Temples of Rajasthan- I; Brahma Temple of Pushkar

Pushkar, a small, serene and religious town, situated at 2 hours 30 minute distance from the capital Jaipur is home to many temples. People often visit the religious town to take a dip in holy Pushkar lake, enjoy the boho markets and take blessings of the Hindu creator god, Brahma Ji.

Though Hinduism can boast upwards of 30 million gods, there are three that are considered the Trimurti, the three main gods: Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiva the Destroyer. Throughout the land, there are an uncountable number of temples to Vishnu and Shiva, and other gods; there are 500 temples in tiny Pushkar alone! Yet there are only a couple dedicated to Brahma, and the one in Pushkar is the most prominent.

History

Pushkar is said to have over 500 temples (80 are large, the remainder small); of these, many are ancient ones that were destroyed or desecrated by Muslim depredations during Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's rule (1658–1707) but were rebuilt subsequently; The most important of Pushkar's temples is the Brahma temple, which dates to the 14th century. The temple is said to have been built by the sage Vishwamitra after Brahma's yagna (ritual). It is also believed that Brahma himself chose the location for his temple. The 8th century Hindu philosopher Adi Shankara renovated this temple, while the current medieval structure dates to Maharaja Jawat Raj of Ratlam, who made additions and repairs, though the original temple design is retained.

Pushkar is often described in the scriptures as the only Brahma temple in the world, as a result of the curse of Savitri (Saraswati), and as the "King of the sacred places of the Hindus". Although the Pushkar temple is no longer the only temple to Brahma, it is still one of very few existing temples dedicated to Brahma in India and is the most prominent among them. In an article in the International Business Times, Pushkar Lake and the Brahma temple were identified as one of the ten most religious cities in the world and noted as one of the five sacred pilgrimage places for Hindus in India.