Pushkar

(“blue lotus”) City and celebrated sacred
site (tirtha) a few miles north and west
of the city of Ajmer in the state of
Rajasthan. Pushkar’s center is a natural
lake, and its major importance is as a
bathing (snana) place—according to
tradition, its lake is so holy that Pushkar
is said to be the religious preceptor
(guru) of all other sacred sites. Pushkar’s
lake is surrounded by temples. Of these,
the best-known is dedicated to the god
Brahma and is his only temple in all of
India. Two nearby temples dedicated to
the Goddess are said to be Shakti
Pithas, a network of sites spread
throughout the subcontinent and
sacred to the Goddess. Each Shakti Pitha
marks the site where a body part of the
dismembered goddess Sati fell to earth.
The two temples in Pushkar mark the
places where both of Sati’s wrists fell.
Pushkar’s largest festival is known as
Kartik Purnima (October–November),
and falls on a full moon (generally associated with enhancing the sanctity of
bathing places). Aside from being a time
for bathing, this event is also marked by
the holding of an enormous livestock
market, particularly for camels and
horses. The state government is currently
promoting this as a tourist attraction,
and it has drawn over 200,000 people in
recent years. See also pitha.