Pushkar ("blue lotus") is a Hindi word that refers to a specific genus of blue colored lotus. Pushkar is the name of a Shakthi Pitha and Hindu tirtha in Ajmer.
Ajmer is a city and a prominent religious place (tirtha) located a few kilometers north and west of Ajmer in Rajasthan.
Pushkar's core is a natural lake, and its primary function
is as a bathing (snana) destination—its lake is so holy, according to legend,
that Pushkar is the religious preceptor (guru) of all other sacred locations.
The lake at Pushkar is encircled by temples.
The most well-known of them is devoted to the deity Brahma,
and it is his solitary temple in India.
Shakti Pithas, a network of holy locations distributed over
the subcontinent, are claimed to have two neighboring temples devoted to the
Goddess.
Each Shakti Pitha represents the spot where a piece of the
goddess Sati's severed body fell to earth.
The two temples in Pushkar commemorate the locations where
Sati's wrists were severed.
Kartik Purnima (October–November), Pushkar's biggest
festival, takes place on a full moon (generally associated with enhancing the
sanctity of bathing places).
This festival is noted by the hosting of a massive animal
market, mainly for camels and horses, in addition to bathing.
This is presently being promoted as a tourism destination by
the state government, and it has attracted over 200,000 visitors in recent
years.
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