Tour and Travel information on Ajmer and Pushkar Rajasthan
Ajmer is located 130 km (80 miles) west of Jaipur, in a picturesque valley surrounded by the hills of the Aravalli range, and has a population of 401,000. Of strategic importance in erstwhile Rajputana, it is today an important centre of pilgrimage for the Muslims of South Asia, due to its association with the great Sufi saint Muin-ud-din Chishti.
Ajmer was established in the early 7th century by Ajaipal Chauhan. He named the place Ajaimeru, the invincible hill, because he built India’s first hill fort, Taragarh, here. Ajmer was a Chauhan stronghold till 1194. The only remains of their times are the fort and the beautiful Anasagar Lake, built in 1150 by Anaji. The legendary Prithviraj, last of the Chauhans, is the inspiration for many heroic ballads sung even to-day in the villages of Rajasthan.
It was during the reign of Prithviraj, in 1191, that Muhammad of Ghori invaded India. Prithviraj died fighting the sultan’s army, and with the establishment of the Sultanate in Delhi, a new era began. Ajmer remained under the Sultanate till 1326. Thereafter, it became a bone of contention between the Sultans of Delhi, the Ranas of Mewar, the Rathors of Marwar and the Sultans of Gujarat. Peace was restored with the accession of Akbar to the Mughal throne in 1556. He made Ajmer a full-fledged province, and the base for his operations in Rajputana. He fortified the city, but only parts of the 3,735-metre (4,045-yd) long wall remain. His palace, the Daulat Khana, houses the Government Museum.
Mughal Center: Akbar’ s son, Jahangir, lived in Ajmer from 1613 to 1616. His ing palace, the Daulat Bagh, is now in ruins. Hindu The celebrated English ambassador to BS the Mughal court, Sir Thomas Roe, was to received here by the emperor. During the course of his extended stay, Roe met young Jahangir several times and showered him with gifts. But he failed to conclude a commercial treaty between England and the Mughal empire.
In 1659 a battle was fought in Ajmer between the Mughal princes, Aurangzeb and Dara Sukoh, during which Taragarh was greatly damaged. In the first half of the 18th century, Ajmer was affected by the political chaos in Delhi. In 1755, the situation became more complex with the involvement of the Marathas. Finally, in 1818, the Marathas ceded Ajmer to Sir David Ochterlony and, as part of the British empire, it remained under the care of successive superintendents. With the reorganization of the princely states in 1947, Ajmer became a part of Rajasthan.
Commercially, too, the city has been of importance, especially since the 13th century, as it was on the main trade route between Delhi and the ports of Gujarat (it is still on the Delhi—Ahmadabad highway) and taxes were levied on transit goods. The area is also rich in mica, lead and garnet. The 19th century was a very prosperous period, during which several royal families and wealthy seths (merchants) came to Ajmer. They built havelis to live in, some of which may still be seen off the narrow lanes in the old city.
Ajmer was also considered by the British as an appropriate place to establish a school for Indian princes. In 1874, Mayo College was opened with one pupil — the Maharaja of Alwar. He was attended by a retinue of servants and set out for school each day on an elephant and with considerable fanfare. In 1947 the school was opened to everyone, and is today one of the leading educational institutions in the country.
Islamic shrine: It is, however, as a religious centre that the importance and vitality of the city endures: the Dargah Sharif, where Khwaja Muin-ud-din Chishti lies buried, draws pilgrims from all parts of the Islamic world. The saint was born in Sanjar, Persia, in 1142. He became absorbed in spiritual matters at an early age. It is said that while in Mecca (Makkah), he had a prophetic vision directing him to go to Ajmer. He came to India around 1191 and settled in Ajmer, where he established the Chishtiya order, the foremost Sufi order in India. Through his message of love and his devotion to the poor he was able to spread the word of Islam more effectively than Ghori’s army. He came to be known as Khwaja Gharib Nawaz, the protector of the poor, and even today beggars plead for alms in his name. Along with fakirs, they seek shelter at his shrine.
Chishti died in 1236 and his devotees now extend beyond Islam. The Dargah Sharif is considered a wish-fulfilling shrine. Akbar is known to have walked on two occasions from Agra to Ajmer in thanksgiving for boons granted. There is a steady flow of pilgrims to the Dargah throughout the year, but during the Urs (death anniversary ceremonies) of the saint, celebrated between the 1st and 6th of Rajab, the 7th month of the lunar calendar, lakhs of pilgrims from all parts of South Asia converge upon the shrine.
The Dargah and its surroundings have a vitality and character quite apart from colonial and modern Ajmer. The shrine is approached through Madar Gate and past the Dargah Bazaar. The bazaar is stocked with ritual offerings — dazzling coverlets for the grave, incense, sweet-meats, rose petals and attar (perfume). Ajmer is famous for its pink rose is here that attar of roses was discovered during the time of Jahangir.
The Dargah lies at the foot of the northeast spur of Taragarh hill and is separated from it by a 19th-century water reservoir. The simple brick tomb in which the saint was buried has since been embellished by the lavish gifts of wealthy devotees, and several mosques, pavilions and gateways now surround the mausoleum. To its north lies the mehfilkhana, built in 1888 by the Nizam of Hyderabad. It is the scene of all-night qavvali (devotional songs) performances during the urs. Adjacent to this is the mosque built by Akbar. Shah Jahan’s elegant mosque in white marble is well preserved and lies west of the mausoleum, while to the east is the ornate Begami Dalan, the portico built by Princess Jahanara, the emperor’s daughter.
The saint’s grave is enclosed by a silver railing and lies in a domed chamber, partially surrounded by a marble lattice screen. Qavvals sing in praise of the saint, fakirs plead for alms, while the khadim (“servants” of the saint) keep a lookout for pilgrims.
Of particular interest in the Dargah are two huge deg (cauldrons) originally presented by Akbar and Jahangir but replaced in the 19th century. The loot-ing of the deg is a unique phenomenon which takes place when enough rice has been donated to fill them. (The large deg is over 3 metres/9 feet in diameter.) Once the rice is cooked and the names of the donors announced, professional looters empty it with lightning speed, even jumping into the boiling cauldron to scrape the dregs. The event is over in a few minutes and evokes great excitement. The rice is then sold as tabarrukh (sanctified food) by the looters.
West of the Dargah Sharif lies the immense Adhai din ka Jhonpra (the 2Y2-day hut). Originally a Sanskrit college built in 1155, it was restructured into a mosque by Sultan Ghori in 1198. It is one of the finest monuments of medieval India, especially noted for the beauty of its decorations and ornate calligraphic inscriptions. The pillars retain Hindu elements but the screen and arches were added in 1266. In the 18th century, fakirs used to assemble here for the urs of Panjaba Sahib, which lasted 21/2 days, hence the name.
Hill Fort: Taragarh, the star fort, rises 250 metres (800 feet) above the valley. It is accessible by road via Nallah Bazaar and a bridle path from behind the Dargah. Between 1860 and 1920 it was used as a sanatorium by the British. It affords an interesting view of the Dargah and of the valley to the west. The saint’s daughter, Bibi Hafiz Jamal, lived in this valley which is named after her. Jahangir built a hunting palace and tanks here, the ruins of which are also visible. Taragarh is important for a mosque and the shrine of Miran Sayyid Hussain, governor of the fort. He died in 1202, but sanctity was attached to him around 450 years later, when Akbar visited his grave.
Within the walled city, off Station Road is Akbar’s red sandstone palace, the Daulat Khana (Abode of Wealth). Built in 1570, it served the British as the Rajputana arsenal between 1818 and 1862, and was restored in 1905. The central audience hall is now the Government Museum. It is especially rich in arms, both Mughal and Rajput, sculptures from the 4th to the 12th centuries, and Bactrian and Kushan coins.
Glimpses of Ajmer’s colonial past can be seen at the Edward Memorial Hall and Golden Jubilee Clock Tower, both on Station Road, as well as the Ajmer Club situated near the spacious Kalka Bagh.
At the junction of Station Road and Kutcheri Road is the ornate 19th-century Nasiyan (Red) Jain Temple (also known as the Soni Temple). Although the shrine is closed to non-Jain visitors, the remarkable museum next door has a huge, gold-plated representation of the Jain universe, which can be viewed from a series of different galleries.
A little over 2 km (1 mile) from the Tourist Bungalow, past Subhash Bagh, is the tranquil Anasagar Lake, situated between hillocks. It is almost 13 km (8 miles) in circumference and its beauty is enhanced by Shah Jahan’s white mar-ble embankment and pavilions. This pleasure resort of the emperor was used by the British for official purposes, and Tod and Bishop Herber stayed here. Some of the pavilions are well pre-served and it has been restored.
Ajmer forms a convenient base for visits to nearby towns of interest. Fore-most among these is Pushkar (pop. 11,500), the road to which skirts Anasagar Lake. Just 11 km (8 miles) northeast of Ajmer, Pushkar is a small town sacred to the Hindus and now a tourist attraction for its annual camel fair, the largest in the world. The sanctity of the lake for Hindus is equal to that of Mansarovar in Tibet and according to tradition, a bath in its waters is as purifying as pilgrimages to Badrinath, Dwarka, Ramesvaram and Puri, traditionally the four essential places of pilgrimage for devout Hindus.
The Padma (lotus) Parana describes Pushkar as the place where Brahma, Lord of Creation, killed a demon with a lotus. The petals fell at three spots where lakes emerged. Pushkar is the most important of them, for Brahma performed a yagna (sacrifice) here on the full moon of Kartik (October/ November). His consort, Savitri, could not be present on the occasion, so Brahma hastily married a Gurjar girl, Gayatri. When Savitri appeared she was furious. She cursed all those present, and said that Brahma would be worshiped at Pushkar only. Brahma countered this by assigning Gayatri the status of goddess, with powers to undo the curse. However, his temple here remains one of the very few dedicated to this deity in India. Savitri retreated to a hillock north of the lake, where a temple is dedicated to her. On a hillock opposite is another dedicated to Gayatri.
Epics, religious texts, coins and inscriptions bear evidence to the sanctity of Pushkar. Over the centuries it grew of into a temple town, and today there are as many as 400 temples in Pushkar. The hic present town was renovated in the 9th ins. century by a Parihar king of Mandor, when he was cured of a skin ailment after a dip in the lake.
Pushkar is a maze of temples, ashrams (hermitages) and dharamshalas (rest houses) and one is never far from the sound of worship, from ascetics and devotees. The most important temples are dedicated to Brahma, Shiva, Badri Narayan, Varaha, Savitri and Gayatri. The dharamshalas are for specific castes, Adivasi peoples and sects.
The lake is bounded by 52 ghats, built over the centuries by kings and nobles. (Photography is prohibited on the ghats.) Of these, Varah, Brahma and Gau Ghats are the most revered. Varah Ghat is especially sacred as Lord Vishnu is believed to have appeared here in the form of a boar. A dip in the lake by a woman absolves both her and her husband of their sins. For a complete cleansing of sins, three twilights must be passed at Pushkar with baths at the three important ghats. As a sacred town, the consumption of alcohol and meat is strictly forbidden.
The Pushkar Fair: Throughout the year, life is centred on the lake and temples, and Pushkar has the atmosphere of an ancient religious town, peaceful and secluded. But for 12 days in the month, of Kartik it is transformed into a spectacular fairground that spreads over the dunes west of the town. The mela is an event of religious and commercial importance. Thousands of men come first, with their camels and cattle, and camp on the dunes to transact business. Three days before the full moon, the women start coming, beautifully attired. The pilgrims bathe and worship, watch the entertainments and shop at the hundreds of roadside stalls, while on the dunes camels are bought and sold, beautified, raced and paraded. The fair is over-whelming in its magnitude and in its visual impact.
Apart from the tranquil tourist bung-low on the shore of the lake, a miniature tent city is put up during the fair for the convenience of tourists.
Kishangarh, painters’ haven: Kishan-garh, a charming town well worth a visit, lies 30 km (19 miles) before Ajmer on the Jaipur road. It was founded in 1611 by Kishan Singh, who was the brother of the Raja of Jodhpur. Politically unimportant as a princely state, it has won international renown for having nurtured one of the finest schools of miniature painting in 18th-century India. Rajput princes had adopted the luxurious lifestyle of the Mughal court, of which miniature painting had become an integral part. By the mid-17th century, artists were already working in the ateliers of Kishangarh. A few decades later, Kishangarh also provided a haven to artists leaving Aurangzeb’s court and among those who came were the renowned Bhavanidas, Surat Ram and Nihal Chand.
The greatest patron of Kishangarh art was Raja Satwant Singh. He was him-self a painter and poet and wrote verses under the pseudonym of Nagaridas. He fell in love with a court singer, Bani Thani, who subsequently became his mistress. It is said that the famous Kishangarh Radha is made in her like-ness, but in fact the lotus-eyed woman had long been an Rajput ideal of feminine beauty. In 1757, Satwant Singh abdicated and left with Bani Thani for Vrindavan. The artists concentrated on the Krishna lila theme, but they portrayed Krishna in a courtly instead of a pastoral setting. The paintings belonged to the Rajas of Kishangarh and were first seen by the outside world in the 1940s. Some of these exquisite masterpieces are now on view at the National Museum, New Delhi.
The old city of Kishangarh still has the flavour of the magic world created by the artists. Modern Kishangarh is bustling and crowded, important as a wholesale market for red chillies and a cotton-weaving centre. But Kishan Singh’s city is about 4 km (21/2 miles) away. A road leads to the fort and buses and tongas ply the route regularly.
The fort and palaces overlook the lake in the centre of which is another palace, accessible by boat. The area is especially beautiful during the monsoon when the lotus blooms. And though the pleasure gardens are overgrown and the palaces unkempt, there are exact locations which can be recognized in the miniatures. A walk through the cobbled streets is rewarding. The ambience is decidedly medieval, and in many havelis painters of miniatures are still at work. There is also an interesting little bazaar, where goldsmiths and silversmiths can be seen crafting traditional jewellery.
Marble quarries: Due north of Kishangarh and 63 km (40 miles) away via Parvatsar are the marble quarries of Makrana, famous for having supplied the white marble for the Taj Mahal and the palaces built by Shah Jahan. More than a century ago Tod wrote: “The quarrries, until of late, yielded constant revenue but the age of palace building in these regions is no more and posterity will ask with surprise the sources of such luxury.” However, marble is being increasingly used in con-temporary architecture. Today, Makrana is the biggest centre for marble trade in India and the entire population of the city is associated with it.
The quarries, most of which have been privately owned over several generations, vary in size and stretch over a distance of 20 km (12Y2 miles). The finest marble is pure white, followed by white-grained, pink, grey, and grey with blue streaks. Quarrying techniques are mostly traditional. Blocks of marble are often raised by hand-operated pulleys. The stone is dressed for sizing at the site and transported on bullock carts to factories where it is sliced, washed and polished. There are about 500 factories in Makrana which supply marble slabs to all parts of India. Marble is also sent to Agra for inlay work, often pre-shaped on lathes in Makrana itself. There are about 40 carving centers in Makrana as well, and craftsmen can be seen working on statues, containers and pedestals.
Some 32 km (20 miles) west of Makrana, salt is harvested from the Sambhar Salt Lake.
Roopangarh, a small, peaceful town about 25km (15 miles) from Kishangarh, makes a good stopping-off point on the way to Ajmer or Pushkar. A hotel occupies the former fortress complex.
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