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Pushkar Lake

Pushkar Lake

Pushkar Lake or Pushkar Sarovar  is located in the town of Pushkar in Ajmer district of the Rajasthan state of western India. Pushkar Lake is a sacred lake of the Hindus. The Hindu scriptures describe it as "Tirtha-Raj" – the king of pilgrimage sites related to a water-body and relate it to the mythology of the creator-god Brahma, whose most prominent templestands in Pushkar. The Pushkar Lake finds mention on coins as early as the 4th century BC.Pushkar Lake is surrounded by 52 bathing ghats , where pilgrims throng in large numbers to take a sacred bath, especially around Kartik Poornima when the Pushkar Fair is held. A dip in the sacred lake is believed to cleanse sins and cure skin diseases. Over 500 Hindu temples are situated around the lake precincts.Tourism and deforestation in the surroundings have taken a heavy toll on the lake, adversely affecting its water quality, reducing the water levels and destroying the fish population. As part of conservation measures, the government is undertaking de-silting, de-weeding, water treatment, and afforestation as well as mass awareness programme.Pushkar Lake around which the Pushkar town has developed is in the Ajmer district in the state of Rajasthan, India amidst the Aravalli range of hills. The mountain range known as Nag Parbat  separates the lake from the city of Ajmer.

Pushkar Lake

The valley is formed between the two parallel ranges of the Aravalli hills (in elevation range of 650–856 metres running south-west to north-east. Situated at 14 kilometres  northwest from Ajmer, the artificial Pushkar Lake created by building a dam is surrounded by deserts and hills on all three sides. The lake is categorized as a "Sacred Lake" under the list of "Classification of Lakes in India".The soil and topography in the catchment are predominantly sandy with very low water retention capacity.

 The land use pattern in the Pushkar valley that drains into the lake comprises 30% of the area under shifting sand dunes, 30% under hills  and streams and 40% of the area is agricultural.During the Mughal rule, there was a short break in the lake's importance due to the levy of a pilgrim tax and a ban on religious processions. In 1615–16, the Mughal emperorJahangir  built his hunting lodge  on the shores of the Pushkar Lake to celebrate his victory over the local Rajput Rana .

Pushkar Lake

He came to this lodge 16 times for hunting during his stay in Ajmer, about 23 kilometres  from Pushkar. This act violated the local tradition of not killing any animals in the precincts of the sacred lake. He also committed an idolatrous act by breaking the image of Varaha – the boar Avatar of the god Vishnu, as it resembled a pig and symbolically hurt Islamicsensitivity. Thereafter, Jahangir's grandson emperor Aurangzeb destroyed and desecrated several temples, which were later rebuilt. However, during the rule of Jahangir's father, Emperor Akbar , there was a revival of not only the lake but also the Ajmer's Dargah dedicated to sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti, of whom Akbar was a devout follower.

Pushkar Lake