Pushkar Fair : A temporary township of
tents springs up on the outskirts of Pushkar after
‘Deewali’, ‘the festival of
lights’, in October or November (the Indian
lunar month of Kartik) as upto 200,000 people
converge here for the world-famous cattle fair
– pilgrims, tourists, film makers, traders,
nomads and villagers with their herds of cattle,
camels and horses. As livestock trading spreads
over a fortnight, the whole town takes on a festive
carnival atmosphere with colourful shops and food
stalls coming up everywhere. While thousands of
farmers haggle over the price of a camel or cow,
other villagers participate in various contests,
camel, donkey and horse races or take their children
for rides on the giant wheel.
Campfires light up the cool November evenings
and the performances of folk dance and music,
cast a spell on the silent desert nights. The
festivities peak on the day of the full moon
as thousands of pilgrims take a holy dip. The
moving ‘deepdan’ ceremony rounds
off the proceedings, as hundreds of tiny flickering
lamps are set afloat on the serene lake.
Brahma Temple : The Brahma temple
is constructed of marble, in southern style. Also,
the floor of the temple is decorated with a silver
turtle. The temple houses a statue of Lord Brahma
in a palthi (seated) position. The temple also
comprises of an image of Lord Vishnu, life sized
dwarpals (door men) and Garuda pillars (a mythical
bird, in gold).
Pushkar 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.
