Pushkar is one of the five dhams or sacred places that are highly revered by Hindus and the four other dhams are Puri, Badrinath, Dwarka, and Rameswaram. It is believed that in a war, Lord Brahma
had slained Vajra Nabh, the demon, with a lotus flower, whose petals
drifted down to earth and were spread in three areas in and around
Pushkar where lakes were created. Following the legends, it is said that
the Pushkar Lake was bounded by 52 palaces and 500 temples.
The history of Pushkar Festival
mentions that all the 330 million gods and goddesses of Hindu religion
come to Pushkar Lake on the day of Poornima (full moon night) and
sanctify the pious. As a result, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims congregate for a holy bath at the Pushkar Lake to wash out their misdeeds and show respect to the sole Brahma Mandir
on the globe. A dip in the lake on this day implies washing away the
sins. The water of the lake is believed to have healing properties.
This holy site has been mentioned in the Hindu epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata as the Adi Tiratha.
In
Ramayana, another popular Hindu epic, Pushkar has been cited where it
was mentioned that Rishi Vishvamitra carried out a tapasya in this
place. In addition, Menaka, an apsara from the heaven, visited Pushkar
to take a dip in its holy waters.
Pushkar
was cited in Mahabharata, the 2000 year old epic of India as the oldest
religious hub in India. According to the Mahabharata, before planning a
program for the travel of Maharaja Yudhishthara, "Maharaja after
entering the Jungles of Sind and crossing the small rivers on the way
should bathe in Pushkara".
In the Vaman Purana, it was mentioned that Prahlada on his way to visit the holy places, also came down to Pushkarayana.
Alberuni,
the famous Islamic scholar of the 11th century depicted Pushkar as a
site of tremendous respect fo the followers of Hindu religion.
History of Pushkar Festival
not solely lies in the Hindu scriptures, Pushkar itself is one of the
five holy cities mentioned in the Hindu scriptures. The most remarkable
thing about Pushkar is that the land houses one of the only two temples
dedicated to Lord Brahma in India. Apart from that the city also has nearly 400 temples.
Similar to any other religious hub in Rajasthan, Pushkar also features a captivating history. For example, Fa-Hien cited Pushkar in his chronicles in the 4th century A.D.
It
is believed that Pushkar is the birthplace of Parasara, the sage. His
successors, known as Parasara Brahmanas, are seen in the city and the
bordering places. They have been looking after the renowned temple of
Jeenmata for the past ten centuries. This may be the place where
Pushkarana Brahamanas came from.
Nahadarava,
a Pratihara monarch of Mandore, renovated this tirthasthan in the
seventh century. He took the initiative of cleaning the area and
beautified the lake by creating a mound on the banks of the Luni River.
Nahadarava reconstructed ancient forts and constructed ghats and 12
dharamshalas (resting places) on the three corners of the lake.
A cattle fair is held in conjunction with the holy festival. Hundreds of shops sell camels, horses, bulls, cows and much more. This is an ideal example of how the religious faith and commercial interest of the human society come together. In this way Pushkar fair embodies the true spirit of India.
The
fair today has taken a gigantic proportion so much so that the
otherwise tiny village seems to burst at seams with population during
the peak period of the festival. Besides the religious rituals, trading
these is one of the most important activities in Pushkar Festival, which has lent it a certain socio-economic importance.
