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Ajmer city was founded by Ajaipal Chauhan in early 7th century.
It was named Ajaimeru - The Invincible Hill. Ajmer was the seat
of administration for the Chauhans till Prithviraj was defeated
in 1193 A.D by Mohammad Ghori.
 Then
the Delhi Sultanate took over Ajmer after which the city until
Emperor Akbar took the throne in 1556 and gave Ajmer the status
of a full-fledged province and also made it his base for
operations in Rajputana. However, this did not ensure a peaceful
reign for the city. rajputs, Mughals and the Marathas all had
some interest or the other in the place and left their mark each
on the place.
Later, it became a favourite residence of the great Mughals. One
of the first contacts between the Mughals and the British
occurred in Ajmer, when Sir Thomas Roe met Jehangir here in
1616.
Fairs & Festivals of Ajmer
 Urs
Ajmer Sharif: Held in the holy town of Ajmer in honour of the
Sufi saint, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, special prayers are
offered at the mosque, and huge amounts of consecrated food
offered from the large, steaming cauldrons that were a gift from
Akbar. While quwwallis are sung at night, the celebrations unite
people of all faiths, and the complete town is decorated with
buntings, and wears the spirit of festivity.
Activities
It is an occasion for thousands of believers to congregate at
the shrine and offer their prayers. All of Ajmer seems to take
on a festive air and several programmes are organized to mark
the festivals.
Places to Visit at Ajmer
Dargah
The
 Dargah
is the Tomb of a Sufi saint, Khwaja Muinud - din Chishti, who
came to Ajmer from Persia in 1192. Construction of the shrine
was completed by Humayun and the gate was added by the Nizam of
Hyderabad. Akbar used to make the piligrimage to the Dargah from
Agra once a year. The saint's tomb is in the centre of the
second court. It has a marble dome and the actual tomb inside is
surrounded by a silver platform. The tomb attaracts hundred of
thousands of piligrims every year on the anniversary of the
lunar calendar.
Adhai - din - ka - jhonpra
According to legend, its construction, in 1153, took two and
half days, as its name imdicates. It was built as a Jain
college, but in 1198, Muhammad Ghori took Ajmer and converted
the building into a mosque by adding a seven - arched wall in
the front of the pillared hall.
Akbar Palace
Back in the city, near the railway station, this fort was built
by Akbar in 1570 and today houses the Ajmer Museum. The
collection has some fine sculpture and a rather poor collection
of Moghul and Rajput armour. The museum is closed on Friday and
charges a small admission fee.
Nasiyan Temple
The 'Red Temple' on Prithviraj Marg is a Jain Temple built last
century. Its double - storey hall contains a series of large,
gilt wooden figures from Jain mythology which depict the Jain
concept of the ancient world. It's certainly worth a visit.
Taragarh
Three km and a steep one and half hour climb beyond the mosque
in Adhai - din - ka - jhonpra, Taragarh, or 'Star Fort' commands
an excellent view over the city. The fort was the site of much
military activity during Moghul times and was later used as a
sansation by the British.
How To Get To Ajmer
By Air: Jaipur at 132 km is the nearest airport.
By Rail: Regular train services link Ajmer with
important cities. Some important train connections are: Gujrat
Mail (Mumbai-Ajmer-Delhi Sarai Rohilla)
Jodhpur Mail (Marwar-Ajmer-Jaipur)
Delhi Express(Ahmedabad-Ajmer-Jaipur)
Shatabadi Express(New Delhi-Ajmer-New Delhi).
By Road:
There are buses from Ajmer to Jaipur every 15 minutes, some
non-stop. The 131km trip takes 2 1/2 hours. State transport
buses also go to Jodhpur, Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Kota, Bundi,
Ranakpur, Bharatpur and Bikaner. In addition, buses frequently
leave for Agra and for Jaisalmer.
Also available are private buses to Ahmedabad, Udaipur, Jodhpur,
Jaipur, Mt Abu, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Delhi and Mumbai
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Rajasthan is one of the 26 states that, along, with
seven union territories forms the republic of India. Rajasthan
is one of the 26 states that, along, with seven union
territories forms the republic of India. Located in the
north-west, it shares its borders with Punjab, Hariyana, Uttar
Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and and Gujarat, The Complete Rajasthan
-- Take a desert- burning sand in the long summers, large tracts
of dune-decked plains, with scarce water and even scarcer
vegetation and create a habitation with the mind's eye, if you
can. And the come to Rajasthan to see if you imagination can
begin to match where reality takes over.
History
Archaeological and historical evidence shows a continuous human
habitation of the area dating back 100,000 years. Between the
7th and the 11th century AD, several dynasties arose, with
Rajput strength reaching its peak at the beginning of the 16th
century. Emperor Akbar brought the Rajput states into the Mughal
Empire; by early 19th century, they allied with the Marathas.
Later, the British established supremacy in the region.
Rajasthan soon emerged as a centre of Indian nationalism. When
the new constitution went into effect in 1950, Rajput princes
surrendered their powers to the Indian Union.
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