Brahma Temple is located near the Lake at Pushkar in Rajasthan, Brahma Temple receives many pilgrims to its doorsteps every year. Built in the 14th century, Raised on a high platform, the temple lies in the Pushkar valley that is known for its scenic beauty. Brahma Temple commemorates Lord Brahma, who is considered as the creator of this Universe . For the Hindus, Brahma Temple is an important pilgrim place. 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 the main deity. 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.
Though most people know of only one Pushkar, there are in fact three Pushkars. All of them are in Ajmer. It is believed that while the lotus bloom itself landed in the Pushkar Lake, the two other leaves that came with the stem of the lotus fell at two other lakes. One of them is called Bhuda Pushkar and the other one is called Madhya Pushkar. Villagers who live around Bhuda Pushkar and Madhya Pushkar believe that those are the real Pushkars.
Pushkar is known as teerthraj or king of all pilgrimages. It is believed that Lord Brahma pooled water from Badrinath, Jagnnath, Rameshwaram and Dwarka to create Pushkar Lake. That is why Pushkar lake is called the teerthraj.
Since Pushkar is the place where the first sacrificial offering was made by Lord Brahma and since the water in Pushkar Lake represents combination water from four important pilgrimages for the Hindus, it is considered to be as holy as the water from river ganges. It follows, therefore, that if you take a holy dip at teerthraj Pushkar Lake, you automatically become eligible for gathering the boons for visiting the other four pilgrimages.
There are also temples in
- Asotra village in Balotra Taluka of Barmer district in Rajasthan known as Kheteshwar Brahmadham Tirtha,
- Goa, (in the small, remote village of Carambolim in the Sattari taluka in the northeast region of the state);
- in the temple town of Kumbakonam, (Thanjavur District) in Tamil Nadu;
- and in Thirunavaya in Kerala. Regular pujas are held for Brahma and during Navrathris, this temple comes to life with colourful festivities.
- There is also a shrine for Brahma within the Bramhapureeshwarar temple in Thirupattur, near Trichy
- and a famous murti of Brahmā at Mangalwedha, 52 km from Solapur district in Maharashtra,
- the largest of which is in Angkor Wat in Cambodia.
- In Khedbrahma, Gujarat, there is a statue of Brahma.A six feet tall statue was also discovered at Sopara near Mumbai.
- There is a temple dedicated to Lord Brahma in the temple town of Sri Kalahasti near Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh
The Following are the links for the Pushkar temple Photos :
- http://lh4.ggpht.com/_qajcSH5aCfc/Rs7Qy0di2NI/AAAAAAAAAOU/3C-qRJcvARE/Brahma+Temple.JPG
- http://images.google.co.in/imgres?imgurl=http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1361/1236621243_cdc9865c43.jpg%3Fv%3D0&imgrefurl=http://www.flickr.com/photos/hgmphotos/1236621243/in/set-72157601611191753/&usg=__ADvo2hMTFTRzQeudcioHlrHTW80=&h=500&w=367&sz=149&hl=en&start=29&um=1&tbnid=3_cG5agD6w2bDM:&tbnh=130&tbnw=95&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dlord%2Bbrahma%2Btemple%2Bimages%26start%3D20%26ndsp%3D20%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN
- http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DzQLAEpBrfM/R1FMZ52fGWI/AAAAAAAACYA/hnniPwMX8_I/India+-+Rajasthan+-+Pushkar+19.jpg