AJMER-अजमेर

AJMER-अजमेर

TEMPLES

Ajmer-e-Sharief Dargah - At the foot of a barren hill, is situated India s most important pilgrimage center for people from all faiths. It is the splendid tomb of the Sufi saint Khawaja Moinuddin Chisti more popularly known as Khawaja Saheb or Khawaja Sharif. The shrine is next only to Mecca or Median for the Muslims of South Asia. Emperor Akbar used to make a pilgrimage to this Dargah from Agra once a year.

Adhai-Din-Ka Jhonpara - One of the finest examples of Indo-Islamic architecture, this mosque was a Sanskrit college in the 12th century. In 1193 AD Mohammad Ghori destroyed the college and a mosque was built in its place. The mosque is built on pillars and surprisingly no two pillars are alike. The

archways are finely engraved with Kufi and Jughra inscriptions from the Holy Quran (also spelt as Koran).

Nasiyan (Jain Temple) - This red coloured Jain temple was built in the late 19th century. The wooden gilt in the double storeyed hall depicts scenes from the Jain mythology. The beauty of this temple is widely acclaimed. MUSEUMSGovt. Museum - The Royal palace of Akbar was converted into a museum and today it houses a rich collection of Mughal and Rajput armoury. Some of the fine and delicate sculptures of the region have been displayed here. The building itself has been constructed of red sandstone, which have been laid down in a square pattern giving it a fabulous look.

LAKES

Ana Sagar Lake - This lake was built by Anaji during 1135-1150 AD. Later the Mughal Emperors made additional constructions to beautify the lake. The 'Baradari', a marble pavilion was built by Shah Jahan and the Daulat Bagh Gardens were laid by Jehangir. This lake is located towards the north of Ajmer city.

Foy Sagar - This artificial lake was built during a famine relief programme. Named after the engineer responsible for its construction, the picturesque lake is 5-km from Ajmer

FORTS

Taragarh Fort - Built in the 7th century by Ajaipal Chauhan, the fort gives a bird's eye view of the city. Taragarh Fort, 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.

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

OTHERS

Mayo College - a boarding school founded by the British Raj in 1870 to educate the children of Rajputana's nobles on the lines of an English public school. Also home to the prestigious Sophia Girls' School (now College), and the historic Ajmer Music College, founded in 1942, the first accredited institution in Rajputana for teaching classical Hindustani music. One of the four NCERT Demonstration Schools of India is also located in Ajmer.

Kishangarh, Ajmer and the Famous Urs Fair Twice in a Year

An interesting ritual is the looting of kheer (milk-pudding) which is cooked in two large cauldrons called degs and distributed to the devotees as tabarruk (blessed food).

On the 6th of Rajab, after the usual mehfil and the sound of cracker-bursts accompanied by music, the Sajjada Nashin performs the ghusal of the tomb. Fatiha and Salamti are read. A poetic recitation called mushaira is arranged in which poets of all communities arrive to recite compositions dedicated to the Khwaja. The Qul (end-all) on the 6th of Rajab marks the end of the Urs.

At night, religious assemblies called mehfils are held in the mehfil-khana, a large hall meant for this purpose. These are presided over by the Sajjada Nashin of the dargah.

Qawwalis are sung and the hall is packed to capacity. There are separate places reserved for women who attend the mehfil. The mehfil terminates late in the night with a mass prayer for the eternal peace of the Khwaja in particular and mankind in general.

The Dargah is located at the conjunction of three bazaars. There are a number of restaurants around the Dargah where visitors can choose from a variety of dishes most of which are non-vegetarian preparations. Guest houses on the road leading to the Dargah offer accommodation that ranges from economical to luxurious. Many other guest houses are strewn across the city.

The shops in the market around the Dargah sell flowers, prayer mats, rosaries, textiles, and general merchandise as well. Ajmer is 132 kms. south-west of Jaipur and 198 kms. east of Jodhpur. It is connected by road to Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Udaipur and Kota. Ajmer is a railway junction on the Delhi-Ahmedabad section of the Western Railway. During the Urs, special buses ply from cities all over India carrying people to Ajmer and back.

Excursion of Ajmer :

Kishangarh

Kishangarh is 27 Kms north east of Ajmer and was founded by Kishan Singh a Rathore Prince. In the 18th century it acclaimed fame as one of the finest schools of miniatures paintings. Though a smaller school with a much shorter duration it had a more refined style. It peaked under the patronage of Savant Singh an heir to the throne, who later became a hermit. It is said that Savant Singh modeled as Krishna while his mistress nicknamed as Bani Thani modelled for Radha. Paintings of Bani Thani are it most celebrated. The artist of this school favoured evening lights and grey skies with fine colours.