Pushkar is said to have over 500 temples (80 are large, the remainder small); of these, many are ancient ones that were destroyed or desecrated by Muslim depredations during Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's rule (1658–1707) but were rebuilt subsequently; The most important of Pushkar's temples is the Brahma temple, which dates to the 14th century.[3] The temple is said to have been built by the sage Vishwamitra after Brahma's yagna (ritual).[2] It is also believed that Brahma himself chose the location for his temple. The 8th century Hindu philosopher Adi Shankara renovated this temple, while the current medieval structure dates to Maharaja Jawat Raj of Ratlam, who made additions and repairs, though the original temple design is retained.[2]