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Welcome to Rajasthan
Pushkar Tour
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| Pushkar is a sacred town
for the Hindus, situated 11 kms. to the North-West of Ajmer. The charm
of this sleepy, lakeside settlement so captivated the great Indian
poet, Kalidas,that it found a place in his classic, Abhigyan
Sakuntalam. The Great Hindu epics of Mahabharat and Ramayana make
references to this religious place regarded to be Adi Tiratha. Evidence
points to its having existed during the fourth century B.C. lake in the
inhospitable surroundings of a desert is no less than a miracle. |
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Rajashtan
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Rajasthan
is the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. It
encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian
Desert (Thar Desert), which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus
river valley along its border with Pakistan. The state borders Pakistan
to the west, Gujarat to the southwest, Madhya Pradesh to the southeast,
Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to the northeast and Punjab to the north.
Rajasthan covers an area of 132,150 sq mi or 342,269 kmē. The state
capital is Jaipur. Geographical features include the Thar Desert along
north-western Rajasthan and the termination of the Ghaggar River near
the archaeological ruins at Kalibanga, which are the oldest in the
subcontinent discovered so far.
One of the world's oldest mountain ranges, the Aravalli Range, cradles
the only hill station of Rajasthan, Mount Abu, and its world-famous
Dilwara Temples, a sacred pilgrimage for Jains. Eastern Rajasthan has
two national tiger reserves, Ranthambore and Sariska, as well as
Keoladeo National Park near Bharatpur, once famous for its bird life.
Rajasthan was formed on 30 March 1949, when all erstwhile princely
states ruled by Rajputs, known as Rajputana, merged into the Dominion
of India. The only difference between erstwhile Rajputana and Rajasthan
is that certain portions of what had been British India, in the former
province of Ajmer-Merwara, were included. Portions lying geographically
outside of Rajputana such as the Sumel-Tappa area were given to Madhya
Pradesh.
Pushkar
Pushkar is a sacred town for the Hindus, situated 11 kms. to the
North-West of Ajmer. The charm of this sleepy, lakeside settlement so
captivated the great Indian poet, Kalidas,that it found a place in his
classic, Abhigyan Sakuntalam. The Great Hindu epics of Mahabharat and
Ramayana make references to this religious place regarded to be Adi
Tiratha. Evidence points to its having existed during the fourth
century B.C. lake in the inhospitable surroundings of a desert is no
less than a miracle.
The legend about the Creator God, Bramha describes the creation of this
lake. When the demon Vajra NabhaBramha Tample killed Brahma's children,
he in turn struck him with his weapon, a lotus flower. Vajra Nabha died
with the impact, and the petals of the lotus fell at three places. One
of them is Pushkar, where a lake sprung into being. Brahma is supposed
to have performed sacrifice at this lake on Kartik Purnima (the full
moon day of the Kartik month), hallowing the place. Sacred to Brahma,
Pushkar boasts of its temple dedicated to him, which is the only one of
its kind in the world. A dip in the waters of Pushkar and worship at
his temple ensure salvation. So thousands flock to Pushkar to observe
the ritual on kartik Purnima, or on any of the four days preceding it.
Pushkar boasts temples, though few are as ancient as you might expect
at such an Sarovar and city wiew from top important pilgrimage site,
since many were destroyed by Aurangzeb, a Mogul ruler and subsequently
rebuilt. The most famous is the Brahma Temple, said to be the only
temple in the world dedicated to this deity. It stands on a high plinth
with the Marble steps leading up to it. A silver turtle is set on the
floor facing the Sanctum-Sanctorum or Girbha-griha. Around the turtle
the Marble floor is inset with hundreds of silver coins. Coins engraved
with donors names are also embedded in the walls. Peacocks adorn the
temple walls as they are supposed to be the vehicle of lord Brahma's
consort Saraswati. A small image of the milkmaid Gayatri, flanks the
four-faced image of lord Brahma and is called Chaumurti The sanctuary
has silver doors inside a carved marble gateway. |
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