The Lake
Pushkar Lake is a semi-circular-shaped water body and one of the most revered holy sites for Hindus located in Pushkar, Rajasthan. The lake is most well-known for its ghats and temples, most importantly the Brahma temple. Also called Pushkar Sarovar, it is located 14 km northwest of Ajmer city. Pushkar Lake is described in Hindu scriptures as “Tirtha-Guru” as it is related to the creator-God Brahma. The massive artificial lake spread across 54 acres, originally dates back over 2500 years, is surrounded by over 500 Hindu temples in the lake precincts.
People coming from across India after visiting any of these temples move towards any of the 52 bathing ghats of various sizes to take a holy dip in the lake. Pilgrims believe, that a dip in the sacred lake cleanses one of the sins and cures skin disease.
The number of people congregating in Pushkar grows significantly especially around Kartik Poornima during the months of October/November, around the same time the world famous Pushkar Fair is held. Pushkar town has grown around Pushkar lake. The city is dry and hot in summers and cool in winters. The ‘Sacred Lake’ is located amidst the Aravalli mountains; with Nag Parbat or “snake mountain” separating the lake from the city.
The lake is located in a valley between two parallel ranges of the Aravalli hills. The artificial Pushkar Lake was created in the 12th century by building a dam on the Luni River, with hills on three sides and a desert on the fourth. For ease of people to do ghat parikrama and visit various temples around the lake, a 110 mtrs footbridge has been built across the inlet channel at the southern end of the lake. The catchment area of Pushkar Lake covers an area of 22 sq. km. The lake gets its water from monsoon rainfall, as the such depth of lake water varies from season to season.
Pushkar is one of the five holiest pilgrimage centers for Hindus, besides Man Sarovar, Narayan Sarovar, Bindu Sarovar, and Pampa Sarovar. The lakes’ sacred water is said to cure people of many skin diseases. Out of the 52 ghats surrounding the lake, the most important ghats are the Varaha Ghat, Gwalior Ghat, Kota Ghat, Yag Ghat, Jaipur Ghat, and the Dadhich Ghat, Saptarishi Ghat, Gau ghat, Karni Ghat, and Gangaur Ghat. Locals believe that the waters around these ghats have special curative power. A story goes that a 9th-century Rajput king, Nahar Rao Parihar of Mandore while chasing a white boar came to the lakeshore. While he was quenching his thirst, he noticed that as he dipped his hand into the water; his skin disease had disappeared. This boosted people’s belief in the lake’s water.
The Lakes Importance
The historically important lake has been visited by many religious persons including the 10th Sikh guru, Guru Govind Singh who is said to have recited Guru Granth Sahib on the banks of the lake. Mughal Emperor Akbar helped in the revival of the lake and Dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, but his son emperor Jahangir built his hunting lodge on lake shores to celebrate his victory over the local Rajput king but violated the local tradition of not killing any animals in the lake precincts. He also destroyed the image of Varaha – the boar Avatar of Vishnu.
His grandson Emperor Aurangzeb destroyed and desecrated many temples around the lake that were later rebuilt by other kings. Many Rajput rulers and Maratha chieftains made great efforts to restore the importance of the lake and its surrounding temples. The biggest attraction is the magnificent Man Mahal Palace built on the banks of the lake. The palace was built by Raja Man Singh, Emperor Akbar’s brother-in-law so that he can easily visit the cities of Pushkar and Ajmer. The Britishers introduced the Pushkar Camel Fair, also called the annual Pushkar Fair; today a world-famous fair and festive occasion, as a means to boost tax collection.
Brahma Temple
According to the Hindu scripture Padma Purana, when Brahma saw the demon Vajranabha trying to kill and harass his children. Brahma slew the demon with the lotus flower, his weapon. During this, some lotus petals fell on the ground, where springs emerged. It created three lakes; namely the Pushkar Lake or Jyeshta Pushkar Lake, Madya Pushkar Lake, and Kanishka Pushkar Lake. Searching for the petals, Brahma came down to the earth and named the place “Pushkar” referring to flower and hand. The three lakes were assigned their presiding deities of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, respectively.
Brahma who wanted to do yagna; had married a Gujjar woman Gayatri to complete the yagna, when his wife Savitri couldn’t arrive on time. When she found Gayatri sitting next to her husband Brahma, she cursed Brahma that he would from then on only be worshipped in Pushkar. As such the Brahma temple in Pushkar is the only place on earth where Brahma is worshipped in a temple dedicated to him. However, the yagna performed meant that a dip in the lake absolves people from all sins. Though the current temple is from the 14th century, the original temple is believed to be more than 2000 years old. Other important temples around Pushkar lake include Varaha temple, Savitri temple, and Gayatri temple.
Pollution in Lake
Rampant tourism and deforestation have taken a heavy toll on the lake, severely affecting its water quality, reducing water levels, and destroying the fish population. De-silting, water treatment, de-weeding, afforestation, and mass awareness program are being carried out to save the lake. The lake was once filled with man-eater crocodiles, and pilgrims taking a dip in the lake considered it a good omen to be eaten by one, but Britishers removed them to a nearby breeding center.
Despite the addition of 12 deep tube wells to supplement water, the lake depth has substantially shrunk from a maximum of 9 meters to less than 1.5 meters resulting in the death of large fish due to lack of viscous water and oxygen. The soil in the catchment area is predominantly sandy which affects the salinity of lake water. Pushkar Lake, when full, is rich in fish and attracts many migratory birds, but the numbers are dwindling steadily due to the lack of fish. Inappropriate agricultural practices in three feeder streams of Gomukh, Nag Pahar, and Savitri are also affecting the water supply as farmers upstream built check dams for farming. Shifting sand dunes from nearby hills is also affecting the lake. Sewage and debris inflow from the ghats have also affected the lake.
Drastic falls in groundwater and drought have also contributed to water quality issues. Dredging to improve water quality, prevent encroachment of lake periphery, increase water storage capacity, improve ambiance, introduce recreational and revenue-generating schemes, stop sewage outfalls into the lake, water treatment at the inlet, construction of check dams, afforestation, soil moisture conservation, stabilization of sand dunes, are set to help save the Pushkar lake.
Best Time
The best time to visit Pushkar city and the lake is between October to March, as the weather is cool and the air is breezy with not-so-strong sunlight. Also, the annual Pushkar fair is also held during this time. Tourists and pilgrims can reach Pushkar from the Ajmer bus stand located 15 km away by hiring a taxi, or bus. They can also take a bus, or taxi from Ajmer railway station or from Jaipur airport 148 km away. There are several hotels and restaurants that offer accommodation and delicious Rajasthani food. They can visit bazaars to shop for traditional Rajasthani jewelry, wooden artifacts, embroidered clothes, and glass paintings.
