Pushkar means Pushpa (flower) and Kar (hand) and legend claims its lakes were created by petals falling from Brahma the creators' hands. It has one of the few temples devoted to Brahma. Life in this peaceful town revolves around its lakeside ghats, temples and bazaars. It is also famous for its 10 day annual cattle fair in October/November. No eggs, meat or alcohol are available or allowed in Pushkar.
There are more than 500 temples surrounding Lake Pushkar. The temples are beautifully whitewashed and shining in the bright sunlight. They are connected to the lake by 52 Ghats.
There is a religious atmosphere about the town and a visit to the Brahma Temple is a must. The main sanctuary houses a four headed image of Brahma. To the side there are smaller shrines that provide views across the desert to the Savitri Temple on the summit of a hill nearby. The Savitri Temple can be visited by climbing the hill and this is certainly a lovely place to visit at sunrise or sunset to enjoy the view. The temple houses an image of Savitri dating back to the 7th Century.
The Gayitri Temple located on a hill to the east of the town is also a good place to be at sunrise.
The background to the location of the temples is as follows. Brahma was meant to marry Savitri the river goddess but her preparations took a long time and she did not arrive at the appropriate time. The marriage ritual needed to happen at a specific astrological designated moment in time. Brahma did not want the time or opportunity to pass by. The only substitute he could find at a moment’s notice was Gayitri a shepherdess. Gayitri was of an untouchable Gujar caste but this was soon remedied by the gods purifying her. Gaya means cow and tri means through and by passing through a cow she was purified. Brahma and Gayatri were married but soon after Savitri arrived dressed and prepared to be married. When she realized what had happened she became very angry and cursed Brahma with the following predictions. From this time onwards he would only be worshipped at Pushkar and anyone of the Gujar caste could only be liberated after death if their ashes were scattered on Pushkar Lake. This belief still practiced today.
The Savitri temple was to be located on the highest hill above Pushkar. because here Savitri flew to after cursing Brahma. Gayitri occupies the lower hill on the opposite side of the lake. Savitri would always have the honour of being worshipped first before Gayitri. This is the way the pilgrims still worship in Pushkar to this day.