Pushkara (पुष्करा, IAST: Puṣkarā) is a Sanskrit-origin Hindu girl-name meaning “She who is the sacred lotus and nourishing sky”. Puṣkara, from puṣ (to nourish) and kara (one who makes or gives), evokes the lotus — the preeminent symbol of spiritual purity — and names Lalitā as the nourishing source that sustains all blossoming.

Meaning, etymology & significance

Puṣkara is a rich Sanskrit word carrying multiple resonances: it denotes the lotus flower (born in water yet unstained), the sky or ether, a sacred lake (notably Pushkar in Rajasthan), and the tip of an elephant's trunk. All these senses converge on qualities of purity, spaciousness, and life-giving abundance. Applied to Lalitā, Puṣkarā names her as the lotus-natured Goddess, pure in essence, vast as the sky, and the sacred source that nourishes all devotees.

Puṣkara is also a name of Viṣṇu (Puṣkara in the Viṣṇu Sahasranāma), showing the shared sacred vocabulary of the traditions. As a feminine given name, Puṣkarā (Pushkara) is melodious and carries beautiful multi-layered spiritual significance; pronounced push-ka-raa.

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Scriptural source

Pushkara appears in the Lalitha Sahasranama, among the sacred names of Lalitha.

Astrology — nakshatra, rashi & numerology

By the standard Vedic correspondence between a name’s first syllable and the lunar mansion, Pushkara aligns with the Hasta nakshatra, under the Kanya rashi (Moon sign). Its Chaldean name-number is 1.