Further reading: Samuel Atkins, Pusan in the Rig Veda
(Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1941); Jan
Gonda, Pushan and Sarasvati (Amsterdam: North-Hol-
land, 1985).
Pushkara
Pushkara (Blue Lotus) is the site of the only large
shrine to the god BRAHMA, the creator god. (A smaller
shrine to Brahma exists at Itar on the border of Raja-
sthan and Gujarat). It is located at a blue lotus pond
near Ajmer in Rajasthan in western India. The site
was referred to in the MAHABHARATA as a place for
the worship of Brahma; thus, it has probably been a
pilgrimage site for nearly 2,000 years.
Some sources consider Pushkara a premier
pilgrimage place, visiting which is equal to visit-
ing all other pilgrimage sites. The current shrine
appears to have been built in the 1970s. It is
known today for its huge annual camel festival,
held on the full Moon in the month of Karttika
(October–November). Thousands of camels are
taken to the site to be consecrated, displayed,
and raced.Further reading: Tarapada Bhattacharya, The Cult
of Brahma (Varanasi: Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series
Office, 1969); C. Cesary, Indian Gods, Sages and Cities
(Delhi: Mittal, 1987); Diwan Bahadur Har Bilas and
P. Seshadri, Ajmer: Historical and Descriptive (Ajmer:
Fine Art Printing Press, 1941); Trilok Chandra Miu-
puria, Erwan Shrine and Brahma Worship in Thailand:
With Reference to India and Nepal (Bangkok: Techpress
Service, 1987).Pushkara 339 J