Introduction
Ajmer is known throughout the Muslim world for the Dargah (the burial place) of Khwaja Moin-ud-din Chishti, a famous Sufi saint. He claimed to descent from the son-in-law of Mohammad. Seven pilgrimages to Ajmer are considered as equivalent to one pilgrimage to Mecca. Thousands of pilgrimages descend on this ancient town during the Islamic festivals of Id and Muharram. Ajmer is a small town with Anna Sagar Lake flanking it on one side and barren hills of Aravallis ranges on the other. Streams of Luni River flow south westwards from Ajmer and tributaries of Banas River flows eastward from it. Ajmer is also known as its beautiful landscape created various geographical features created by the nature. Pushkar, one of the holiest Hindu pilgrimages is located just 11 km from Ajmer and the town is the main transportation center for any visit to Pushkar.

AJMER - IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Altitude 486 meters Area 241.58 sq km Population 4,02,700 Language Hindi, Urdu, Rajasthani, Sindhi and Rajasthani Telephone Code 0145

AJMER - CLIMATE AND LOCATION
Climate
Ajmer has an extreme climate with high climatic variations between the seasons. Summers have hot days though the nights can be cold. Temperature remains in the range of 10ēC in the winters. There is not much of rain in Ajmer even during the monsoon. The best time to visit the place is in the winters and (September to March)

Location
If you are looking for Ajmer on the map, you can find it located on the latitude 26°27' north and longitude 74°42' east. Ajmer is situated 132 km from Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan and flanked by Anna Sagar Lake on one side and Aravallis Hills on the other. The place is well connected to other cities in Rajasthan and some parts of North India by rail and road.

AJMER - HISTORY AND LEGENDS
A small and secular town with the history going far back in the time, this in short is Ajmer. Ajmer is a place where Garib Nawaz (protector of the poor), Sufi Saint, Khwaja Moin-ud-din Chisti laid himself to the eternal rest in 1236 a.d.

Ajmer always remained the bone of contention between Rajputs, Mughals, and Marathas. Ajmer was founded by a Rajput chieftain Ajayapal 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 was brought under the control of Delhi Sultanate in 1193, when Prithvi Raj Chauhan was defeated by Mohammed Ghori. It was later returned to the local chieftains albeit for a small tribute.

Khwaja Moin-ud-din Chisti, the famous Sufi Saint and patrol saint of Ajmer, reached Ajmer from Persia in AD 1192 and left for the hi heavenly abode in AD 1236. Ajmer was an important military center of the Mughals and worked as the base from where campaigns were initiated against local Rajput chieftains. Jehangir, the son of Akbar and his heir to the throne of India stayed here from 1613 to 1616 in the Daulat Bagh, mostly in ruins now.

Ajmer also played an important role in paving the way for British East India Company in India. In 1616, Jehangir 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, Shahjahan built marble pavilions around the Ana Sagar Lake. The Taragarh Fort was damaged badly during the Mughal war of succession between Aurangzeb and Dara Shikoh. Schindi Rulers of Gwalior took over Ajmer in the mid 18th century, to be handed over to the British in 1818. Mayo College, a prestigious school for the wards of colonial rulers and local gentry was founded in 1875.

AJMER - SIGHTSEEING
Dargah of Garib Nawaz - Khwaja Moin-ud-din Chishti
The dargah of Khwaja Moin-ud-din Chishti is located at the foot of a small and barren hill in Ajmer. It is said that Mughal Emperor Humayun built the shrine and the Buland Darwaza, carved in silver, was built by the Nizam of Hyderabad. The tomb of Khwaja is surrounded by a silver railing and there is a separate women's praying room, said to be built by Chimni Begum - the daughter of Shahjahan.

There are two huge cauldrons in the courtyard of the dargah with a capital of 2,240 kg and 4,480 kg respectively. Kheer (sweet porridge) and Khichri (savoury porridge) are cooked in these cauldrons to be distributed among the devotees. An interesting custom related to the cauldron is the looting of the kheer. Akbar Masjid and Shah Jahan Masjid are also inside the same complex.

Tara Garh Fort
The first hill fort of India was built in 1100 by Ajayapal Chauhan. The fort gives excellent views of the town below and also known as the Star Fort. It has a thickness of four and a half meters and a winding uphill path leads to this rectangular fort. Most of the fort is now in ruins though at the time of its construction, it was supposed to be the invincible fort and so named as Ajai Meru (invincible fort).

Arhai-din-ka-Jhonpra
Arhai-din-ka-Jhonpra (two-and-a-half-day shelter) is considered as the first important Islamic structure to be built in India. According to the legends, Arhai-din-ka-Jhonpra was a Sanskrit College initially and Mohammed Ghori converted the college into a mosque within two and a half days, hence the name. According to another legend, the structure is named after a festival, which carried on for two and a half days. The monument has seven arched walls with Islamic calligraphy, though most of it now remains in ruins.

Ana Sagar Lake
This beautiful lake was built by King Anaji (AD 1135-1150), the grandfather of Prithvi Raj Chauhan at a picturesque site located to the north of Ajmer. Daulat Bagh Gardens, which was created by Jehangir, is located next to the lake. Baradari or the marble pavilion was added to the lake by Shahjahan.

Nasiyan Jain Temple
Nasiyan Jain Temple is located on Prithvi Raj Road and devoted to the first Jain Tirthankara, Rishabhdeoji. The temple is greatly revered by the Digambar sect of Jains. There is a museum alongside the temple. Jains constitute for almost 25% of Ajmer's population, therefore, the temple attracts good crowd. Temple construction started in 1864 and opened to the public in 1895.

Government Museum / Daulat Khana / Akbar's Palace
Situated near the eastern walls of the city, Daulat Khana was once the palace built by emperor Akbar. Currently, the building has been converted into a Government Museum.

Mayo College
Still counted as one of the finest public schools in India, Mayo College was built in AD 1873. The aim of the school was to provide liberal education to the young Indian princes and wards of the colonial rulers. Today, school is open for anyone who can pay the steep fee and take admissions.

AJMER - EXCURSIONS
Pushkar
A large accumulation of travel attractions, Pushkar is famous for its picturesque sites as well as more than 400 temples. The most important of the temples is the Brahma Temple (only temple of Lord Brahma, the creator, in the world). Other important temples are Savitri Temple, Mahadeva Temple, Rangji Temple, and Varaha Temple. Pushkar Lake is the site of annual holy bath on Kartik Purnima. Pushkar Bazaar is famous for its high range of handicrafts. Another important attraction in the city is Man Mahal built by Raja Man Singh of Amber.

Foy Sagar
Situated at a distance of five km from Ajmer, it was engineered by an Englishman, Mr. Foy. It is an artificial lake built as a famine relief project.

Beawar
Located at a distance from 54 km from Ajmer. Here on the day following Holi, a Badshahi procession is taken out, and people throw gulal (coloured powder) on each other.

Kishangarh
Kishangarh was a princely state ruled by the Rathores and located on National Highway 8. Apart from its fort, the Kishangarh is known for the miniature paintings style known as Kishangarh Art. Phool Mahal (Flower Palace), now converted into a hotel is the main attraction inside the fort. Kishangarh is also known its rich storehouse of marbles.

Mangliyawas
Twenty-six km away from Ajmer is the town of Mangliyawas, which is famous for the 800-year-old tree, Kalpa vriksha. On the Amavasya day of the month of Shravan (the new moon night, in the month of July/ August), the tree is worshipped by thousands of devotees. Devotees tie a thread around the tree in hope of their wishes being granted.

AJMER - TRANSPORTATION
By Air
Sanganer Airport near Jaipur at the distance of 132 km is the nearest airport from Ajmer. There are flights to Delhi, Udaipur, Mumbai, Jodhpur, Ahmedabad, and Aurangabad from Jaipur Airport.

By Rail
Ajmer is located on the main Delhi-Jaipur-Ahmedabad-Mumbai line and accessible by a number of trains. The railway station in Ajmer is located near the dargah of Garib Nawaj. Shatabdi Express from Delhi is the fastest train that you can get for a Delhi and Jaipur connection.

By Road
Jaipur and Delhi, both of the major cities nearby are connected to Ajmer by road. It can take almost nine hours to reach Ajmer from Delhi by road. Buses are also available for cities like Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Bundi, Bharatpur, Bikaner, and Jaisalmer from Ajmer. There is also a good frequency of buses from Ajmer to Pushkar.

Local Transport
Ajmer is small enough to move around on foot or at the most bike. For the ones, who are not willing there is a range of options to choose from including auto-rickshaws, cycle-rickshaws, and tongas (horse-drawn carriage).