Holy dip in Pushkar Lake on Kartika Purnima, climax of the Pushkar Fair

Pushkara Snana is the holy bath in the sacred lake of Pushkar, near Ajmer in Rajasthan, on Kartika Purnima. Pushkar is called Tirtharaj, the king of pilgrimage places, and is one of the few places in India with a temple to Lord Brahma. The Padma Purana tells that Brahma, searching for a place to perform a yajna, dropped a lotus (pushkara) from his hand; where its petals fell, three lakes appeared, and the chief of them is Pushkar Lake. Brahma performed his great yajna there during the last five days of Kartika, from Ekadashi to Purnima, and all the gods and tirthas assembled — so bathing in Pushkar in these days, especially on Purnima, is said to wash away the sins of lifetimes and equal the merit of years of pilgrimage. The lake has 52 ghats, and lakhs of pilgrims take the dip at dawn, offer lamps in the evening and worship at the Brahma temple and the Savitri temple on the hill. The occasion is also the famous Pushkar Camel Fair, where camels and livestock are traded and folk music, dance and competitions draw visitors from around the world.

Many fast until after the bath and puja.