Ajmer (pronounced [ədʒmeːr]) is the 5th largest city in Rajasthan and is the centre of the eponymous Ajmer District. Ajmer has a population of around 551,360 in its urban agglomeration and 542,580 for the city (2011 census), and is located 135 kilometres (84 mi) South west of Jaipur, the state capital, 190 km from Kota, 274 km from Udaipur, 439 km from Jaisalmer, and 391 km from Delhi.
Quick facts: Ajmer अजमेर city of unity[1], Country ...
Prithviraj Chauhan (1149–1192 CE), of the Chauhan dynasty, ruled Ajmer along with Delhi during the latter half of the 12th century. Prithviraj Chauhan was the last independent Hindu king, before Hemu, to sit upon the throne of Delhi. He succeeded to the throne at the age of 13, and ruled from the twin capitals of Ajmer and Delhi.
Ajmer is surrounded by the Aravalli Mountains. It is a pilgrimage centre for the shrine of the Sufi Saint KhwajaMoinuddin Chishti and is also the base for visiting Pushkar (11 km), an ancient Hindu pilgrimage city, famous for the temple of Brahma. Ajmer has been selected as one of the heritage cities forHRIDAY - Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana scheme of Government of India. [2]
History
Main article: History of Ajmer
Jahangir receives Prince Khurram at Ajmer on his return from the Mewar campaign
According to Rajputana Gazetteer, Ajmer was held by Chechi Gurjars until about 700 years ago. Ajmer (Sanskrit अजय-मेरुAjayameru meaning "Invincible Spine") was founded in the late 7th century A.D. by Ajayraj Singh Chauhan. Chauhan clan is a branch of Chechi Gurjars. The Chauhan dynasty ruled Ajmer in spite of repeated invasions by Turkic Muslimarmies from Central Asia across the north of India. Ajmer was conquered byMuhammad of Ghor, founder of theDelhi Sultanate, in 1193. However, the Chauhan rulers were able to gain autonomy upon the payment of a heavy tribute to him. Ajmer regained independence under the ruler of Mewarin 1365. In 1509, control of Ajmer was disputed between the Maharajas of Mewar and Marwar unitil it was conquered by the Marwar in 1532. In 1553, the state was ruled by the Hindu Emperor Hem Chandra Vikramaditya, popularly known as Hemu, who was killed in 1556 in the Second Battle of Panipat. The city was conquered by theMughal emperor Akbar in 1559. In the early 1700s century, control passed to the Marathas.
In 1818 the British forced the Marathas to cede the city for 50,000 rupees whereupon it became part of the province of Ajmer-Marwar, which consisted of the districts of Ajmer and Merwara and were physically separated by the territory of the Rajputana Agency. Ajmer-Marwar was directly administered by the British Raj, by a commissioner who was subordinate to the Governor-General's agent for Rajputana. Ajmer-Marwar remained a province of India until 1950, when it became the Ajmer State.
Ajmer state became part of Rajasthan state on 1 November 1956.
Geography
Ajmer is surrounded by the Aravalli Mountains. The city is sied on the lower slopes of the Taragarh Hill in the Aravalli Range. It is situated almost in the centre of Rajasthan. To the north of the city is a large artificial lake, called Anasagar with a marble structure known as Baradari. Ajmer is protected from the Thar desertby the massive rocks of Nagpathar range.
Ajmer is also antipodal to the Chilean remote island of Isla Sala y Gómez.
Climate
More information: Climate data for Ajmer, Month ...
Ajmer has a hot semi-arid climate with over 55 centimetres (25.4 in) of rain every year, but most of the rain occurs in the Monsoon months, between June and September. Temperatures remain relatively high throughout the year, with the summer months of April to early July having an average daily temperature of about 30 °C (86 °F). During the monsoonthere are frequent heavy rains and thunderstorms but flooding is not a common occurrence. The winter months of November to February are mild and temperate with average temperatures ranging from 15–18 °C (59–64 °F) with little or no humidity. There are, however, occasional cold weather fronts that cause temperatures to fall to near freezing levels.
Transportation
The Pushkar Ghati connecting Ajmer and Pushkar
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A long shot of Pushkar ghati
Ajmer is well connected to the major cities of India by land and rail.
Air
Work on the Kishangarh Airport near Ajmer was inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in September 2013 and it is expected to commence operations in 2016.[4] At present the nearest airport is the Jaipur International Airport, about 132 km away, with daily flights to the major cities in India.
Rail
Ajmer is at an important railway junction on the Broad gauge Jaipur-Ahmedabad line. Presently, the rail lines are without overhead Electric wires i.e. only Diesel engines can be run on them. Electrification of the railway lines is under progress, starting with Ajmer-Jaipur line.
Road
The city is located on the Golden Quadrilateral National Highway 8 (NH 8) midway between Delhi and Mumbai, about 400 km from Delhi and 135 km from Jaipur. The Ajmer - Jaipur expressway is a 6 lane highway. There are air-conditioned bus services to Ajmer from Delhi, Jaipur and other cities.
Intra-city transport
Buses and taxis are available for travel within the city and to nearby towns such as Pushkar and Kishangarh. Rickshawsare also available within the city.
Industry
Ajmer is a manufacturing trade centre. Notable products include cotton, woolen textiles, leather, hosiery, shoes, soap, and pharmaceuticals. Poultry is a major source of income for farmers. Ajmer also has engineering workshops, re-rolling mills, electronic component plants etc. The nearby town ofKishangarh is one of the largest centres for marble products, employing about 7,000 people.
Tourist sites
Dargah Sharif, Ajmer
Baradari on Lake Anasagar
The Dargah Sharif of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti is situated at the foot of the Taragarh hill, and consists of several white marble buildings arranged around two courtyards, including a massive gate donated by the Nizam ofHyderabad and the Akbari Mosque, built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. It contains the domed tomb of the saint.Akbar and his queen used to come here by foot on pilgrimage from Agra every year in observance of a vow when he prayed for a son. The large pillars called "Kose ('Mile') Minar", erected at intervals of two miles (3 km) along the entire way between Agra and Ajmer mark the places where the royal pilgrims halted every day. It has been estimated that around 125,000 pilgrims visit the site every day.
Taragarh Fort, the fort guarding Ajmer, was the seat of the Chauhan rulers and was originally believed to be built byMughal ruler Akbar.[5] It is reputed to be one of the oldest hill forts in India and the world. It was built by King Ajaypal Chauhan on the summit of Taragarh Hill and overlooks Ajmer. The battlements run along the top of the hill. The walls are two miles (3 km) in circumference and the fort can only be approached by way of a very steep slope. When it fell to the British Raj, the fort was dismantled on the orders of Lord William Bentinckand was converted into a sanatorium for the British troops stationed at the garrison town of Nasirabad.
Adhai Din Ka Jhonpda, a VaishnavaHindu temple built in 1153 and converted into a mosque by Qutubuddin Aibak in 1193, is situated on the lower slope of Taragarh hill. Aikbak's successor, Shams al-Din Iltutmish added to the mosque. It is noted for its double-depth calligraphy inscriptions, in theNaskh and Kufic scripts. Apart from the mosque, called Jama Iltutmish(pronounced Altamash locally), nearly the whole of the ancient temple has fallen into ruins, but the relics are still unsurpassed as examples of Hindu architecture and sculpture. Forty columns support the roof, but no two are alike and the ornaments are exceptional in their decorations.[6]
Magazine, the city's Museum, was once the residence of Prince Salīm, the son of the Emperor Akbar, and presently houses a collection of Mughal andRajput armour and sculpture. This is a magnificent example of Mughal architecture, construction of which had been commissioned by Akbar in year of 1570. This is the location from where Salim, as the Emperor Jahangir read out the firman permitting the British East India Company to trade with India.
Lake Foysagar at sunset
Maqbara Shaikh Husain, houses the tomb of Khwaja Husain Chishty Rehamatullah Alaih (Shaikh Husain Ajmeri) who was the Peer of Ajmer Sharif Dargah in Emperor Akbar's Time, He was the great grandson of Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chishty Rehmatullah Alaih, his tomb was built in 1637-1638 by Khwaja Alauddin Chishty and Sajjadanashin Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin
Mayo College was founded in 1875 byLord Mayo, Viceroy of India. The architecture of the school buildings is in the same style as royal Rajasthani architecture. The school's main building, in white marble, is a classic example ofIndo-Saracenic architecture.[7]
Anasagar Lake, this historic man-made lake was built by Maharaja Anaji (1135-1150 AD).[5] By the lake is the Daulat Bagh, a garden laid out by Emperor Jahangar. Emperor Shah Jahan later added five pavilions, known as the Baradari, between the garden and the lake.
On the way to Prithviraj Chauhan Statue, the famous Sai Baba temple is also an important tourist destination which is having same architecture as that of Sai Baba temple in Shirdi.
Soniji Ki Nasiyan is an architecturally rich Digambara Jain temple. It was built in the late nineteenth century. The main chamber, known as the Swarna Nagari "City of Gold", has several gold-plated wooden figures, depicting several figures in the Jain religion.[8]
Lake Foy Sagar is situated in the outskirts of the city, it is a picturesque artificial lake that was created as a famine relief project in 1892. It offers panoramic views of the neighbouring Aravalli mountains as well as of the evening flights of nearby birds.
Nareli Jain Temple is a relatively newJain temple. It is located on the outskirts of Ajmer and lies in NH8[9]
Located about 11 kilometres from AjmerPushkar is also an important tourist destination. It is famous for Pushkar Lake and the 14th century Brahma Temple at Pushkar, dedicated toBrahmā, according to the Padma Purāņa, Pushkar is the only place where Brahmā may be worshipped.[10] There is a general belief amongst Hindus that no pilgrimage to the four principal pilgrim centres (Char Dham) namely, Badrinath, Jagannath, Rameshwaram and Dwarka, would be complete without a blessing that comes from bathing in the holy Pushkar Lake. Pushkar has 52 bathingghats and many temples. Pushkar is also famous for its annual Pushkar Fair.
Ajmer, a view from Taragarh Fort
chand vardai smarak built by chand vardai sahitya samiti at pushkar ghati noser ajmer. For the purpose of smarak Govt Of Rajasthan alloted the land 23300 sq yeard Chand vardai smarak near by in start of pushkar ghati. For detail any one can connect to chandvardai sahitya samiti sec Mr Prem Rao M No +918233737470
Education
Sophia School and College
Mayo College was founded by the British Raj in 1875 to educate the children of India's royalty. Ajmer is also home toSaint Anselms School (1904), St. Mary's Convent Girls' School, Sophia Girls' School (1918/1935) & College (1942), and the historic Ajmer Music College (1942), the first accredited institution in Rajasthan for teaching Hindustani classical music.
The Board of Secondary Education for Rajasthan is in Ajmer.
The Central University of Rajasthan is also situated near Kishangarh.
The city also houses JLN Medical College proving MBBS, MD and DM course training in various fields including cardiology.
Demographics
Quick facts: Population Growth of Ajmer , Census ...
More information: Year, Population ...
♦ Source:[11]
According to the 2011 India census,[12]Ajmer district has a population of 2,584,913, which was made up of 1,325,911 males and 1,259,002 females. Ajmer district had an average literacy rate of 70.46 percent, male literacy being 83.93% and female literacy 56.42%. There was a total of 1,557,264 literates compared to 1,168,856 in the 2001 census. The population density in Ajmer district was 305 compared to 257 per km2 in 2001. The female to male ratio in Ajmer was 950/1000. This represents an increase of 2.04% from the 2001 census. Ajmer's population growth in the decade was 18.48%, this compares to a growth figure of 20.93% for the previous decade. The population of Ajmer city according census 2011 is 542,580 positioning Ajmer in top 100 major cities of India and 5th in Rajasthan.
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