Nestling in the foothills of `Ajaya Meru', Ajmer was founded by Aijpal Chauhan in the year 1100 AD, dominated and ruled by Chauhan dynasty till 1193 AD. Ajmer is a world renowned pilgrimage center for both Hindus as well as Muslims. It is a celestial home to most holy Dargah Sharif a tomb of the Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti, which is equally worshiped by all religions specially the Hindus and Muslims.
Historically, Ajmer always had great strategic importance and was sacked by Mahumud of Ghazni on one of his periodic forays from Afghanistan. Later it became a favorite residence of the great Moghula. One of the first contacts between the Moghula and the British occurred in Ajmer when Sir Thomas Roe met with Jahangir here in 1616. The city was subsequently taken by the Scindias and, in 1818, it was handed over to the British, becoming one of the few places in Rajasthan controlled directly by British rather than being part of a princely state.
The Urs or annual pilgrimage of the devout is celebrated each May at the Dargah with millions of pilgrims arriving in Ajmer to pay homage. Lengthy queues of several kilometres snake their way past the tomb at the shrine while outside the Dargah precincts, two massive cauldrons cook sweet rice garnished with dry fruits and condiments to be served as ‘tabarukh’ or sanctified food. Within the dargah lies a mosque, built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. Like all of Shah Jahan’s buildings, the mosque too, is an architectural marvel - a magnificent building in white marble with a long and narrow courtyard for the faithful to pray in, richly embellished with ornate calligraphic inscriptions, delicate carvings and detailed trelliswork.
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