Ajmer, or Ajmere, is a city in India's Rajasthan state. Its population was approximately 500,000 in 2001. The city gives its name to a district, and also to a former province of British India called Ajmer-Merwara, which, after India's independence, became the state of Ajmer until November 1, 1956, when it was merged into Rajasthan state.

It is situated in 26° 27, N. lat. and 74° 44, E. long., on the lower slopes of Taragarh hill, in the Aravalli Range. To the north of the city is a large artificial lake called the Anasagar , whence the water supply of the place is derived.

The city is well laid out with wide streets and handsome houses. Ajmer is at an important railway junction. The city is a trade center and has cotton mills and railroad shops. Manufactures include wool textiles, hosiery, shoes, soap, and pharmaceuticals.

The chief object of interest is the dargah, or tomb of a famous Muslim sufi saint named Moinuddin Chishti. It is situated at the foot of the Taragarh hill, and consists of several white marble buildings arranged around two courtyards, including a massive gate donated by the Nizam of Hyderabad, a mosque donated by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, the Akbari Masjid, and the domed tomb of the saint. To this place the emperor Akbar, with his empress, performed a yearly pilgrimage on foot from Agra in accordance with the terms of a vow he had made when praying for a son. The large pillars erected at intervals of two miles the whole way, to mark the daily halting-place of the imperial pilgrim, are still extant.

The Adhai-din-ka-jhonpra, a Jain temple constructed in 1153 and converted into a mosque by Mohammed of Ghori after 1193, is situated on the lower slope of the Taragarh hill. With the exception of that part used as a mosque, nearly the whole of the ancient temple has fallen into ruins, but the relics are not excelled in beauty of architecture and sculpture by any remains of Hindu art. Forty columns support the roof, but no two are alike, and great fertility of invention is manifested in the execution of the ornaments.

The city's Museum was once the residence of Emperor Akbar, and presently houses a collection of the Mughal and Rajput armour and sculpture.

The summit of Taragarh hill, overhanging Ajmer, is crowned by a fort, the lofty thick battlements of which run along its brow and enclose the table-land. The walls are two miles in circumference, and the fort can only be approached by steep and very roughly paved planes, commanded by the fort and the outworks, and by the hill to the west. On coming into the hands of the British Raj, the fort was dismantled by order of Lord William Bentinck, and was converted into a sanatorium for the troops stationed at Nasirabad.

Ajmer is also home to Mayo college, a boarding school founded by the British Raj in 1870 to educate the children of Rajputana's nobles on the lines of an English public school.

Ajmer was founded in the tenth century by Raja Ajay Pal Chauhan, who established the dynasty which continued to rule the country (with many vicissitudes of fortune) while the repeated waves of Muslim invasion swept over India, until it was conquered by Mohammed of Ghori, founder of the of the Delhi Sultanate, in 1193. Its internal government, however, was handed over to the Chauhan rulers upon the payment of a heavy tribute to the conquerors. It then remained feudatory to Delhi until 1365, when it was captured by the ruler of Mewar. In 1509 the place became a source of contention between the chiefs of Mewar and Marwar, and was ultimately conquered in 1532 by the latter prince, who in his turn in 1559 had to give way before the emperor Akbar. It continued in the hands of the Moguls, with occasional revolts, till 1770, when it was ceded to the Marathas, from which time up to 1818 the unhappy district was the scene of a continual struggle, being seized at different times by the Mewar and Marwar rajas, from whom it was as often retaken by the Marathas. In 1818 the latter ceded it to the British in return for a payment of 50,000 rupees. Since then the country has enjoyed unbroken peace and a stable government.

The District Of Ajmer, which forms the largest part of the province of Ajmer-Merwara, has an area of 2069 sq. m. The eastern portion of the district is generally flat, broken only by gentle undulations, but the western parts, from north-west to south-west, are intersected by the great Aravalli range. Many of the valleys in this region are mere sandy deserts, with an occasional oasis of cultivation, but there are also some very fertile tracts; among these is the plain on which lies the town of Ajmer. This valley, however, is not only fortunate in possessing a noble artificial lake, but is protected by the massive walls of the Nagpathar range or Serpent rock, which forms a harrier against the sand. The only hills in the district are the Aravalli range and its offshoots. Ajmer is almost totally devoid of rivers, the Banas being the only stream which can be dignified with that name, and it only touches the south-eastern boundary of the district so as to irrigate the pargana of Samur. Four small streams--the Sagarmati, Saraswati, Khari and Dai--also intersect the district. In the dry weather they are little more than brooks. The population in 1901 was 7453, showing a decrease of 13% in the decade. Besides the city of Ajmer, the district contains the military station of Nasirabad, with a population of 22,494.

Famous Places

• Mayo College
• Moinuddin Chishti Dargah

External link

Ajmer at the Islamic Monuments of India Photographic Database