and a few well- executed statues. As temples to Brahma are rare, this shrine is especially important and attracts innumerable pilgrims from all over India.
The pilgrims visit the lake almost every day. Brahman priests abound who offer their services to the pilgrims. But the most important season is October-November when a great mela (fair cum festival) is held in which a hundred thousand pilgrims take part and bathe in the sacred waters of the lake. The whole city of Pushkar is considered sacred and no living thing is allowed to be put to death here, even as in Nathdwara, the great Vaishnava city of Rajasthan.
As the historical remains indicate, Pushkar remained a populous and holy town at least from the second century BC. According to local traditions, the Pratihar ruler Nagbhatta of Mandor, who established his capital at Merta, restored Pushkar Tirtha in the seventh century AD. He got the place cleared, and the lake restored by making an embankment on the side, by which the water flowed. He rebuilt old places, as far as he could find them and got built twelve Dharmashalas (free resting places), and ghats on the three sides of the Pushkar Lake. Some portions of these constructions are still surviving today. The Chauhan rulers specially remained associated with Pushkar.
Several ancient books regarded Pushkar as the birth place of Ghahamana, the founder of the dynasty. Queen Rudram, known also as Atmaprabha, laid the foundation of some religious buildings at Pushkar Tirtha in the ninth century AD. An inscription of the tenth century AD records the construction of a temple of Vishnu by a Brahman named Rudraditya at Pushkar during the reign of Chauhan king Vakpatiraj. Chauhan ruler Arnoraj made repairs to the Pushkar Lake and built the temple of Varaha there. The temple of Varaha built by Arnoraj was repaired in the time of Akbar by Sagar, a brother of celebrated Maharana Pratap of Chittorgarh
In early times, Pushkar had been a holy place of the Jains too. In the Jain scriptures and literary works, Pushkar was well known by the name of Padmavati, and it was often visited by the Jain Acharyas. They constructed Jaina temples, and placed images in them. They initiated several persons to monkhood. By their inspiration, people led Sanghas to holy places. There is a definite evidence of the association of Jainism with this place from the twelfth century AD.
Apart from this, Pushkar is equally important from the social point of view. Parashar (पाराशर) is said to be born at Pushkar. His descendants were called Parashar Brahmanas. These Brahmanas are found in Pushkar, and at the places in neighbourhood. The famous temple of Jeen Mata (जीण माता) of Shekhawati has been under the possession of the Parashar Brahmanas for the last one thousand years.
The best time to visit Pushkar is from October to March. The climate is very pleasant during this period. If you want to participate in the Pushkar Fair, we advise you to plan your trip in advance according to the date of the fair. Our travel consultant will help you plan your trip to Rajasthan and Pushkar. Contact us as per your convenience.