Ajmer, Rajasthan, India


Ajmer lies on the lower slopes of Taragarh Hill. Founded by Ajayadeva, an 11th-century Rajput ruler, Ajmer was annexed to the Delhi Slave dynasty in 1193. Upon payment of tribute it was returned to its Rajput rulers, until taken by Akbar in 1556. In 1770 it was annexed by the Marathas, after which the area was a continual Rajput-Maratha battleground until it was ceded to the British in 1818. In 1878 Ajmer was made a chief commissioner's province known as Ajmer-Merwara; it became a part of the state of Rajasthan in 1956.

Architectural monuments in the city include an ancient Jain temple (converted c. 1200 into a mosque); the white marble tomb complex of the Muslim saint Muin-ud-Din Chishti (d. 1236); and the palace of Akbar (reigned 1556-1605), now a museum. The city was a Muslim military base used in operations against the Rajputs. To the north lies Ana Sagar, a lake created in the 11th century, on the shores of which stand marble pavilions built by Shah Jahan (reigned 1628-1658). [Adapted from Encyclopedia Britannica]

Ajmer town (1, 2)

Houses

Donkey ride

Veils

Tomb of Sufi Khwaja Muin-ud-Din Chishti

Dargah entrance (more)

Tomb of Khwaja Muin-ud-din Chishti, a Sufi saint who came to Ajmer from Persia in 1192

Pilgrim

First courtyard

Second courtyard (more)


Big Muslim pilgrimage site


Patronized by the Mughals


Tomb chamber entrance


Father & son

Local man (more)

Beggars

Local woman

Handicapped man

Adhai-din-ka-Jhonpra Mosque


Former temple, now mosque

When Mohammed of Ghori seized Ajmer in 1198, he converted this temple into a Mosque.

Inside the compound


Built in 1153 CE


Strange birth defect


Pillared hall


Local man


Pillars


Wall detail

Ana Sagar Lake and Nasiyan Temple


Lakeside marble pavilion


Built by Shah Jehan


Lakeside settlement


Ghat on the lake


Soni Nasiyan (temple)


Golden tableau (19th cent.)


Inside an airtight hall (1, 2)


Cosmos according to Jains

 



Designed in collaboration with Vitalect, Inc. All rights reserved.