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Ajmer is
the 5th largest city in Rajasthan. It is a very old pilgrimage town
which is located on the banks of the Ana Sagar Lake at an elevation of
486 meters above sea level and is surrounded by the Aravalli
Mountains. The city boasts of a number of monuments dating back to the
Mughal era. The city is also famous for its traditional handicrafts
industry. Ajmer is 130 kms from Jaipur and covers a total
area of around 55.76 square km. Historically; Ajmer has a considerable
strategic importance and was sacked by Mohammed Ghori on one of his
periodic attacks from Afghanistan. Afterwards it became a favorite
residence of the powerful Mughal. Ajmer is the main center for Muslim
pilgrims during the fast of Ramzaan and has some remarkable Muslim
architecture. It houses the Dargah or tomb of the popular 13th century
Sufi saint, Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chisti.
In
Summers, the temperature is around 38.1º Celsius and in winters it is
around 5.5º Celsius. Hindi, Rajasthani, Sindhi, Urdu and English are
the common languages which are spoken here. |
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Ajmer was founded by a Rajput chieftain Raja
Ajaipal Chauhan who also built first hill fort in India, the Tara
Garh. As the fort was supposed to be invincible, it was named Ajai
Meru (the Invincible Hill). Ajmer played a vital role in paving the
way for British East India Company in India. The small town of Ajmer
played an amazingly important role in India's history. It is located
at the point where the Thar Desert begins and the rocky Aravalli
Hills end, this was initially the stronghold of the powerful Chauhan
Dynasty of Rajputs, who founded India's first ever hill fort here in
the 7th century.
Ajmer was
brought under the control of Delhi Sultanate in 1193 when Ajaipal
Chauhan was defeated by Mohammed Ghori. It was later returned to the
local chieftains as a small tribute. In 1616 Jahangir met ambassador
of King James, Sir Thomas Roe. That was the first meeting between any
Mughal Emperor and representatives of Britain. In the 17th century
Shah Jahan constructed marble pavilions around the Ana Sagar Lake. The
Taragarh Fort was damaged badly during the Mughal war of succession
between Aurangzeb and Dara Shikoh. The Scindia rulers of Gwalior took
over Ajmer in the mid 18th century to be handed over to the British in
1818. |
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Prominent
tourist attraction of Ajmer is
Dargah of Garib Nawaz.
Ajmer houses the Dargah or tomb of the popular 13th century Sufi
saint, Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chisti. Other tourist attractions
of Ajmer are Adhai din ka Jhonpara, Taragarh Fort, Nasiyan, Ana Sagar
Lake, and Mayo College.
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By Rail
Ajmer is connected by rail to Delhi, Barmer,
Agra, Bikaner, Ahmedabad, Mount Abu, Mumbai, Bharatpur, Jaipur, and
Jodhpur.
By Road
Ajmer is well connected by road with Jaipur,
Delhi, Bikaner, Agra, Bharatpur and Chittorgarh.
By Air
Nearest airport from Ajmer is Jaipur which is only about 130 km from
Ajmer. |
