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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.