ajmer and pushkar

Ajmer

Ajmer District is a district of the state of Rajasthan in western India. The city of Ajmer is the district headquarters.

Ajmer District has an area of 8,481 km2, and a population of 2,180,526 (2001 census). The district is situated in the center of Rajasthan, and is bounded by Nagaur District to the north, Jaipur and Tonk districts to the east, Bhilwara District to the south, and Pali District to the west.

The eastern portion of the district is generally flat, broken only by gentle undulations, but the western parts, from north-west to south-west, are intersected by the great Aravalli Range. Many of the valleys in this region are sandy deserts, part of India's Thar Desert, with an occasional oasis of cultivation, but there are also some very fertile tracts; among these is the plain on which lies the town of Ajmer. This valley, however, is not only fortunate in possessing a noble artificial lake, but is protected by the massive walls of the Nagpathar range or Serpent rock, which forms a barrier against the sand. The only hills in the district are the Aravalli Range and its offshoots. Ajmer is almost totally devoid of rivers, the Banas being the only stream which can be dignified with that name, and it only touches the south-eastern boundary of the district so as to irrigate the pargana of Samur. Four small streams--the Sagarmati, Saraswati, Khari and Dai--also intersect the district. In the dry weather they are little more than brooks.

The district is divided into four subdivisions, Ajmer, Beawar, Kekri and Kishangarh, and further subdivided into six tehsils, Ajmer, Beawar, Nasirabad, Kekri, Kishangarh and Sarwar.

Pushkar

Pushkar is a town in the state of Rajasthan in India near (14 Kilometer away) Ajmer and an important tourist destination. Pushkar is famous for Pushkar Lake and the 14th century temple to Brahma, the Hindu god of creation. This is the only temple of the god Brahma in the world. It is also famous for its annual Pushkar Camel Fair.

Pushkar Lake is an artificial lake in Rajasthan state of western India. It is located near the town of Pushkar in Ajmer District. The lake was created in the 12th century when a dam was built across the headwaters of the Luni River. Legend has it that the lake was created when a lotus blossom dropped from the hand of God Brahma into the Pushkar valley. It was also the site where the Sage Vishwamitra meditating reputedly for thousands of years. Thousands of pilgrims come to bathe in the waters of the lake during the festival of Kaartika Poornima in November.

Camel Fair

The Pushkar Fair, or Pushkar ka Mela, is the world's largest camel fair held in the holy town of Pushkar in the state of Rajasthan, India. The Pushkar fair is indubitably the world's largest camel fair (and indeed, world's largest cattle fair in general). Competitions such as the "matka phod", "moustache", and "bridal competition" are the main draws for this fair which attracts thousands of tourists. The number of foreign tourists eager to witness this exotic event had shot to a new high of 10,000 in 2004, which started on 19 November.