science

Pushkar

Pushkar is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Pushkar rather than just read about it. In short: Pushkar is an ancient temple town located on the shore of Pushkar Lake near Ajmer City and headquarters of Pushkar tehsil in the Ajmer district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is situated about 10 km (6.2 mi) northwest of Ajmer and about 150 km (93 mi) southwest of Jaipur.

Key takeaways

Pushkar belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Pushkar to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Pushkar from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Pushkar is an ancient temple town located on the shore of Pushkar Lake near Ajmer City and headquarters of Pushkar tehsil in the Ajmer district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is situated about 10 km (6.2 mi) northwest of Ajmer and about 150 km (93 mi) southwest of Jaipur. The town lies at an elevation of about 510 metres (1,670 ft) and is surrounded by hills on three sides, with Nag Pahar ("Snake Mountain") forming a natural boundary between Ajmer and Pushkar. Pushkar is among the oldest existing cities in India. According to Hindu tradition, Lord Brahma, regarded as the creator of the universe, dropped a lotus flower on the ground, which led to the formation of a lake. The place where the lotus fell came to be known as Pushkar, after the Sanskrit word for lotus. The town is home to one of the few temples dedicated to Brahma, and a pilgrimage to Pushkar is considered highly meritorious within Hinduism. According to Hindu scriptures, Pushkar Lake is regarded as Tirtha Raj, or the "king of pilgrimage sites." It is believed that no pilgrimage is complete without bathing in its sacred waters. The lake is semi-circular in shape, with an estimated depth of 8–10 metres (26–33 ft), and is surrounded by 52 ghats. About 400 blue-colored temples surround the holy lake. It makes the atmosphere more spiritual and divine as one can listen to magical chants from temples along its perimeter. The area is sometimes called the rose garden of Rajasthan because of the cultivation of roses whose essence is exported internationally. The city is noted for its mythological associations, temples, and heritage architecture. Most of the temples and ghats in Pushkar are from the 18th century and later, because many temples were destroyed during Muslim conquests in the area. Subsequently, the destroyed temples were rebuilt. The most famous among Pushkar temples is the red spired Brahma Temple. It is considered a sacred city by the Hindus particularly in Shaktism, and meat and eggs consumption are forbidden in the city as are alcohol and drugs. There are many ghats where pilgrims bathe. Pushkar is also significant for its Gurdwaras for Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh. One of the bathing ghats, Gobind ghat, was built by Sikhs in memory of Guru Gobind Singh. Pushkar is famous for its annual fair (Pushkar Camel Fair) featuring a trading fete of cattle, horses and camels. It is held over seven days in autumn marking Kartika Purnima according to the Hindu calendar (Kartik (month), October or November). It attracts nearly 200,000 people. In 1998, Pushkar hosted about 1 million domestic (95%) and international tourists over the year.

Etymology

In Sanskrit, pushkara (पुष्कर) means "blue lotus flower."

Location Pushkar is in centre-east part of Rajasthan, on the western side of Aravalli mountains. The nearest airport from Pushkar is Kishangarh Airport in Kishangarh, about 45 km (28 mi) northeast. Pushkar is about 10 km (6.2 mi) from Ajmer, connected via Pushkar road (Highway 58) which goes over the Aravalli Range mountains. Ajmer is also the nearest major railway station.

Man Mahal Raja Ram Singh constructed the grand mansion, which serves as the guest house and is one of the most visited spots in Pushkar. Man Mahal is famous for its Rajasthani architectural style which represents the royal period.

Legend Pushkar is believed to be the place where Brahma performed penance for a very long time and therefore is also one of the rare places which hosts a temple to the Hindu creator god. According to the Padma Purana, once Brahma decided to go to the earth and reaching the area of the present Pushkar, he entered that forest, full of many trees and creepers, adorned with many flowers, filled with the notes of many birds, crowded with groups of many beasts. Brahma was very pleased with the forests and trees and after remaining at Pushkar for a thousand years he threw a lotus on the ground which made the earth tremble to its core. The devas were also shaken and not knowing what had caused the upheaval, went to look for Brahma but could not find him. Vishnu told them the reason for the tremors and took them to Pushkar to meet Brahma. However they could not get a glimpse of him and Vayu and Brihaspati suggested them to meditate according to Vedic rites to be able to see Brahma. After a long time the creator-god became visible to them and asked them why they were so distressed. The devas told him about the tumult caused by his dropping the lotus from his hand and asked the reason for it. Brahma informed them that a demon named Vajranabha who used to take away the life of children was waiting there to kill the gods but Brahma brought about his destruction by dropping the lotus. Since he had dropped the lotus there, therefore that place would be known as Pushkara, a great, sanctifying holy place, giving religious merit.

History Pushkar is near some of the oldest geological structures in India. Microliths near Khera and Kaderi suggest the region was settled in ancient times. The Aravalli hills near it have yielded Mohenjodaro-style artifacts, but the connection is unclear as these items may have been transported later. Sites near it have been sources of ancient Brahmi script inscriptions, considered pre-Ashokan near village Badli. Local excavations have been a source of red ware and painted gray ware confirming ancient settlement. Pushkar is mentioned in the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Puranas, suggesting its significance in historical and religious tradition of Hinduism. The city is mentioned in many texts dated to the 1st millennium. These texts are not, however, historical. The earliest historical records relating to Pushkar and Ajmer are found in Islamic texts describing the raids and conquest of northwestern regions of the Indian subcontinent.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Pushkar

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Pushkar claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Pushkar before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Pushkar ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Pushkar

In research: Pushkar appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Pushkar in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Pushkar is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Brahma temples, Cities and towns in Ajmer district, Fairs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Pushkar outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Pushkar in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Pushkar means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Pushkar out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pushkar in simple terms?

Why does Pushkar matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Pushkar?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Pushkar.