Pushkar

The description of pilgrimage places in the Tirtha-Yatra section of India's great epic, the Mahabharata, suggests a grand tour of the entire country. The pilgrimage begins in Pushkar, sacred to the god Brahma, and continues in a rambling clockwise direction throughout the subcontinent, ending in Prayaga (modern-day Allahabad). As indicated by Pushkar's position as the starting point of the grand pilgrimage, the worship of Brahma was considered highly important at the end of the 1st millennium BC.

The assumption that there is only one temple for Brahma is untrue. At least four major temples of the god are still in use today. These are at Pushkar in Ajmer, Rajasthan; Dudhai in Madhya Pradesh; Khed Brahma in Kerala; and Kodakkal in the Malabar region of Kerala-Karnataka. Other deities have long eclipsed the cult of Brahma, and this waning of importance may be attributed to the fact that the function of Brahma - creating the world - has been completed. Vishnu (the preserver) and Shiva (the destroyer) are still relevant to the continuing order of the universe.

Mythological literature describes Brahma as having sprung from the lotus originating in the navel of Vishnu. Brahma then becomes the source of all creation, the seed from which issues all space, time, and causation. His consort Saraswati was manifested out of him, and all the world's creatures were born from their union. He is the inventor of theatrical art, and he revealed music and dance. He is sometimes depicted with four heads representing the four Vedas and the four Yugas (great epochs of time), and other times as Visvakarma, the divine architect of the universe. Saraswati is the wife of Brahma. Literally, her name means 'the flowing one'. In the Rig Veda, she represents a river deity connected to fertility and purification. She is considered the personification of all knowledge - arts, sciences, crafts, and skills. She is the goddess of the creative impulse, the source of music, beauty, and eloquence. Artists, writers, and others involved in creative endeavors have taken pilgrimage to Pushkar for millennia to request Brahma and Saraswati's inspiration. According to the theory that shrine myths are often metaphorical expressions of the specific power of a pilgrimage place, the lake, hill, and area of Pushkar have a spirit or presence that awakens and stimulates the human capacity of creativity.

There are five principal temples in Pushkar, all relatively recent construction since the earlier buildings were destroyed by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in the late 17th century. Numerous bathing areas, known as ghats, surround the lake, and pilgrims immerse themselves in the holy waters to cleanse their bodies and souls. During most of the year, Pushkar is a small, quiet town. However, more than 200,000 people and 50,000 cattle arrive each November for several days of pilgrimage, horse dealing, camel racing, and colorful festivities.

For additional information:

• List of India Sacred Sites