ABOUT AJMER:

• Sacred secular town was founded in the 7^th century by Raja Ajaipal Chauhan and become the famous bastion of the Chauhan Rajputs.
• A popular pilgrimage centre for the Muslims as well as Hindus.
• Ajmer is a centre of culture and education.
•  It was also a favourite residence for the great Mughals.

 

MODE OF COMMUNICATION:

• Airport: Sanganer Airport, Jaipur (JAI), 131 kms away from Ajmer.
• Rail: Ajmer Railway Station, Ajmer, 1 km away from Ajmer city centre.
• Road: Well connected with NH 8.

 

SIGHTSEEING AT A GLANCE:

FORT & MONUMENTS	Magazine   Circuit House   Taragarh Fort   Man Mahal   Pushkar Palace
PILGRIM CENTRE	Dargah Khwaja Sahib   Adhai-Din-Ka-Jhonpra   Nasiyan (Red Temple)   Pushkar   Brahma Temple   Jagat Pita Shri Brahma Mandir   Warah Temple   Savitri Temple   Temple of Rangji or Shri Vaikunthnath Ji
MUSEUM & AUDITORIUM	Rajputana Museum   Mayo College
LAKE	Ana Sagar   Visal Sar   Pushkar Lake
OTHERS	Prithviraj Chauhan Smarak   Kishangarh
FAIRS & FESTIVALS	Pushkar Fair Urs Fair

For more information visit https://ajmer.rajasthan.gov.in/

ATTRACTIONS OF AJMER

 

Dargah Khwaja Sahib:

• 13^th century Dargah is one of the holiest Muslim shrines in the country.
• Millions of pilgrims from all over the world flock here to seek the blessings and pay homage to the Khwaja.
• Dargah has a massive gate with silver doors, which were built by the Nizam of Hyderabad.
• Tomb richly adorned with gold and silver lies in a magnificent domed chamber in the centre of the second courtyard.
• Qawwals from all over the world come here to sing in the praise of the saint.
• On the right side of the courtyard is the Akbari Masjid in white marble by Akbar.
• There is another impressive mosque built by Shahjahan.
• Other attractions in the shrine are the two massive ‘degs’ (cauldrons) in which the ritual rice is cooked.
• The smaller ‘deg’ has a capacity of about 2240 kg. and the larger one can hold 4480 kg. of rice.
• The six day celebration of the Urs or death anniversary of Khwaja is the most important event of Ajmer.
• During this time millions of devotees from all sects and religions gather here.

 

Adhai-Din-Ka-Jhonpra:

• The relic of an old mosque lies to the west of Dargah.
• It was originally a Sanskrit college, within a temple enclosure and was destroyed by Mohammad Ghauri in 1193.
• It is said that he ordered, the mosque to be made ready on this site for his prayer within two and a half days.
• The archways are adorned with intricate carvings depicting ‘Kuft and Jughra’ inscriptions from the holy ‘Koran’.

 

Magazine:

• This innermost portion of the fort constructed by Akbar is the most important relic of Mughal history in the city.
• Main entrance to the building faces Naya Bazar and is provided with balconies (jharokhas) on the both side.
• Sir Thomas Roe, the British envoy, presented his credentials to Jahangir over here.

 

Rajputana Museum:

• It was set up by the Govt. of India for preservation.
• Study of unique and rare relics collected from the various states of Rajputana.

 

Nasiyan (Red Temple):

• Famous Digambar Jain temple was constructed in 1865.
• The Svarna Nagari Hall, behind the shrine exhibits gilt wooden representations of scenes from Jain mythology.

 

Mayo Collage:

• This elite public school was established in 1875.
• Providing education to the children of the royal families in the country.
• Today, it is one of the premiere educational institutions of the India and is open to everybody.
• There is a museum displaying historical objects of interest and biological preservation.

 

Circuit House:

• Overlooks the Ana Sagar Lake and was formerly the British Residency.
• Nearby, is the cenotaph and shrine of Swami Dayanand Saraswati, the founder of Arya Samaj movement, who breathed his last at Ajmer.

 

Ana Sagar:

• Beautiful 12^th century artificial lake is named after Anaji Chauhan.
• Its huge embankment was erected with people’s help.
• The ‘Baradari’ or pavilions were constructed by Shah Jahan and the Daulat Bagh garden was laid by Jehangir.

 

Visal Sar:

• The pristine lake amidst sylvan surroundings.
• Built by King Visaldeva (1152-1163 AD)
• Designed lake the sacred Pushkar Lake.

 

Prithviraj Chauhan Smarak:

• The memorial on the way to Taragarh Fort commemorates Prithviraj Chauhan, the last Hindu emperor of India.
• A life-size statue of the king is erected amidst well laid-out gardens.

 

Brahma Temple:

• Constructed in the 14th century.
• Temple dedicated to Lord Brahma.
• Marble floor around the silver turtle is embedded with hundreds of silver coins.

 

ATTRACTIONS AROUND AJMER

 

Taragarh Fort:

• 8 kms away from Ajmer city centre.
• The 7^th century fort built by Ajaipal Chauhan is perched atop a hill.
• Earlier known as Ajaya-Meru-Durg.
• It is nearly 2-3 kms in circumference and has 9 impregnable gates.

 

Pushkar:

• 12 kms away from Ajmer city centre.
• Picturesque pilgrim centre nestling amidst the rugged Aravali hills.
• Considered to be one of the most sacred pilgrimages for Hindus and is referred as ‘Tirth Raj’ or the ‘king of pilgrim centres’.
• It is believed that a pilgrimage to the sacred ‘Char Dhams’ is incomplete without a holy dip in the sacred waters of Pushkar.
• The sleepy town comes to life during the annual Pushkar fair held on Kartik Purnima.
• It has emerged as a major tourist attraction of the region.
• Tourists from all parts of the world gather here for this colourful fair.

 

Jagat Pita Shri Brahma Mandir:

• There are over 400 sacred shrines in and around Pushkar, but the most important is the temple of Lord Brahma.
• 14^th century shrine set on a high plinth enshrines a four faced image of Lord Brahma, known as ‘Chaumurti’.
• Nearby is a small image of milkmaid Gayatri.
• Steps in the corner lead to a small cave dedicated to Lord Shiva.
• The temple walls are also adorned with graceful peacocks, the celestial vehicle of Goddess Saraswati, the Goddess of wisdom and consort of Lord Brahma. 
•  

Warah Temple:

• This second most important shrine of Pushkar.
• Dedicated to Lord Vishnu in the form of Warah, the wild boar.
• Built by Chauhan King Anaji (1123-1150).
• Destroyed by Muhammad Ghauri after his victory over Ajmer.
• In 1806, Gokul Chand Parikh, a Scindia minister renovated the shrine.

 

Savitri Temple:

• Shrine of Lord Brahma’s first wife is set on the hill behind the Brahma temple.
• It can be reached by a long flight of steps and affords a bird’s eye view of the lake and surrounding areas.

 

Temple of Rangji or Shri Vaikunthnath Ji:

• Magnificent shrine built in South Indian style is noted for its towering ‘Gopuram’ (gateway).
• Other important temples are – Apteshwar Mahadeo Temple, Baiji ka Mandir and Man Mandir.

 

Pushkar Lake:

• Sacred reservoir is said to be created by the falling of lotus petal from the hand of Lord Brahma.
• Lake is considered to be as old as the creation and one of the sacred ‘Panch Sarovar’ or Five Lakes.
• Other four are Man Sarovar, Bindu Sarovar, Narayan Sarovar and Pampa Sarovar.
• 52 bathing ghats around the lake.
• Devotees believe that a dip in the waters of the lake washes away the sins, especially during Kartik Poornima (Oct/ Nov).

 

Man Mahal:

• It was built by Raja Man Singh-I of Amber, as a royal guest house.
• Provides a fine view of the ghats.
• Guest house has been converted into a hotel.

 

Pushkar Palace:

• 400 year old palace of Maharaja of Kishangarh.
• It has been converted into a hotel.

 

Kishangarh:

• 27 kms away from Ajmer city.
• One of the finest schools of miniature paintings.
• Paintings of Bani Thani are most celebrated.
• Kishangarh is now an industrial town for marble and textiles.