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| AJMER TRAVEL GUIDE Ajmer is a city in Ajmer District in Rajasthan state. The city gives its name to a district, and also to a former province of British India called Ajmer-Merwara, which, after India's independence, became the state of Ajmer until November 1, 1956, when it was merged into Rajasthan state. Ajmer (Ajaya-meru in Sanskrit) was founded in the tenth century CE by Raja Ajay Pal Chauhan. He established the Chauhan dynasty which continued to rule the country while repeated waves of Muslim invasion swept across India. Ajmer was conquered by Muhammad of Ghor, founder of the Delhi Sultanate, in 1193. Its internal government, however, was handed over to the Chauhan rulers upon the payment of a heavy tribute to the conquerors. Ajmer then remained feudatory to Delhi until 1365, when it was captured by the ruler of Mewar. In 1509 Ajmer became a source of contention between the maharajas of Mewar and Marwar, and was ultimately conquered by the Marwar ruler in 1532. Ajmer was lost to the Mughal emperor Akbar in 1559. It continued to be in the hands of the Mughals, with occasional revolts, till 1770, when it was ceded to the Marathas. From that time up to 1818 Ajmer was the scene of an ongoing struggle, being seized at different times by the Mewar and the Marwar maharajas, from whom it was often retaken by the Marathas. In 1818 the Marathas sold Ajmer to the British for 50,000 rupees. Since then Ajmer had enjoyed unbroken peace and stable governance. GENERAL INFORMATION Time zone IST (UTC+5:30) Elevation 486 m (1,594 ft) District(s) Ajmer Population 500,000 (2005) PLACE TO VISIT Pushkar - is a town in the state of Rajasthan in India near Ajmer, about 14 Kilometers away, and is an important tourist destination. Pushkar is famous for Pushkar Lake and the 14th century Hindu temple to Brahma, God as the Creator of all creation. This is the only temple of Brahma in the world. Pushkar is also famous for its annual Camel Fair. Dargah Shareef - of Khwaza Moinuddin Chishti is situated at the foot of the Taragarh hill, and consists of several white marble buildings arranged around two courtyards, including a massive gate donated by the Nizam of Hyderabad, a mosque donated by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, the Akbari Masjid, and the domed tomb of the saint. To this place Emperor Akbar, with his queen, performed pilgrimage on foot from Agra every year in observance of a vow he had made when praying for a son. The large pillars, erected at intervals of two miles the whole way between Agra and Ajmer, marking the daily halting places of the royal pilgrim, are still extant. Taragarh Fort - the fort of Ajmer, seat of the Chauhan rulers, is claimed to be the first hill fort of Asia, built at a time when the Aravalli mountain ranges were above the snowlines. This gives it the reputation of being one of the oldest hill forts of the world, and it is definitely the oldest among the hill forts in India. Adhai-din-ka-jhonpra - a Jain temple constructed in 1153 and converted into a mosque by Qutubuddin Aibak after 1193, is situated on the lower slope of the Taragarh hill. With the exception of that part used as a mosque, nearly the whole of the ancient temple has fallen into ruins, but the relics are not excelled in beauty of architecture and sculpture by any remains of Hindu art. Forty columns support the roof, but no two are alike, and great fertility of invention is manifested in the execution of the ornaments. Magazine - the city's Museum, was once the residence of Prince Salim, son of Emperor Akbar, and presently houses a collection of the Mughal and Rajput armour and sculpture. This residence of Salim is significant from a historical point of view, because Salim as Emperor Jahangir read out the firman for trade to India to the British East India company from here, thus starting the chain of events that lead to India's colonisation by the British. HOW TO REACH By train - By rail from Delhi - the Delhi-Ahmedabad Mail is a decent overnight train (slow, but it gives you more time to sleep) while the Ajmer Shatabdi Express is the fastest way to get there. There are passenger trains (second unreserved only -- definitely an "experience") in the morning and evening to Jaipur and train links down to Ahmedabad. There is no longer a train link to Udaipur. By bus - Jaipur is 3-5 hours by road (depending on the type of bus you take). Jodhpur is 4-5 hours in the opposite direction. Buses to Pushkar leave at a different bus stand (near the Jain temple) from the other buses (south). By Train From Mumbai Central To Ajmer Aravli Express Train. |