The Brahma Temple: Pushkar

The only one in the world I heard, is as mesmerizing as the lake.

The stairs that lead to the Temple

The portal through which you enter the Temple Premises

The Temple Premises

The Main Temple

The main temple, as you can see in the snaps is, at a height.

It sort of stands still and lets you explore it with no body disturbing you.

The Main Deity

The Main Temple is open three side with a traditional roof over the area where the deity is seen blessing the devotees. They allow photography everywhere. There is a temple of lord Shiva in the Paataal here.

The Pataal Shiv Temple

The surrounding village is also worth exploring. Localities here are polite and co-operating. Very simple and traditional you would see most of the road side dhabas here featuring a lady clad traditionally preparing the Chapattis. Food is good. Apply some common sense and be observant to avoid food poisoning though.

A Road Side Dhaabaa Where Ate

(you can see a lady preparing chapaatis in the back)

To conclude this post I would say keep your cameras ready when you are there.

You should visit the temple if you are:

• An artists, writers etc, to seek blessings from Godess Saraswati the consort of lord Brahma.
• Or Couples - To be blessed with children.

Amer Fort

Rajasthaan:Delhi-Ajmer Road

Visited Amer Fort in Jaipur on my way back to Delhi from Pushkar.

The Fort: Built on the hilltop outside Jaipur, Amber Fort is a famous tourist attraction in Jaipur. Tourists often ride on the elephant back to the Singh pole and Jaleb Chowk. The construction of Amber Fort began in the rule of Raja Man Singh I in the 16^th century and was completed by Sawai Jai Singh in the 18^th century. The fort is a mix of Mughal and Rajput architecture and is built in red stone in white marble. Much of the interior, however, was constructed by Raja Man Singh only which beautifully exhibits the Hindu style of architecture. The fort offers magnificent views of the surrounding area.

Ganesh Pole: In the fort, from the Diwan-I-Am (house of commons), to enter the inner court a gateway called Ganesh Pole was constructed by Sawai Jai Singh. The fresco and the color on this gate are as old as the gate. It is said that the color is a special type which was obtained from flowers/vegetables etc. A painting of Lord Ganesh at the temple of the gate rationalizes its name. The top of the gateway is mounted by a pavilion called Suhag Mandir. Through its latticed windows the royal ladies watched ceremonial functions held in the Diwan-I-Am.

With its huge brass doors, the portal is one of the most impressive ones in the world. The snap above was taken just before entering Gan.

Sheesh Mahal: Having entered the Ganesh Pole, to your left in the Diwan-I-Khas (house of lords, see the snap above), is situated the world renowned Sheesh Mahal which is also know as Jai Mandir. Constructed by Jai Singh it has two big rooms. The second room has two smaller attached rooms with it. The entire set of rooms is surrounded with galleries. Everywhere in this Mahal, except for floor, you would see convex mirrors carved in the plaster which reflect any streak of light so as to illuminate the entire Mahal. The Mahal oozes with intriguing combination of emotions of calm, sensuality and love.

Shila Devi Temple: This temple in the fort is the most impressive mandir I’ve seen to this date. The doors are plated with silver with each one having impressions of nine goddesses with their associated mantras carved on it. Having entered the mandir you would find yourself surrounded with the best marble work you can imaging. The black stone goddess was brought here by Man Singh from Bengal. During kings rule, for a long time human life was sacrificed to propitiate the goddess, but it was latter replaced with animal sacrifice. This they say led to the goddess’s head tilting to the side and it is that way even to this date

You can explore the fort parking your own vehicle inside the fort, something that I recommend. Or you can hire a cab that you can package with a guide. Elephant ride, however, is the most interesting way of exploring the fort. Whichever ride you are taking, you will have to leave it after going a certain distance inside the fort. There is a lot to be explored in this awe inspiring construction, not all of which can be explored in a single day. A good guide is indispensable not only because its easy to get lost inside but also because a few spots can be seen only in their timings, like the Shila Devi Mandir. So you need a person acquainted with the schedules to be able to see maximum things and gather maximum information in your time.

The Holy Lake: Pushkar

The place where it all began

Legend has it that Brahma dropped a lotus here and performed the ritual of creating all life here. The lotus was originated from Vishnu’s naval, the legend adds.

But this is not the only legend associated with the lake. What you hear from people and priests about this lake, can be overwhelming, but it’s a place worth vesting for sure. It’s a ‘must visit’ for Hindus who believe in pilgrimage as its known as the Tirth Raj and they say no pilgrimage is complete if you have not visited Pushkar. Surroundings are pretty messy and with people including most of the priests pretty greedy. But as soon as you get close to the lake, the lake mesmerizes you –it mesmerized me- and you tend to forget and forgive. I guess a good priest would be a boon at such places as you can really get your already conceding soul, ‘enlightened’ with a little spiritual nudge at that moment. A good priest is hard to find but I heard there are some, a localite should be able to help you in this regard.

Parikrama of the lake and bath in its holy water is considered to be of great religious and spiritual importance. There are some awe inspiring sages in the vicinity of the lake who are not hard to find. What they do can be hard to digest though. Don’t mess up with them as they can be powerful beyond your imagination. If you cant be respectful or if you don’t have any idea as to what you would say if you come across one, stay away. Some of them possess mysterious powers and most of them are highly moody, so if you are really blessed be ready to get delivered with a few words uttered by a happy one. A saw a few doing things I couldnt understand so I thought I'm better off leaving them alone. May be next time I'll try to be more adventurous.

You should visit the lake if you:

• Have any skin disease.
• Or need to perform the ritual of Pind Daan.
  

This is what I could gather in my short stay over there.
Information given here, is in no way exhaustive.