One day in the 12th century AD, Sri Ramanuja, the great Philosopher and Saint, had a dream where the Lord asks him to go to a mountain and unearth an idol. Ramanuja indeed found an idol of the Lord and named it Thirunarayanan. The place became Thirunarayanapura, aka Melkote and can be found 51 kms from Mysore. Legend has it that the idol was stolen during the Muslim invasion of South and the princess of Delhi made it as her doll. Ramanuja went to Delhi and when he endearingly called 'Come on, my dear child', the idol miraculously came onto his lap! 
Pilgrimage
It is an old Hindu saying that everyone must visit Pushkar at least once in their lifetime. Among the 400 temples around Pushkar, the one devoted to Brahma is the only one of its kind in the world. The charm of this sleepy, lakeside settlement so captivated the great Indian poet, Kalidas, that Pushkar found a place in his classic, Abhigyan Sakuntalam. You don’t need to be a devout Hindu to enjoy Pushkar. You can plan a visit just for the Pushkar Camel Fair, one of the most colorful fairs on the planet. Some of the events featured here are a beauty pageant, flat race and musical chairs by Camels!
