Kolayat

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Kolayat is a town in Rajasthan state in India and it is 51 km from Bikaner on the highway leading to Jaisalmer.

From Gajner its an easy drive to Kolayat (an old pilgrimage center where Kapil Muni of the vedic fame is believed to have shed his body under a peepul tree). Kolayat has a series of marble temples, sandstone pavilions and 32 ghats (bathing places) built around a huge artificial lake which never goes dry.

Here one can see sadhus and pilgrims taking a holy dip, surrounded by the vast emptiness of a timeless atmosphere and the golden desert. On Karthik Purnima day, a grand fair is held in which devotees from all over the country come to take a holy bath in the lake.

A famous pilgrimage spot with a temple dedicated to Kapil Muni (saint) Kapil Muni sat in meditation near lake. Muni was the propounder of Sankhya Philosophy. The temple is the venue for an annual fair held in the month of Kartik (Oct-Nov) when the thousands of devotees gather in a large number to take a sacred dip in the holy waters of the Kolayat lake (Kapil Sarovar) on the full moon day. The Lake is considered to have the effect of washing off the sins of devotees. A cattle fair, especially for the trading of camels is a part of the festivities. The town is connected to Bikaner by road as well as rail.