Travel to Pushkar
Pilgrimages Attractions in Pushkar
Brahma Temple
A beautiful and certainly the most important temple in Pushkar. It is said to be the
only temple in the world dedicated to Brahma, the Creator in the Hindu Trinity of Gods.
A four-armed life-sized statue of Brahma is enshrined inside the temple. Another
interesting attraction are the coins studded in the floor of the temple, placed by
devotees from all over India to commemorate the births and deaths of their loved ones.
Mahadeva Temple
This temple was built in the 19th century and is well-known for its white marble image
of Shiva also known as Mahadeva with five faces. Also noteworthy is the structure and the
marvelous ornaments which adorn the statue.
Ramavaikunth Temple
Built with great taste and delicacy in 1920, this temple is one of the largest and most
beautiful temples in Pushkar. The outer gopuram (arch) over the entrance was built by the
South Indian artisans. Another stone gopuram bears beautiful sculpted images of not less
than 360 different deities.
Varah Temple
Built in the 12th century, the Varah Temple was one of the many temples, which fell
victim to the iconoclastic vandalism perpetrated by Emperor Aurangzeb. It is said that he
particularly detested the life-size image of Varah, the god with the head of a wild boar
and the body of a man. Later in 1727, it was reconstructed by Raja Sawai Jai Singh of
Jaipur. The temple has elegant carvings and sculptures, besides the richly ornamented
image house.
Savitri Temple
Savitri Temple is located on the hill behind the Bramha Temple. You will have to take a
long series of steps to reach it. It offers an excellent panoramic view of the Pushkar
lake, and the surroundings of the Pushkar. The legend has it that when Bramha was about to
perform a sacred ritual his wife Savitri was not present. Since the presence was essential
for the ritual, Bramha hastily married a local maiden, Gayatri. When Savitri heard about
this, she flew into a rage and cursed Bramha that he would not be worshipped anywhere
accept Pushkar.
Raghunath Temples
There are two Raghunath temples in Pushkar-the old and the new one. The Deities in the
New Raghunath Temple are Vaikunthanath and Laksmi. The Deities in the Old Raghunath
Temple, built in1823, are Venugopal, Narasimha, and Laksmi.
Nag (Yajna) Hill
It is said to be one of the oldest hills in the world. Its height is said to have been
ten crores yojanas in Satya-yuga, ten lakhs yojanas in Treta-yuga, and ten thousand
yojanas in Dwapura-yuga. In Kali-yuga its height is decreasing day by day because it is
sinking into the earth. By the end of Kali Yuga it will almost disappear. It is said that
if you visit this hill on your pilgrimages to Pushkar all your obstacles will be removed.
On this hill is Nag Kund. The story of this hill is that Rishi Chyavan cursed Vatu, the
grandson of Brahma, to become a snake on the second day of the sacrifice performed by
Brahma. Vatu was cursed because at the sacrifice he released a snake that coiled around
Bhrigu Muni, the father of Rishi Chyavan. After vatu begged for forgiveness, Brahma
blessed him to live near this natural kund (lake) on Nag Hill. Vatu did austerities here.
People who worship here on the 5th day in Krishna Paksha of Sravana (July/Aug) are said to
get their desires fulfilled. Agastya Muni's residence is said to be a cave on Nag Hill. It
is about 2 km from Senior Pushkar. You cross Nag Hill to go from Ajmer to Pushkar. |