Ajmer  Sharief

Ajmer is not a modern town. Surrounded by hills,on the bank of the Anna Sagar, amidst beautiful natural surroundings situated the town of Ajmer, an amalgamation of religion, history, and sculpture.  In 9th century by Ajay Pal Chauhan this town took shape.

Some others give option that from the name, of the the creator Ajmer has been derived. In the past name of fort was Ajaymeru. But now the name of the fort is Taragarh fort. In 1193 defeating Prithwiraj Chauhan, Gajni's Mahammad Ghori took the possession of Ajmer. From that time the struggle between the Mughals and the Rajputs started for the control of fort.

There is balance equili-brium of hindu and Muslim culture in Ajmer. So hindu and Muslims both treat Ajmer as a pilgrim spot. It is said that 7 times visit to Ajmer is equal to 1 time visit to Mecca.

The revered Sufi saint, Khwaja Muin-ud-din Chisti, who came to Ajmer from Persia in 1192, died in 1236 and was buried here. His tomb, the Dargah is visited by thousands of devout Muslims every year. The shrine was erected by Humayun. The Dargah also has mosques which were built by rulers such as Shah Jahan, Jahangir and Akbar. Akbar used to make a pilgrimage to Ajmer every year from Agra.

The entrance to the complex is from the Dargah Bazaar which leads to the first courtyard. This courtyard has a mosque built by Akbar and two cauldrons known as degs in which donations are made. These donations are later divided among the poor. The saints's tomb is in the centre of the second court.

It is enshrined in a domed marble chamber and is surrounded by silver railings. The tomb attracts hundreds of thousands of pilgrims every year on the anniversary of the saint's death, which falls in the seventh month of the lunar calendar. It is also the venue for the famous Urs festival.

Best time to visit : October - March

How to get there

The nearest airport to Ajmer is at Jaipur. Ajmer is also connected to Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Udaipur, Abu Road and Jodhpur by regular trains. There is regular bus service to Ajmer from all the major cities of Rajasthan, Ahmedabad, Agra and Delhi.