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| Ajmer ,
is the most sacred of all Muslim places of
pilgrimage in India and an important city,
with a population of about 400,000 people,
located in the state of Rajasthan , India
. It is situated in the green oasis wrapped
in the barren hills has been a witness to
an interesting past. It is about 132 km west
of Jaipur and rests in the lap of the serene
and beautiful surroundings of the Aravalli
Range of hills. |
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| Brief
History |
| Historically,
Ajmer has always had great strategic importance.
It was founded by Ajaipal Chauhan in the 7th
Century A.D. , he named it Ajaimeru the 'invincible
hill' and continued to be a major center of
the Chauhan power till 1193 A.D, the army
of Mohammad Ghori defeated Prithviraj Chauhan.
Thereafter, it became a part of the Sultanate
of Delhi. The Persian saint Khwaja Moinuddin
Chishti who came with Muhammad Ghori from
Persia in 1192 settled here and equally revered
by the Hindus and Muslims. Thus the place
where he was buried is today known as the
Dargah Sharif. However, the Rajputs regained
the control of the city with the crusades
of Rana Kumbha of Mewar and Raja Maldeo. |
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| How to
reach |
Ajmer can be easily accessed
through air, train or road.
By
Air :- While
the nearest airport is about 138 kms, in the
city of Jaipur -the capital of Rajasthan,
the easier way is to take a train or a bus
to the city.
By Rail :-
Ajmer is well connected
with the major cities of India through a Rail
network. You can get direct trains to Ajmer
from Delhi, Jaipur, Abu Road, Ahmedabad, Udaipur,
and Jodhpur.
By Road :-
Apart from this, Ajmer is also well
connected to Delhi, Rajashtan and Gujarat
by road as they offer a good frequency of
bus services and regular buses operate from
the cities. |
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| Climate
& Season |
| Temperatures
are very high during summers and very low
during winters. Ajmer has a typical desert
type of climate. The best period to visit
Ajmer is between October and March and best
season to visit there is July-March. |
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| Language |
| Rajasthani,
Hindi, Urdu, & Sindhi |
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| Best
Attractions |
| Today, Ajmer
is a popular pilgrimage center for the Hindus
as well as Muslims. Ajmer offers a plethora
of spiritual and cultural delights. We list
below a selection of major attractions of
Ajmer - |
| The
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. Dargah
of Gharib Nawaz is visited by millions of
people from all over the world, irrespective
of caste and religion. The shrine is next
only to Mecca or Median for the Muslims of
south Asia . |
| The
place where he was buried is today known as
the Dargah Sharif. Construction of the shrine
was completed by Humayun and the gates were
added by the Nizam of Hyderabad. Later Shah
Jahan constructed a mosque of white marble,
it has 11 arches and a Persian inscription
running the full length of the building. |
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Shahjhan's Mosque: In the
corner of the inner court of the Dargah, is
a magnificent building in white marble with
a long (30.5m) and narrow court having low
arcade and delicate carvings with trellis-work.It
is the most marvelous of all the sanctums
within the sanctuary of the Dargah. |
| The
Museum: Once the royal residence
of Emperor Akbar ,the museum houses a rich
repository of the Mughal and Rajput armour
and exquisite sculptures. |
| Adhai-din-ka-jhonpra
: A remarkable structure, this is
a masterpiece of Indo-Islamic architecture
located on the outskirts, of the city, just
beyond the Dargah. As the legend goes, its
construction took two and a half days (Adhai-Din)
to complete. It was originally a Sanskrit
college, built within a temple. In 1193 A.D.
Mohhamed Ghauri conquered Ajmer and converted
the building into a mosque by adding a sevenarched
wall in front of the pillared hall in just
two-and-half days(adhai-din) and hence the
name. |
| Pushkar
Lake
: Ajmer is also the base for visiting
Pushkar (11km.) the abode of Lord Brahma lying
to its west with a temple and a picturesque
lake. The Pushkar lake is a throng in a large
numbers here to take a dip in the sacred lake.
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