Ajmer - Divine Abode of the Khwaja

The Ajmer Saga !!!
Ajmer is located in a picturesque valley surrounded by the hills of the Aravalli range. The strategic position of this city has led to its long and turbulent history. It was founded by Raja Ajai Pal Chauhan in the 7th century A.D, and the Chauhans ruled there till 1193 when Prithviraj Chauhan lost it to Mohammad Ghori. The romantic saga of the valiant Prithviraj, immortalized by the poet Chand Bardai in his famous work, Prithviraj-raso, has seeped into the folklore of the region. The Chauhan king was a bitter enemy of Jai Chand of Kanauj. But he was also passionately in love with his enemy's daughter, Sanyogita. Jai Chand had placed a statue of Prithviraj Chauhan at the door of his palace, as a mocking insult to his dreaded foe. But Sanyogita confounded her father, when she garlanded the statue during her swayamvara ceremony. The ceremony, where she had to choose her husband by garlanding the man of her choice from all the assembled suitors like a flash of lightning, Prithviraj appeared and swept away his princess to his palace and into his heart.

Invaders To The Land of Divinity !!!
After Prithviraj Chauhan lost Ajmer to Mohammad Ghori, it passed into the Delhi Sultanate. In the following centuries, Ajmer was witness to many battles, as the Rajputs, Mughals and Marathas vied to possess it. After the Mughals, Ajmer returned to the House of Jodhpur and later to the Marathas. The British annexed it, in 1818 A.D and brought it under their direct rule. Even the first contacts between the Mughals and the British occurred in Ajmer when Sir Thomas Roe met with Emperor Jehangir here in 1616. The British selected Ajmer as the site for Mayo College, a school opened in 1875 exclusively for Indian princes. Other Monuments which stand as reminders of Ajmer's colonial past are the Edward Memorial Hall, Ajmer Club and Jubilee Clock Tower.


The City Manifestation !!!
The main streets of Ajmer are crammed with traffic, pedestrians, and busy bazaars. But Ajmer doesn't really have the same rustic charm or panache as many other Rajasthani towns and it is more of a pilgrimage center than a tourist destination. Although it does have some impressive architecture, an ancient fort overlooking the town, and is an important religious center.

Dargah of Muin-ud-din Chishti !!!
Ajmer is a true amalgam of rich Hindu and Islamic heritage. The great Sufi Saint Khwaja Muin-ud-din Chishti of Persia was buried here and his Dargah (Shrine) is equally sacred for the followers of Islam as well as Hinduism. The Mughal Emperor Akbar made an annual visit to the shrine of the saint, sometimes on foot, as any ordinary pilgrim would. Akbar built a palace (today it houses the Government Museum), later Ajmer became a favorite residence of the great Mughals.


Getting There
Air : The Sanganer airport of Jaipur is the nearest Airport, lying 132 km from Ajmer, Indian Airlines and other flights are well connected to cities like Jodpur, Udaipur, Agra, Ahmadabad and Mumbai. It nearly takes 3 hours to reach Ajmer from Jaipur by road. From where the tourist can take RSTC buses or even hire taxis to reach Ajmer.

Railway : Ajmer has good rail treks to the major cities of india like it is connected by rail to Delhi, Agra, Ahmedabad, Barmer, Bharatpur, Bikaner, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Mount Abu and to Bombay Via Ahmedabad

Road : Ajmer is well connected to National Highway No. 8, connecting by Delhi via Jaipur via Ajmer via Udaipur via Ahmedabad via Vadodara via Mumbai. Some of the important distance from Ajmer are like Agra by 370 km, Bharatpur by 312 km, Bikaner by 234 km, Bundi by 139 km, Chittaurgarh by 182 km, Delhi by 444 km, Jaipur by138 km, Jaisalmer by 458 km.

Local Transport : There are number of city buses that operates throughout the city and to Pushkar, one can also find unmertered taxis, auto rickshaws, tongas and even the cycle rickshaws are easily available 24 hours around the Sufi City.

The Attraction of Ajmer City !!!
Roof of Divine - Dargah of Great Sufi Saint !!!
The ageless faith of Ajmere Sharif, made Ajmer one of the foremost important pilgrimage center today. This beautiful Dargah tomb is located in the foot hill of barren land in the old city of Ajmer and is entered through the bustling bazaars before reaching to the main gate of Dargah. This roof of divine houses an important burial chamber of great Sufi Saint Khwaja Muin-ud-din Chishti, who came to Ajmer from Persia in 1192 A.D and died here in 1236 A.D. Since then the Dargah is worshiped, thus popular amongst devotes belong to different caste and customs, whoever comes to the door of Sufi. The holiest shrine of Muslims is a hub of activities, as one enter the Khwaja Dargah, which usually remains overcrowded most of the time, except in the early hours of mornings till afternoon. The tomb attract thousand of pilgrims every year on the anniversary of the Saint's Demise, known as Urs. This is the main time for devotes to converge over this Sufi city. The Urs takes palace every seventh month of the lunar calender. It is a religious gathering, but the crowd can be very much sweltering as the city shines with the new devotes from all over the world.

Other Attraction of Sufi City !!!
Ajmer Fascinations !!!
Just beyond the notable Dargah of Muin-ud-Din Chisti in Ajmer, is the devastation of Adhai-Din-Ka-Jhonpra. According to legends, its was constructed in 1153 A.D, which took two and a half days to complete this landmark on the face of Ajmer. As the name suggest Adhai-Din-Ka-Jhonpra, which literally means that two and a half days building. Its a remarkable structure, depicts the masterpiece of Indo-Islamic architecture, though it was originally build as the sanskrit college, but was later converted into a mosque, when Mohammad Ghauri took conquer of Ajmer.

Another foremost attraction for travelers is the Akbar's Palace, lying back in the Sufi City (Ajmer), little far from the main post office of Ajmer, this grandeur building was constructed by Akbar In 1570, and was once the royal residence of Emperor Akbar. but now it is converted into a government museum. This beautiful museum display a rare collection of 8th century items like the old weapons, miniature paintings, ancient rock and stone sculptures.

Beside this a tourist must pay a visit in the fabulous Nasiyan Temple, nestling on the Prithviraj Marg in Ajmer, was originally build in 1865 A.D. This colossally Temple displays a glittering red image of the temple as seen from the open air, that glows with the rays of sun. This alluring Temple showcases a series of large gilt wooden figures, which portrays the Jain concept and mythologies. The temple has many halls, blessed with the ornamentation of precious stone, silver and gold. A tourist must visit this holiest shrine of Jain, which is breath taking.

Next Door Temptation - Ajmer Easy Excursions!!!
Pushkar Town - 11km
Ajmer is also a base for visiting Pushkar, nestling 11 km far in the Aravalli Ranges of Royal Rajasthan. It is located at the foot of Nag Pahar (Snake Mountain), that form a natural border between Ajmer and Pushkar. It is soil of great worshiping, considered to be a very important pilgrimage center for Hindus. Pushkar. Hordes of devotees converge on pushkar on the full moon day of Kartik Purnima, that happen in the month of October and November, it makes the best time for devotees to take a holy dip in the scared Pushkar Lake to achieve Nirvana .

This grand camel fair has great significance for visitors, near about 20,000 tourist covers miles of distance to see this alluring happening, where more than 50,000 camels, cattle's and horses are brought for sale and purchase. Even the swiss camps are arranged for tourist on the desert dunes of Pushkar just behind the camel fair festival, here one can experience the dark starry nights, with Rajasthani cuisines, dresses, dances, music, and beautiful mens and womens adored with colorful jewelries.

Pachewar 90 km - A Stopver Rural Charm
Next one can drive to Pachewar, about 90 km north east of Ajmer. It a handy stopover village between Ajmer and Jaipur. Here one can see beautiful lake that has popular bird population in the time of winters. Another attraction near Ajmer include Kishangarh, lying 27 km north east of Ajmer, founded in the 17th century by Kishan Singh, a Rathore Prince. It has one of the India's most famous schools of miniature paintings, here the paintings are done on the various surfaces like woods, stone and cloth. Amongst all, the famous painting is of Krishna and Radha.

The Camel Safaris !!!
No tour to Ajmer is complete without experiencing the thrilling camel safari to Pushkar Sand dunes. This adventurous camel ride is a great fun as one enjoys the Pushkar city life as well as the thrills of the ride on the kilometer long treks. During the Pushkar Fair the camel safari take its momentum, that takes you beyond the golden sands of the vast Thar Desert, which is extremely peaceful and solitude. Various treks are arranged for riding in a group or taking a sole ride over the alleviated sand dunes passing through rural villages of Pushkar that definitely give you some of the most memorable moments. Here one can also see endless camels and horses, decorated in royal touch specially brought for trading, which are definitely centre of attraction for the travelers. This devotional city has earned a dubious distinction for its colorful camel races, for which thousands of tourist throng every year.