How Pushkar Became A Lake

All of you must be familiar with the name Pushkar, seven miles north of Ajmer, where the largest cattle fair in the country is held every year. The place gets its name from the sacred Pushkar lake which is crowded with pilgrims during the Kartik purnima (full moon day in the month of Kartik). There is an interesting story in the Padma Purana about how the lake was created and why it is considered sacred.

One of the reasons why Pushkar became a place of pilgrimage is because the sacred Saraswati river, which is almost invisible, appears here in five streams. The more important reason is because Lord Brahma performed his famous yajna here. The story goes that Brahma felt depressed because he did not seem to have any particular hold over the world, like the others. All other gods and goddesses, such as Siva, Vishnu, Lakshmi and Parvati had so many temples dedicated to them. But there was none dedicated to him!

So, Brahma decided to do something quite spectacular for the people of the earth. Something no one else had done before. He would make it easy for them to reach paradise and thereby secure a permanent place in their hearts. And, of course, get a very special temple dedicated to himself.

He decided to perform a yajna but he could not make up his mind about the venue. As he stood up, deep in thought, the lotus suddenly fell from his hand. He made up his mind then and there that he would perform the yajna where the lotus fell. As soon as the lotus touched the earth, water began to spout from the spot and soon there was a lake. Brahma named the place Pushkar after the lotus. The lake was named Pushkar, too.