Pushkar - 15km northwest of Ajmer in the state of Rajasthan - is one of the holiest sites in India. What makes it so scared to the Hindus is the presence of some 500 temples, which surround the lake. Devotees congregate in these temples in large number to seek the blessings of the gods. Some of the important shrines are the Brahma Temple, Savitri Temple, Rangji Temple, Varah Temple and Apteshwar Temple. Visit these temples with India Profile. It is advisable for the visitors to remove their shoes at a reverential distance from these temples.

Brahma Temple
Undoubtedly the most important shrine in Pushkar, this temple is the only one exclusive to Brahma, revered as the Creator in the famed Hindu Trinity. Legend has it that it is the where Brahma performed a Yagya.

Varah Temple
The Varah Temple is dedicated to Vishnu, Preserver in the Hindu Trinity of Gods. The temple is home to an image of Vishnu in his fifth incarnation of wild boar. Constructed by King Anaji Chauhan (1123-1150), the temple is equal in importance to the more famous Brahma Temple. It is believed that Vishnu came to earth to kill the demon Hirnayaksh who had stolen the Vedas. He took the shape of Varah (wild boar) and killed the demon thereby liberating the world from his atrocities.

Savitri Temple
Dedicated to Savitri, one of Brahma's wives, the temple is located on the highest hill above the Pushkar town. You have to climb a long series of steps to reach the shrine. The temple offers a panoramic view of the Pushkar Lake and surrounding sand dunes.

Once trading is under way, camels and cattle are meticulously groomed, lined up and auctioned, while women dressed in mirrored skirts and vivid shawls lay out embroidered cloth, jewellery, pots and ornaments beside the herds, stopping trade occasionally to gather dung to fuel the evening fires. Cattle, poultry, sheep and goats are entered for competitions, and prizes given for the best displays of fruit and vegetables. Away from the main activity, the dusty ground is stirred up by vigorous camel races , noisily urged on by gamblers. Things become even more animated as acrobats balance precariously on tightropes and cartwheel between the crowds.
ide from its overwhelming size, the most striking feature of the Pushkar camel fair from a foreign visitor's point of view is that it is attended by equal numbers of men and women. With the harvest safely in the bag and the surplus livestock sold, the villagers, for this brief week or so, have a little money to spend enjoying themselves, which creates a lighthearted atmosphere that's generally absent from most other Rajasthani livestock fairs. As a result, photo opportunities are endless. Proudly dressed in their most colourful clothes and jewellery, both the menfolk and their wives and daughters tend to be happy to pose for the camera, being as interested in you as you are in them. The presence of so many exotic foreigners milling around in the crowd all adds to the holiday feel for the herders, for whom Pushkar represents the highlight of the year, eagerly looked forward to throughout the heat of summer and the hard work of the harvest.

The fair typically attracts up to 200,000 people. In recent years, however, numbers have dwindled due to the drought. Only a fraction of the normal number of herders showed up in November 2000, because so many of them had no animals to sell. More than ever, therefore, if you're coming to see the camels and traditional costumes, the best time to come is at least a week or so before the final weekend, when most of the buying and selling is done. By the full moon, the bulk of the herders tend to have packed up and gone home (unless the local tourist office has managed to induce them to stick around with the lure of free fodder, as it has done for the past few fairs), leaving crowds of pilgrims from neighbouring districts to enjoy the religious celebrations.