Climbing narrow lanes above the lake you reach the Brahma Temple, with its red shikhara, blue-pillared mandapa and marble steps busy with pilgrims. Inside the sanctum is a four-faced stone idol of Lord Brahma crowned in silver, surrounded by carved walls, bells and oil lamps. Darshan is tightly managed and the inner sanctum is served by sanyasi priests, while married householders offer from outside the barrier. The temple is usually the main goal after a holy dip in Pushkar Lake, and the combination of sacred lake + Brahma shrine makes Pushkar one of the most important pilgrimage towns in India.
About this place
History & highlights
According to Padma Purana, after Brahma killed the demon Vajranabha, the lotus used as his weapon fell at Pushkar, forming the lakes. Brahma then chose this place to perform a yajna. When his consort Savitri/Saraswati arrived late for the ritual, he symbolically married a local girl Gayatri to complete the sacrifice. Angered, Savitri cursed Brahma that he would not be worshipped anywhere except Pushkar, which is why there are very few Brahma temples in India and this one is the most prominent. Historically, inscription and architectural evidence suggest a shrine here from at least the 8th–9th century, with significant rebuilding in the 14th century and later under local rulers and Maratha patronage. The present form is largely post-medieval, but the temple’s ritual system remains strict: only ascetic priests enter the sanctum, and special crowds come for Kartik Purnima, when worship at the Brahma temple combines with the Pushkar Fair and mass bathing in the lake.
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