North India · Rajasthan
Ajmer, Rajasthan
Sources: wikimedia
Before you go
India's most visited Sufi shrine, open to all faiths; the annual Urs (Islamic month of Rajab) fills the city. Pushkar is ~15 km over the hill.
About Ajmer
- Hills
- Lakeside
Where it is
Ajmer is a city in central Rajasthan, set in a valley of the Aravalli range around the Ana Sagar lake, about 135 km south-west of Jaipur and a short drive from Pushkar.
History
Founded by the Chahamana (Chauhan) kings as Ajayameru, the city was their capital until the Ghurids took it in the 1190s. The Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti settled here and died in 1236, and his dargah drew Mughal emperors, among them Akbar, who made pilgrimages to it. Ajmer came under British rule in 1818 as the centre of Ajmer-Merwara and joined Rajasthan in 1956.
People
Ajmer speaks Hindi and Rajasthani, with Urdu widely used, and people of many faiths visit the dargah, where qawwals sing and hereditary khadims tend the shrine. The city is known for its sohan halwa, and the Urs brings pilgrims from across South Asia.
Known for
- The Dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti
- The annual Urs
- Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra
- Ana Sagar lake and Taragarh Fort
- Soniji Ki Nasiyan Jain temple
Did you know?
The English ambassador Sir Thomas Roe was received at Ajmer by the Mughal emperor Jahangir, who was holding court in the city.
Shrines and sites
- Dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti
- Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra
- Soniji Ki Nasiyan
- Ana Sagar Lake
Traditions
- Muslim
- Hindu
- Jain
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.