Ajmer, formerly known as Ajmere or Ajaymeru, is located in the Ajmer district of Rajasthan and is the 5th largest city of the state. The city has a picturesque view as it is draped in the barrel hills of the Aravalli Ranges. Founded in the 7th century A.D. by Raja Ajay Pal Chauhan, Ajmer has been an abode to various dynasties giving it an interesting cultural and traditional past.
Ajmer serves as a surprising dichotomy of the two famous religions of our country; Hinduism and Islam. It highlights a delightful amalgamation of the contrasting cultures and traditions and is the perfect example of harmony among diversity. Ajmer is mainly famous for its various pilgrimage centres but its also the quintessential tourist place which gives so much to explore to its visitors.
The Ajmer Sharif Dargah : This Dargah is one of India’s most important pilgrimage centre which sees visitors of all faiths. It holds the magnificent tomb of Sufi saint Khawaja Moinuddin Chisti. It is also popularly known as Khawaja Sharif, and in faith is held no less than Mecca to the Muslims of South Asia. It is situated at the foot of the Taragarh hill and comprises of several white marble buildings arranged around two courtyards. It is believed that Akbar along with his queen used to visit the Dargah by foot on pilgrimage from Agra every year.
Akbari Fort and Museum : The famous Museum of the city was earlier the residence of Emperor Akbar’s son, Prince Salim but now it features the rich storehouse of Mughal and Rajput armour and sculpture. Its construction was commissioned by Akbar in 1570 and is a majestic example of the history of the Mughal architecture. This is the very place where Emperor Jahangir(Prince Salim) read the firman which gave access to the British East India Company to trade with India.
Taragarh Fort : The fort, built by King Ajaypal Chauhan, was the seat of the Chauhan rulers and it still stands strong guarding the Ajmer city. It is famous for being one of the oldest hill forts not only in India, but in the world. Situated on the summit of Taragarh hill, it allows the visitors to have a fine look of the entire city from here. All the military activities during the Rajput and the Mughal period used to run along at the top of the hill witnessed by the Fort. Later on it was used by the British as a sanatorium.
Adhai Din Ka Jhonpda : Famous for its double-depth calligraphy inscriptions in the Naskh and Kufic scripts, it is a mosque built in 1193 by Qutubuddin Aibak and is situated in the lower slope of the Taragarh hill. Although the whole of the ancient temple has fallen into ruins, the relics are still surpassed as great examples of the Hindu architecture and sculpture.
Mayo College : It is one of the finest schools of our country which was originally founded by Lord Mayo, the Viceroy of India. The architecture of the buildings of the school is exceptional to witness and resembles the style of Royal Rajasthani architecture. Designed by Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob, the state engineer of Jaipur, the school is built in classic white marble.
Ajmer also provides us with a lot of sight seeing options due to its scenic location. Few of the examples are Anasagar Lake, Soniji ki Nasiyan, Lake Foy Sagar and Nareli Jain Temple.