16 Best Places to Visit in Pushkar 2024 | Pushkar Tourist Places 2024 | Things to Do in Pushkar | Best Time to Visit in Pushkar | Pushkar Travel Guide 2024 | Uttrakhand Tourism
History of Pushkar
Located in Ajmer district of Rajasthan, Pushkar is an ancient and mythological city surrounded by the Aravalli ranges. Pushkar is one of the largest pilgrimage sites of Hinduism. According to Hindu beliefs, taking a bath in Pushkar Lake located in Pushkar liberates from all kinds of sins and a man attains salvation.
This ancient city is mentioned in mythological texts and books like Padmapurana, Valmiki Ramayana and Ved Vyas, Mahabharata, besides these books there are many Puranas and ancient texts in which Pushkar is mentioned with great clarity. Many Buddhist monks have also mentioned Pushkar in their travelogue.
Bramha Temple located in Pushkar is the only Bramha temple located in India, in addition to Indonesia, Cambodia etc. temples of Lord Bramha are built. According to mythological beliefs, the Brahma temple located in Pushkar was established by Lord Brahma himself.
In the Mahabharata, when the Pandavas get unknown (Agyatavas), the Pandavas spend some time of their unknown (Agyatavas) residence in Pushkar. The Pandavas constructed five pools during their unknown (Agyatavas). These five kunds are still built on the Nag mountain in the Aravalli range near Pushkar.
There is also evidence in Pushkar in which great ascetics like Rishi Vishwamitra, Agastya Rishi, Vamdev and Raja Bhrithari have done penance for a long time in Pushkar. Pushkar did not remain untouched by the attack of Mughal invaders, almost all the ancient temples here were broken by the Mughal Invader Aurangzeb.
At present almost all the temples located in Pushkar were rebuilt. Apart from being a religious pilgrimage site, Pushkar is also a world-famous tourist destination. Tourists coming from abroad like to come to Pushkar a lot, many foreign tourists prefer to stay here for several days. So, let’s now try to know in detail about Pushkar and find out why people like to come to this place so much.
Pushkar Lake – Pushkar
Pushkar Lake, located in Pushkar, one of Rajasthan’s largest pilgrimage sites and the largest tourist destination, is believed to date back to the fourth century BCE. The Pushkar Lake is also mentioned in the inscriptions of Sanchi and this ancient pilgrimage site has been mentioned by Buddhist monks and Chinese traveller Fa Xian in his travelogues.
Pushkar lake has been worshipped as a holy pilgrimage site for the followers of Hinduism since its existence. According to mythology, Pushkar lake is built by Lord Brahma himself. The legend associated with this lake, built by Lord Brahma, must be heard by a local guide or local resident.
Between 1666 and 1708, the 10th Sikh Guru of Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, also spent time near the Pushkar Lake. Guru Gobind Singh Ji read the Guru Granth Sahib sitting on the banks of Pushkar Lake. The Mughal invaders broke almost all the ancient temples located around Pushkar and Pushkar Lake.
After sometime when the Maratha Empire emerged in India and some Rajput kings got all the temples of Pushkar renovated. Around 500 ancient and new temples are built around Pushkar Lake, now it is up to you how many of these temples you can see.
A total of 52 ghats are also built on the lake, all these ghats have their own religious and mythological importance. Time must be taken for Gwalior Ghat, Gangur Ghat, Yag Ghat, Dadhich Ghat, Jaipur Ghat, Varaha Ghat, Karni Ghat, Kota Ghat, Govind Ghat, Saptarshi Ghat and Gau Ghat on Pushkar Lake.
Pushkar Lake Timings
From 09:00 AM to 06:00 PM.
Pushkar Lake Entry Fee
Entry Free.
Varah Ghat Pushkar
A total of 52 ghats are built on the world-famous Pushkar lake, all these ghats have different importance. One of the major ghats of the lake, Varah Ghat is the most important and beautiful ghat. In the evening, the beauty of Pushkar Lake is completely different from Varah Ghat.
The evening aarti is organized every evening at the Varah Ghat which is thronged by large crowds of tourists and devotees to attend. Night-time bhajan evening programs at the ghat provide relief to the mind. Various food stalls are also built near Varah Ghat, in addition to this, vendors set up their own small shop to sell artefacts made from Rajasthani handicrafts.
In Pushkar, spending time at Varah Ghat in the evening can become a good memory in your Pushkar itinerary.
Varah Ghat Pushkar Timings
Any time of the day.
Varah Ghat Pushkar Aarti Timings
In summer – 07:00 in the evening.
In winter – 05:30 in the evening.
Varah Ghat Pushkar Entry Fee
Entry Free.
Gau Ghat Pushkar
Apart from Varah Ghat, Gau Ghat situated on the Pushkar Lake is the most important ghat for religious rituals. The most visited pilgrims to Pushkar visit the Gau Ghat on the Pushkar Lake. The main reason for this is Gau Ghat is considered the most suitable ghat for religious rituals.
In Hinduism, a man is cremated after his death. After the cremation, the ashes of the dead person are kept in a vase and immersed in water with the full religious process on the Gau Ghat situated on Pushkar Lake.
According to Hinduism, after immersing the dead person’s bones in water, one gets liberation and his soul is freed from worldly bonds. The ashes of prominent politicians of the country like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Lal Bahadur Shastri have been immersed at Gau Ghat.
Gau Ghat Pushkar Timings
Any time of the day.
Gau Ghat Pushkar Entry Fee
Entry Free.
Bramha Temple Pushkar
There are more than 500 new and ancient temples in Pushkar. Of all these temples, the Brahma temple located here is the most ancient and important temple. Marble and stone were used in the construction of Bramha Temple, built in the 14th century.
A statue of Goddess Brahma along with his second wife Devi Gayatri is also installed inside the temple. A lot of mythological stories are heard about the construction of Brahma Temple in Pushkar. According to Padampuran, Brahma had dropped three lotus petals on the earth to create the universe.
Today, we all know the place where all these three petals fell on earth and fell in the name of Pushkar. The three places in Pushkar where the lotus petals fell became three lakes known as Pushkar Lake, Madhya Pushkar Lake, and Kanishka Pushkar Lake.
After the creation of the universe, Lord Brahma performed a yajna at Pushkar. Goddess Savitri, who was Lord Brahma’s first wife, was delayed in coming to the Yagya site and due to this, the auspicious time of yagna was delayed.
In order to avoid delay in the auspicious time of the yagna, Lord Brahma married the goddess Gayatri for a second time and sat down to worship at the yagnavedi.
After some time, when Goddess Savitri reached the place of sacrifice, she cursed Lord Bramha seeing someone else sitting in her place that Lord Bramha’s temple could not be built anywhere else in the world except Pushkar. Even today the Brahma Temple located in Pushkar is the oldest temple in the whole world, although there are temples dedicated to Lord Brahma in the countries around India.
The Mughal invader Aurangzeb had demolished almost all the ancient temples built in Pushkar, in which the Bramha temple was also severely damaged. In the 14th century, Adi Guru Shankaracharya got renovation done in the Brahma temple.
In Pushkar, during the Pushkar fair held on Kartik Purnima, most of the devotees visit the Brahma temple to see Lord Brahma.
Bramha Temple Pushkar Timings
The Bramha Temple is open from 5:00 am to 1:30 pm in the summer season, and is open for darshan from 3:00 pm to 9:00 pm in the evening. It is open from 6:00 am to 1:30 pm in winter, and can be seen in the Brahma temple from 3:00 pm to 8:30 pm in the evening.
Bramha Temple Pushkar Entry Fee
Entry Free.
Varaha Temple Pushkar
According to a legend associated with the Varaha incarnation of Lord Vishnu, once the demon Hiranyaksha takes the entire earth into the largest ocean of the universe. So Lord Vishnu incarnates in Varaha avatar to set the earth back in the universe.
After fighting with the demon Hiranyaksha for many years, Lord Varaha defeats Hiranyaksha and kills him. After that, by holding the earth on the two horns of his mouth, he sets it back to its original place in the universe. The Varaha Temple, dedicated to the third incarnation of Lord Vishnu, is one of the most ancient temples located in Pushkar.
The Varaha Temple, built in the 12th century, was built by the then Rajput ruler Maharaja Anaji Chauhan. The construction of the original temple was demolished in 1727 by the Mughal invader Aurangzeb, after which the then king of Jaipur, Sawaiman Singh, rebuilt the Varaha temple.
A large statue of Varaha incarnation of Lord Vishnu has been installed in the sanctum sanctorum of the Varaha temple, besides the rest of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu are also depicted in the temple with very beautiful hand workmanship.
Varah Temple Pushkar Timings
Devotees and tourists can visit the Varaha temple from 6:00 am to 12:00 pm. And it is open for darshan from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm at night.
Varah Temple Pushkar Entry Fee in Hindi
Entry Free.
Savitri Temple Pushkar
Situated on the Ratnagiri hill of the Aravalli ranges in Pushkar, the Savitri Devi temple is dedicated to Goddess Savitri, the first wife of Lord Brahma. According to the legend, when Lord Brahma was sitting on the Yagvedi on the lake of Pushkar, Goddess Savitri was late when she came to the Yagvedi.
Lord Brahma married a second to avoid delaying the auspicious time. Lord Brahma, whom he married for another marriage, today we all know him by the name of Goddess Gayatri. After the completion of the second marriage, when Lord Bramha sat on the Yagvedi with his second wife Devi Gayatri, at the same time Goddess Savitri arrived at the place of Yagvedi.
Seeing someone else sitting in his place, Goddess Savitri cursed all the people present at the Yagya site in anger. Later when the anger of Goddess Savitri subsided, she went to Ratnagiri hill near Pushkar lake and started flowing like a river from there. Since that time, the Savitri Devi Temple dedicated to Goddess Savitri was built on the Ratnagiri hill.
The idol of Goddess Savitri, as well as the goddess Gayatri is enshrined in the Savitri Devi Temple. The Goddess Savitri is worshipped first in the temple and then Goddess Gayatri. From the temple, one can have very panoramic views of Pushkar city and Pushkar Lake.
Watching the sunrise and sunset from the Savitri Devi temple provides a different experience. Due to the temple being situated on the Ratnagiri hill, you will have to climb 200 steps to reach here, which will cause a lot of fatigue.
Savitri Temple Pushkar Timings
The time of darshan in the Savitri Devi temple for devotees and tourists is from 5:00 am to 12:00 noon. And from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm in the evening, darshan can be seen in the Savitri Devi Temple.
Savitri Temple Pushkar Entry Fee
Entry Free.
Savitri Temple Pushkar Ropeway Ticket Price
Apart from the stairs, the other way to reach the Savitri Devi temple is the cable car, which charges Rs 90 / – per person.
Gayatri Temple Pushkar – Pap Mochini Temple
Gayatri Devi Temple located on the outskirts of Pushkar city is dedicated to Gayatri Devi, the second wife of Lord Brahma. Apart from Gayatri Temple, this temple is more famous as Pap Mochini Temple.
According to the legend, when Bramha Bhagwan was performing Yajna at Pushkar Lake, due to the delay in the arrival of his first wife Savitri Devi, he married Gayatri Devi for a second so that the yagna could be started inauspicious time.
Gayatri Devi was born as a human being, so to make her a deity, the process was repeated three times by putting it in the mouth of the cow and removed from the back. Thus Gayatri Devi was made a deity from Manusya. The Gayatri Devi temple is built on a small hill located near Pushkar.
To reach the temple one has to climb the hill. The Gayatri Devi Temple is worshipped along with Gayatri Devi and Goddess Savitri. According to a legend associated with the Mahabharata, Ashwatthama, son of Guru Dronacharya, was cursed by Lord Krishna to roam the earth for thousands of years.
So in the hope of attaining salvation, Ashwatthama came to pray in the Pap Mochini temple. One can visit the Gayatri Devi temple at any time of the day.
Gayatri Temple Pushkar Timings
06:00 AM to 08:00 PM.
Gayatri Temple Pushkar Entry Fee
Entry Free.
Rangji Temple Pushkar
Built-in South Indian architecture and Rajput architecture, the Rangji temple looks completely different from all the ancient temples built in Pushkar. Seth Puran Mal Ganiwal, a resident of Hyderabad, built the Rangji Temple in 1823.
This temple is dedicated to Lord Rangji, considered an avatar of Lord Vishnu. Thousands of devotees come to the temple of Lord Rangji located in Pushkar to visit Lord Rangji from different corners of the country every year.
Apart from Lord Rangji, idols of Lord Krishna, Goddess Lakshmi and Sri Ramanujacharya have also been installed in the temple. The architecture of the Rangji Temple is completely different from other temples in North India.
The chief priests of the temple are people from the Ayyangar community of Tamil Nadu province of South India.
Rangji Temple Pushkar Timings
Devotees can visit the temple from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm in the evening. The temple remains closed for darshan from 12:00 noon to 4:00 pm.
Rangji Temple Entry Fee
Entry Free.
Attapateshwar Mahadev Temple Pushkar
The Attapateshwar Mahadev Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is a Shiva temple built around the 12th century. The religious significance of the Attapateshwar Mahadev Temple is comparable to the most prominent Brahma Temple in Pushkar.
The Attapateshwar Mahadev Temple is constructed using the Hemadpanthi style of ancient architecture. The fine workmanship done on the stones at the time of construction of the temple remains alive even today.
The statue of Lord Shiva installed in the temple has five faces which are called by the names of Sadyojat, Aghor, Vamdev, Ishaan and Tattpurush. The four faces of the idol point towards the four directions and the fifth face points towards the sky, purity and spirituality.
Apart from this, it is also believed that these five mouths also point towards the five elements – earth, fire, water, air and sky. During Mahashivratri, a large number of devotees visit the Attapateshwar Mahadev temple to see Lord Shiva.
Attapateshwar Mahadev Temple Pushkar Timings
The temple is open for devotees from 6:00 am to 8:30 pm at night.
Attapateshwar Mahadev Temple Entry Fee
Entry Free.
Old Pushkar Lake
Apart from Pushkar Lake, there is another ancient lake in Pushkar which is known as the old Pushkar Lake. The importance of old Pushkar Lake is also equal to that of Pushkar Lake.
According to the legend, Lord Rama had come back to Ayodhya after completing 14 years of his exile and then travelled to the old Pushkar Lake to immerse the ashes of his father.
Budha Pushkar Lake Timings
Any time of the day.
Budha Pushkar Lake Entry Fee
Entry Free.
Gurudwara Sahib Pushkar
Apart from the Hindu community, Pushkar is also a revered place for people associated with the Sikh community. Thousands of people associated with Sikh and Hindu religion visit the temple every year in Gurudwara Sahib located in Pushkar.
Gurdwara Sahib is a Gurudwara dedicated to Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the tenth religious leader of Sikhs. After the war with Aurangzeb, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji had to leave Anandpur. After leaving Andanpur, Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji also spent some time in Pushkar.
During his stay in Pushkar, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji read Gurugranth Sahib sitting on the banks of Pushkar Lake. The place where he recited the Guru Granth Sahib on the Pushkar Lake is today known as Govind Ghat. After the Mughal Empire ended, the Maratha rulers built the Gurdwara Sahib Sikh Temple at Pushkar.
An inscription near Gurdwara Sahib finds mention of this association of Maratha rulers. A copy of the handwritten Sikh scripture is also preserved in the Gurdwara Sahib. It is believed that this handwritten copy was written by Shri Guru Govind Singh Ji himself. Devotees and tourists can visit the Gurudwara Sahib at any time of the day.
Gurudwara Sahib Pushkar Timings
Open for 24 hours.
Gurudwara Sahib Pushkar Entry Fee
Entry Free.
Pushkar Camel Fair
The Pushkar fair held in Pushkar is held every year on the Kartik Purnima in the months of November and October. Pushkar fair is also known as Pushkar cattle fair, Pushkar camel fair and Pushkar Kartik fair. The seven-day Pushkar fair is one of the largest animal fairs held in India.
The cattle fair is also the biggest centre of attraction for tourists visiting Pushkar. Travellers from India and abroad come to Pushkar at this time of the year only to see the Pushkar Camel Fair.
Apart from animal fairs, people who believe in Hinduism participate in many religious ceremonies organized on Pushkar Lake on the day of Kartik Purnima. It is believed that by taking a bath in Pushkar lake at this time of the year, a person gets freedom from his sins.
Millions of devotees and tourists visit the Pushkar fair held every year to participate in the fair and to take advantage of the religion. In 1998, more than one million devotees and tourists came to Pushkar to participate in the Pushkar Camel Fair.
People from different rural areas of the country come to the Pushkar cattle fair to sell their animals and some people come to buy animals. Animals like camels, horses, cows, sheep, goats and buffaloes are more sold in Pushkar cattle fair. Different cultural programs and competitions are organized throughout the week to entertain tourists and devotees.
The cattle fair is the centre of attraction for the camel race, Matka bust and the longest moustache competition. Cultural programs related to folk songs, folk dances and folk music are organized at the cattle fair at night.
Local traders and people from rural areas set up Rajasthani handicraft shops, clothes shops, children’s toy shops and food shops in Pushkar fair.
Man Mahal Pushkar
The Man palace was built by Maharaja Sawai Mansingh of the Amber State as his resting place. Apart from Sawai Raja Mansingh, members of the royal family and some of their special guests also used to come and relax in Man Mahal and enjoy the natural beauty here.
The beautiful palace of Pushkar Lake is visible from Man Mahal. Presently Man Mahal has been converted into a heritage hotel and Man Mahal is operated by the Rajasthan government undertaking RTDC. Presently the name of Man Mahal has been changed to Hotel Sarovar Pushkar.
Pushkar Market
The local market of Pushkar is a market filled with products made of various handicrafts. Different flower varieties are cultivated in the area around Pushkar, so perfume and gulkand can also be purchased here.
Many types of products made from Rajasthani handicrafts are sold in Pushkar, products made of wood, stone, glass, cloth and leather are highly preferred among these products. Foreign travellers keep visiting Pushkar in large numbers throughout the year.
Foreigners like to stay in Pushkar for a long time, so products related to foreign customers are also abundantly available in Pushkar. Many local shopkeepers sell only products related to foreign customers in their shop.
Pushkar Adventure camp & Camel safari
Pushkar is one of the largest pilgrimage sites in India and millions of devotees come every year to visit the ancient temples located in Pushkar and to bathe in the Pushkar Lake. Apart from the religious place, Pushkar is also a famous tourist place. Apart from India, tourists from different countries all over the world come to visit Pushkar. Some private institutions and resorts also organize adventure activities in Pushkar, most of which are adventure activities like Camel Safari, camping, bone fire, rock climbing, QUAD biking, rappelling, zip-lining, hot air balloon and hiking.
Meera Bai Temple Merta
Meera Bai, the supreme devotee of Lord Krishna, was born in Merta City, just 60 kilometres from Pushkar. Merta City has a nearly 500-year-old ancient temple dedicated to Meera Bai. Thousands of travellers and devot
