Difference between revisions of "Ajmer" - New World Encyclopedia

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== History ==
 
== History ==
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Raja Ajai Pal [[Chauhan]] founded Ajmer (Ajaya-meru in Sanskrit) in the late seventh century C.E..<ref>Trudy Ring,  Robert M. Salkin, and Sharon La Boda, ''International dictionary of historic places'' (Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 1994), p. 20.</ref> He established the [[Chauhan]] dynasty which continued to rule the country during the period waves of Turkish invaders swept across [[India]]. [[Muhammad of Ghor]], founder of the [[Delhi Sultanate]], conquered Ajmer in 1193. He established Ajmer as a tributary, requiring the Chauhan rulers to pay him an enormous annual tribute. Ajmer remained feudatory to Delhi until 1365, when the ruler of [[Mewar]] conquered it.  
 
Raja Ajai Pal [[Chauhan]] founded Ajmer (Ajaya-meru in Sanskrit) in the late seventh century C.E..<ref>Trudy Ring,  Robert M. Salkin, and Sharon La Boda, ''International dictionary of historic places'' (Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 1994), p. 20.</ref> He established the [[Chauhan]] dynasty which continued to rule the country during the period waves of Turkish invaders swept across [[India]]. [[Muhammad of Ghor]], founder of the [[Delhi Sultanate]], conquered Ajmer in 1193. He established Ajmer as a tributary, requiring the Chauhan rulers to pay him an enormous annual tribute. Ajmer remained feudatory to Delhi until 1365, when the ruler of [[Mewar]] conquered it.  
  
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===Dargah Shareef of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti===
 
===Dargah Shareef of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti===
[[Image:Sufi photos 051.jpg|thumb|The Dargah of [[Sufi]] saint Moinuddin Chishti]]
 
 
The '''Dargah Shareef''' of Khwaja [[Moinuddin Chishti]], situated at the foot of the Taragarh hill, hosts white marble buildings arranged in two courtyards. The site includes a massive gate donated by the [[Nizam]] of [[Hyderabad state|Hyderabad]], a [[mosque]] donated by the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] emperor [[Shah Jahan]], the Akbari [[Masjid]], and the domed tomb of the saint.<ref>Griselda Pollock and Victoria Turvey-Sauron, ''The sacred and the feminine: Imagination and sexual difference''. New encounters: arts, cultures, concepts. (London: I B Tauris & Co Ltd., 2008), p. 79.</ref>Emperor [[Akbar]] made a pilgrimage on foot from [[Agra]] with his queen, every year in observance of a [[vow]] he had made when praying for a son. The large pillars, erected at intervals of {{convert|2|mi}} the entire distance between Agra and Ajmer marking the daily halting places of the royal pilgrims, still stand.
 
The '''Dargah Shareef''' of Khwaja [[Moinuddin Chishti]], situated at the foot of the Taragarh hill, hosts white marble buildings arranged in two courtyards. The site includes a massive gate donated by the [[Nizam]] of [[Hyderabad state|Hyderabad]], a [[mosque]] donated by the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] emperor [[Shah Jahan]], the Akbari [[Masjid]], and the domed tomb of the saint.<ref>Griselda Pollock and Victoria Turvey-Sauron, ''The sacred and the feminine: Imagination and sexual difference''. New encounters: arts, cultures, concepts. (London: I B Tauris & Co Ltd., 2008), p. 79.</ref>Emperor [[Akbar]] made a pilgrimage on foot from [[Agra]] with his queen, every year in observance of a [[vow]] he had made when praying for a son. The large pillars, erected at intervals of {{convert|2|mi}} the entire distance between Agra and Ajmer marking the daily halting places of the royal pilgrims, still stand.
  
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====Adhai-din-ka-jhonpra====
 
====Adhai-din-ka-jhonpra====
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[[Image:Pushkar Lake.JPG|thumb|right|220px|Pushkar Lake]]
 
The '''Adhai-din-ka-jhonpra''', a [[Jain]] temple constructed in 1153 and converted into a mosque by [[Qutubuddin Aibak]] after 1193, is situated on the lower slope of the Taragarh hill. With the exception of that part used as a mosque, nearly the whole of the ancient temple has fallen into ruins, but the relics are not excelled in beauty of architecture and sculpture by any remains of Hindu art. Forty columns support the roof, but no two are alike, and great fertility of invention is manifested in the execution of the ornaments.
 
The '''Adhai-din-ka-jhonpra''', a [[Jain]] temple constructed in 1153 and converted into a mosque by [[Qutubuddin Aibak]] after 1193, is situated on the lower slope of the Taragarh hill. With the exception of that part used as a mosque, nearly the whole of the ancient temple has fallen into ruins, but the relics are not excelled in beauty of architecture and sculpture by any remains of Hindu art. Forty columns support the roof, but no two are alike, and great fertility of invention is manifested in the execution of the ornaments.
[[Image:Pushkar Lake.JPG|thumb|right|The [[Pushkar]] Lake]]
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====Magazine====
 
====Magazine====
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====Mayo College====
 
====Mayo College====
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[[Image:Ajmer at Night.jpg|Ajmer at Night|right|thumb|220px|Ajmer at Night]]
 
'''[[Mayo College]]''' was established in 1875 by [[Lord Mayo]], [[Viceroy of India]]. The architecture of the school buildings evoke the grandeur of erstwhile princely Rajasthan. The main building of the school, in white marble, is a classic example of Indo-Saracenic architecture, and the design now lies in the archives of the British Museum in London.<ref> [http://www.mayocollege.com/AboutBuildingArch.asp Main Building Architecture: Official website of Mayo College, Ajmer, India] </ref>
 
'''[[Mayo College]]''' was established in 1875 by [[Lord Mayo]], [[Viceroy of India]]. The architecture of the school buildings evoke the grandeur of erstwhile princely Rajasthan. The main building of the school, in white marble, is a classic example of Indo-Saracenic architecture, and the design now lies in the archives of the British Museum in London.<ref> [http://www.mayocollege.com/AboutBuildingArch.asp Main Building Architecture: Official website of Mayo College, Ajmer, India] </ref>
  
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Image:Pushkar Lake.jpg|Pushkar Lake
 
Image:Pushkar Lake.jpg|Pushkar Lake
 
Image:Sun Sets on Pushkar Fair.jpg|Sun setting on Pushkar Camel Fair
 
Image:Sun Sets on Pushkar Fair.jpg|Sun setting on Pushkar Camel Fair
Image:Durgha of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishty.jpg|Durgha of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishty
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Image:Sufi photos 051.jpg|The Dargah of Sufi Saint Moinuddin Chishti]]
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
 
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Revision as of 23:46, 28 November 2008

File:Durgha of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishty.jpg
Durgha of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti
  Ajmer
Rajasthan • India
Map indicating the location of Ajmer
Thumbnail map of India with Rajasthan highlighted
Location of Ajmer
 Ajmer 
Coordinates: 26°16′N 74°25′E / 26.27, 74.42
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
Area
Elevation

• 486 m (1,594 ft)
District(s) Ajmer
Population 485,197 (2001)
Codes
• Pincode
• Telephone
• Vehicle

• 3050 xx
• ++0145
• RJ01

Coordinates: 26°16′N 74°25′E / 26.27, 74.42 Ajmer (Hindi: अजमेर /ədʒmeːr/) is a city in Ajmer District in India's Rajasthan state. Ajmer, a city know for its beauty, sits with the Aravali mountains surrounding on all sides. Prithviraj Chauhan ruled his empire from Ajmer, also known as Ajaymeru. The city gave its name to the district including it, also to a former province of British India called Ajmer-Merwara. After India's independence, Ajmer-Merwara jointed the state of Ajmer until November 1, 1956, when it merged into Rajasthan state. In 2001, Ajmer had a population of approximately 500,000.

History

Raja Ajai Pal Chauhan founded Ajmer (Ajaya-meru in Sanskrit) in the late seventh century C.E..[1] He established the Chauhan dynasty which continued to rule the country during the period waves of Turkish invaders swept across India. Muhammad of Ghor, founder of the Delhi Sultanate, conquered Ajmer in 1193. He established Ajmer as a tributary, requiring the Chauhan rulers to pay him an enormous annual tribute. Ajmer remained feudatory to Delhi until 1365, when the ruler of Mewar conquered it.

In 1509, Maharajas of Mewar and Marwar contended for control Ajmer, Marwar ultimately conquered coming out the victor in 1532. Emperor Akbar, ruler of the Mughal, conquered Ajmer in 1559 remaining in the control of the Mughals, with occasional revolts, till 1770 C.E., until it ceded to the Marathas. From 1770 C.E. until 1818, Ajmer became the scene of an ongoing struggle, seized variously by the Mewar and the Marwar Maharajas, from whom the Marathas often retook the city.

In 1818 C.E., the Marathas sold Ajmer to the British East India Company for 50,000 rupees. Ajmer enjoyed a stable governance during the era of British rule, even though during the Indian Mutiny of 1857 some Indian sepoys at the garrison in the nearby town of Nasirabad joined the revolt. In the British Raj, Ajmer was governed by an Agent to the Governor General [AGG] overseeing Rajputana. After India gained its independence from Great Britain in 1947, Ajmer retained its position as a centrally administrated state under a Chief Commissioner for a number of years. Ajmer eventually merged into the state of Rasjasthan.

Historical Sites

Pushkar, and the Dargah, tomb of the most revered Muslim sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti, the Gharib Nawaz, stand out as the most important historical sites in Ajmer.[2]

Pushkar

Pushkar Camel Trader

Pushkar, a town in the state of Rajasthan in India, about 23 kilometers (14 mi) from Ajmer, is an important historical site with splendid natural beauty. Pushkar boasts Pushkar Lake and a fourteenth century Hindu temple to Brahma, God as the Creator of all creation. That constitutes the only temple dedicated Brahma in the world. Pushkar has won renown for its annual Camel Fair.

Dargah Shareef of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti

The Dargah Shareef of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, situated at the foot of the Taragarh hill, hosts white marble buildings arranged in two courtyards. The site includes a massive gate donated by the Nizam of Hyderabad, a mosque donated by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, the Akbari Masjid, and the domed tomb of the saint.[3]Emperor Akbar made a pilgrimage on foot from Agra with his queen, every year in observance of a vow he had made when praying for a son. The large pillars, erected at intervals of 2 miles (3.2 km) the entire distance between Agra and Ajmer marking the daily halting places of the royal pilgrims, still stand.

Other Important Sites

Taragarh Fort

Taragarh Fort, the fort of Ajmer, seat of the Chauhan rulers, is claimed to be the first hill fort of Asia, built at a time when the Aravalli mountain ranges were above the snowlines. This gives it the reputation of being one of the oldest hill forts of the world, and it is definitely the oldest among the hill forts in India.[4]

Adhai-din-ka-jhonpra

The Adhai-din-ka-jhonpra, a Jain temple constructed in 1153 and converted into a mosque by Qutubuddin Aibak after 1193, is situated on the lower slope of the Taragarh hill. With the exception of that part used as a mosque, nearly the whole of the ancient temple has fallen into ruins, but the relics are not excelled in beauty of architecture and sculpture by any remains of Hindu art. Forty columns support the roof, but no two are alike, and great fertility of invention is manifested in the execution of the ornaments.


Magazine

Magazine, the city's Museum, was once the residence of Prince Salim, son of Emperor Akbar, and presently houses a collection of the Mughal and Rajput armour and sculpture. This residence of Salim is significant from a historical point of view, because Salim as Emperor Jahangir read out the firman for trade to India to the British East India company from here, thus starting the chain of events that lead to India's colonisation by the British.

Taragarh Hill Fort

The summit of Taragarh hill, overhanging Ajmer, is crowned by a fort, the lofty thick battlements of which run along its brow and enclose the table-land. The walls are two miles (3 km) in circumference, and the fort can only be approached by steep and very roughly paved planes, commanded by the fort and the outworks, and by the hill to the west. On coming into the hands of the British Raj, the fort was dismantled by order of Lord William Bentinck, and was converted into a sanatorium for the troops stationed at the British cantonment town of Nasirabad.

Mayo College

Mayo College was established in 1875 by Lord Mayo, Viceroy of India. The architecture of the school buildings evoke the grandeur of erstwhile princely Rajasthan. The main building of the school, in white marble, is a classic example of Indo-Saracenic architecture, and the design now lies in the archives of the British Museum in London.[5]

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ajmer.

Anasagar Lake

The Anasagar Lake This lovely lake was constructed by King Anaji (1135-1150 C.E.), the grandfather of Prithvi Raj Chauhan, at a picturesque site located to the north of Ajmer. Next to the lake are the Daulat Bagh Gardens set up by Emperor Jehangir. Shahjahan added the Baradari (marble pavilion) to the lake. An embankment built between two hillocks-Bajrang Garh and Khobra Bherun (named after the Hindu temples built on them) forms the Lake.[6]

Minor Sites in Ajmer

  • Rajputana Museum
  • Nasiyan (Jain mandir)
  • Abdullah Khan's tomb
  • Ana Sagar Lake
  • Circuit house
  • Khobra Bheroon Temple
  • Visal Sar.

Minor Sites in the Vicinity of Ajmer

  • Ajaipalji
  • Anted ki Mata
  • Jain Chhatries
  • Foy Sagar Lake
  • Kishangarh

Transport

Ajmer is at an important railway junction with Broad gauge lines to Jaipur and Marwar, Ahmedabad and Mumbai onwards to Bangalore and a Meter gauge line subject to conversion under Project Unigauge to Udaipur.[7] The railway complex includes a major workshop. The railway has helped the city as a trade center for manufactured goods including wool textiles, hosiery, shoes, soap, and pharmaceuticals. Poultry Farming is a major source of income for the urban farmers. The near by town of Kishangarh is one of the biggest seller market for marble and marble products. Ajmer is well connected with the national highway and only 135 km from the Swai Mansingh international airport at Jaipur.

Education

Ajmer is also home to Mayo college, founded by the British Raj in 1870 to educate the children of Rajputana's nobles on the lines of an English public school. Ajmer is also home to the prestigious Sophia Girls' School and Sophia College, and the historic Ajmer Music College, founded in 1942, the first accredited institution in Rajputana for teaching classical Hindustani music.

Other educational institutions which prominently shape the academic environment of Ajmer before India became independent are the Government College, Savitri Girls' School & College, D.A.V. College, Government High School, St. Mary's Convent Girls' School, King George Royal Indian Military School, St. Paul's School, St. Anslem's High School, Moinia Islamia High School, Oswal Jain High School, Husband Memorial High School, Govt. Central Girls' High School, Arya Putri Pathshala, and Saraswati Balika Vidyalaya. The Board of Education was, and still is, located in Ajmer.

Among the other accredited institutions currently in Ajmer are one of the four national NCERT Demonstration Schools, Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati University, Ajmer Medical College, Government Engineering College, Maheshwari Public School and Ajmer Institute of Technology.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Ajmer had a population of 485,197. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Ajmer has an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 56% of the males and 44% of females literate. 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Gallery

See also

Notes

External links retrieved November 28, 2008.

  1. Trudy Ring, Robert M. Salkin, and Sharon La Boda, International dictionary of historic places (Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 1994), p. 20.
  2. Rashtriya sahara (New Delhi: Sahara India Mass Communication, 1993): v.5 no.7-12, p. 78.
  3. Griselda Pollock and Victoria Turvey-Sauron, The sacred and the feminine: Imagination and sexual difference. New encounters: arts, cultures, concepts. (London: I B Tauris & Co Ltd., 2008), p. 79.
  4. Hugh Chisholm, The encyclopædia britannica: a dictionary of arts, sciences, literature and general information (Cambridge, England: At the University Press, 1910), p. 452.
  5. Main Building Architecture: Official website of Mayo College, Ajmer, India
  6. G. N. Sharma, Glories of Mewar (Agra: Shiva Lal Agarwala & Co., 1974), p. 80.
  7. David Stott and Matt Barrett, Footprint Rajasthan (Bath: Footprint, 2007), p. 177.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Chisholm, Hugh. 1910. The encyclopædia britannica: a dictionary of arts, sciences, literature and general information. Cambridge, England: At the University Press. OCLC 266598
  • Pollock, Griselda, and Victoria Turvey-Sauron. 2008. The sacred and the feminine: Imagination and sexual difference. New encounters: arts, cultures, concepts. London: I B Tauris & Co Ltd. ISBN 9781845115210.
  • Rashtriya sahara. 1993. New Delhi: Sahara India Mass Communication. OCLC 29930146.
  • Ring, Trudy, Robert M. Salkin, and Sharon La Boda. 1994. International dictionary of historic places. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers. ISBN 9781884964046.
  • Sharma, G. N. 1974. Glories of Mewar. Agra: Shiva Lal Agarwala & Co. OCLC 10780971.
  • Stott, David, and Matt Barrett. 2007. Footprint Rajasthan. Bath: Footprint. ISBN 9781906098070.

External Links

Links retrieved November 28, 2008.

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