Jagatpita Brahma Mandir is a Hindu temple situated at Pushkar in the Indian state of Rajasthan, close to the sacred Pushkar Lake to which its legend has an indelible link. The temple is one of very few existing temples dedicated to the Hindu creator-god Brahma in India and remains the most prominent among them.
The temple structure dates to the 14th century, partly rebuilt later. The temple is made of marble and stone slabs. It has a distinct red pinnacle (shikhara) and a hamsa bird motif. The temple sanctum sanctorum holds the image of four-headed Brahma and his consort Gayatri. The temple is governed by the Sanyasi (ascetic) sect priesthood.[2] On Kartik Poornima, a festival dedicated to Brahma is held when large number of pilgrims visit the temple, after bathing in the sacred lake.
Pushkar is regarded as a holy place by the Hindus, since all the Gods & Goddesses of Hindu pantheon observed a 'Yajna' here. Moreover, the Pushkar Lake near this temple is believed to have been appeared when a Lotus flower fell from the hands of Lord Brahma in this valley. According to the Hindu mythology, once Lord Brahma was cursed that he would be not worshipped frequently by the people. Due to the reason, this is the only known temple in the world, where Lord Brahma is worshipped.
Constructed entirely in marble, the Temple can be easily identified with its tall red spire. The temple is accessible by a flight of marble steps. An image of 'Hans' (Goose) can be traced on the entrance of the main shrine. One can also spot the silver turtle, which is embossed on the floor in front of the sanctorum. In the vicinity of the turtle, many a silver coins are placed on the floor. Even, the inner walls of the temple are studded with silver coins.
The main shrine houses the life-size image of Lord Brahma with four hands and four faces, facing the four basic directions. An image of Goddess Gayatri, who is known as the milk Goddess, can be seen near the idol of Lord Brahma. The walls of the temple are adorned by beautiful images of Peacock and Goddess Saraswati. From the temple, there is a silver door that leads down to a small cave. This small cave comprises a temple of Lord Shiva.
History of Pushkar Brahma Temple
According to the Padma Purana, the story behind Pushkar temple is that Lord Brahma was in search of a suitable place to perform a yajna when the lotus he was holding fell from is hand and landed on the Earth. Miraculously a lake sprang up at the place where the Lotus touched the earth and Brahma considering it a good omen decided to perform his yagna and named the town as a flower in Hindi is ‘push’ and hand is ‘kar’, therefore the land was named Pushkar. But when his wife Saraswati failed to join him, he married a local maiden Gayatri and completed the ceremony, on getting to know about this, an enraged Saraswati cursed Brahma that from this day forth he would be worshiped only in the land of Pushkar and nowhere else on Earth.
