Tuesday, May 12, 2009

"Puskar Temple", Only temple of "lord Bramha".

Who is the creater of the world rather say Universe, according in Indian culture,"Lord Bramha". you have heard that there are more than one million Gods in our Indian culture. you have visited to many of the temples of them but have you ever visited to temple of lord Bramha. In the wole world there is only one temple of lord bramha which is situated in"Puskar", Rajasthan.It was constructed in 14th century, and stands on a high plinth with marble steps leading up to it.
Situated on the fringe of the desert and surrounded by hills on three sides, Pushkar is a laid back town. A very important pilgrimage spot for Hindus, Pushkar is famous for its lake. It is believed that Lord Brahma set out on a quest for a tranquil spot to perfom a yagna (ceremonial sacrifice) when a lotus fell from his hand. A lake sprang forth from the ground at the spot where the lotus fell.
Another legend also links Pushkar to Brahma, but in a slightly different manner. A demon Vajra Nabh had become quite a nuisance for the people on Earth, and the Creator of the Universe Brahma decided to put an end to him. Brahma floated down to terra firma on his lotus and slew Vajra Nabh with a lotus blossom. The petals landed on the ground and three beautiful lakes gushed out of the ground. Brahma then performed a yagna attended by all the gods and goddesses.
However, there’s a catch to this story. Brahma’s wife Saraswati was busy elsewhere and couldn’t make it to the yagna. Now since the presence of a wife was crucial for the ceremony, Brahma maried a maiden called Gayatri. Saraswati, like most wives, couldn’t stomach her husband being stolen by someone else and promptly flew into a rage, cursing Brahma that he would never be worshipped at any other place other than at Pushkar. As the curse took effect the moment it was uttered and couldn’t be revoked, the Brahma temple in Pushkar is the only one in the world where Brahma is worshipped, although His statues do exist in various parts of India.

Puskar cattle fare:-
A massive cattle fair occurs in October and November around the lake which is also famous for its crocodiles – which, simply put, means that if you get in you might not get out! The Pushkar Fair, as the cattle fair is commonly known, attracts thousands of people from all over the country who come to trade and watch cart and camel races. A full moon means its time to take a holy dip in the lake in places where the crocs aren’t around. The `loading of the camel’ is a very popular event in which a camel is made to sit down while as many riders as is possible – plus a few more – happily climb onto the poor animal and go for a ride. Camel polo is another hit with the people, although its technique and expertise would embarass any decent horse polo buff.

Each year during Kartik Purnima around 200,000 people flock to Pushkar for the camel Fair, with 50,000 camels and cattle accompanying them. For livestock traders, this is a pretty serious affair, and many travel hundreds of kilometers with the sole intention of getting a good price for their cattle. While the fair is in progress, a mini tent city springs up near the lake, seemingly appearing out of nowhere and disappearing as soon as the festival ends, only to reappear a year later.
This fair is held at Pushkar town, 11 km from Ajmer in Rajasthan for twelve days annually. This cultural and trade cum religious fair is an attractive and lively spectacle with Rajasthani men and women in their colourful traditional attire, saffron-robed and ash smeared Sadhus (holy men) and thousands of bulls, cows, sheep, goats, horses and camels in richly decorated saddles. Perhaps the largest cattle fair in the world, it attracts more than one lakh people, from all over Rajasthan as well as tourists from different parts of India and abroad.
Trading of cattle, camel races and dazzling displays of bangles, brassware, clothes, camel saddles and halters make the fair colourful. Necklaces of glass beads from Naguar, pottery, printed textiles from Jodhpur and Ajmer are all on sale here. Farmers, cattle traders and breeders buy and sell their animals, leather whips, saddles etc. There are facilities for camel rides also. This livestock fair coincides with the climaxing of a religious celebration. Pushkar is among the five main places of pilgrimage mentioned in the Hindu scriptures. It has a large number of temples including one of the only two temples dedicated to Lord Brahma in India. Hundreds of thousands of devotees take a ritual dip in the holy Pushkar Lake on the day of the Kartik Purnima (full moon night of the Kartika month) and worship at the Brahma temple (Jagat Pita Shri Brahma Mandir). Pilgrims flock from all over India to be in Pushkar at this auspicious time. They also believe that all the 330 million Gods and Goddesses are present at Pushkar Lake during the occasion.


Puskar Lake:-
Anything even remotely related to Pushkar Lake has a halo of sacredness and divinity. Legend has it that a dip in its waters cleanses all the sins and is the surest way to achieve salvation from the cycles of life. Circled by some five hundred odd temples, the lake has 52 ghats, which connect the temples to the water. These ghats were constructed by the rulers of the different erstwhile princely states of Rajasthan and some of them are aptly named after the states.
Prominent among the ghats are Gau Ghat, Brahma Ghat and Varah Ghat. Also called Main Ghat, Gau Ghat is the place from which ashes of Mahatma Gandhi were sprinkled into the lake. Brahma Ghat is believed to be the spot where Brahma himself is said to have worshipped. The Varah Ghat is famed to be the place where Vishnu, the preserver of the Hindu Trinity, appeared in the form of Varaha (a boar), third in the line of his nine incarnations. It is advisable for the visitors, who travel to the Pushkar lake, not to take photos and to remove their shoes before going to the ghats.

How to reach there:-
Pushkar is a sacred town for the Hindus, situated 11 kms. (7 miles) to the North-West of Ajmer.
Air:-
Jaipur, the nearest airport is 138 kms. (86 miles).
Rail:-
Ajmer is connected to Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Udaipur, Abu Road and Jodhpur by regular trains. Two of the best trains of the Indian Railways, Pink City Express and Shatabdi Express connect Ajmer to Delhi and Jaipur.
Road:-
A dense network of bus service operates from Ajmer to key destinations around. Distances from important tourist centres are: -
- Jaipur: 138 kms. (86 miles).
- Delhi: 392 kms. (244 miles).
- Ahmedabad: 526 kms. (327 miles).
- Jaisalmer: 490 kms. (304 miles).
- Bikaner: 233 kms. (145 miles).

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