Pilgrimage to Pushkar Lake Near Ajmer in State of Rajasthan in India

There are thousands of pilgrimage places in India for all castes of the people. The most of them are for Hindus. Visiting pilgrimage places can be interesting sometimes due to the typical environment of such places. All the facilities may not be available at such places but you can have fun some times with limited facilities also. This is due to the presence of holy and spiritual energy present in the environment. One such place of pilgrimage is Pushkar Lake near Ajmer in Rajasthan. This lake is considered very holy and equivalent to Lake Mansarovar situated in the Kailash Mountain. It is said in the Hindu mythology that all the pilgrimages are considered incomplete without the pilgrimage to this holy Pushkar Lake. Pushkar is a natural lake with sweet water and is quiet deep in the middle.

You can easily reach Pushkar Lake from Ajmer in Rajasthan by car, taxi, or buses. The distance is only around 10 miles from Ajmer. Ajmer is a big city in the State of Rajasthan and you can stay here at Ajmer and visit this lake from Ajmer only. However, if you want to stay at Pushkar, there are some good hotels like Peacock Holiday Resort, Pushkar Palace, Jagatsinh Palace, and Heritage. Such hotels charge around Rs.2000 ($50) to Rs.4000 ($100) per day for a deluxe air-conditioned double room. It is advisable to visit Pushkar during winter as summer is extremely hot here due to the desert of Rajasthan. The main languages spoken are Hindi, English, and Rajasthani here. Pushkar Lake is having an area of 5 square kilometers. There are around 400 temples here at Pushkar. The main temple here is of Brahma who has created this world as per Hindu mythology. This is the only temple of Brahma in the world. The statue of Brahma has five faces and is very ancient, around 3000 years old. You need to climb around 100 steps to enter in to this main temple. The great view of Pushkar Lake can be seen from this Brahma temple. There are two small hills opposite to this main temple. These hills are worshipped as the two wives of Lord Brahma. There are also temples of Shiva, Varah, Gayatri, Badrinarayan, and Savitridevi on the shore of the Pushkar lake. All these temples are situated on various ghats of the lake. You must take bath in the lake first and then, proceed for the darshnas at the main temple of Brahma. There is a good arrangement for taking bath in the lake. Separate ghats are provided for men and women here for taking bath. There are many priests also available to perform various types of religious rituals here at Pushkar, needed after the death of the person.

The food is available in Rajasthani style, consisting mainly of dalbati and churma ladoos. Non-vegetarian food items and alcoholic drinks are banned here within the city limits of Pushkar. The decent Gujarati thali is available here that is worth trying. The most important aspect of Pushkar is the animal fair that is held for 12 days in the first Gujarati month of Kartik every year. This fair is very colorful and many people come here to see this fair. Many foreigners also make it a point to visit this animal fair. There are various folk dances, colorful parades, and the special puja of Pushkar Lake during these days. There is a small market, where you can shop some of the famous Rajasthani items like colorful sarees, bangles and dresses. Some pilgrims stay here for couple of days to enjoy the beauty of this holy lake. The views of sunset and sunrise are really great from the lake. There is an office of Rajasthan Tourism department at Hotel Sarovar, where you can get all the detailed information on Pushkar and the entire Rajasthan. There are lots of beggars sitting on the bank of the lake. Handle them carefully as they may follow you to get some money from you at any cost.

I have visited Pushkar before around 3 years in November. I sincerely hope that this article shall help you all my AC friends to plan a visit to this holy lake and pay their tribute to lord Brahma who created this world.