Ajmer (Hindi)

City

Mayo College

Coordinates: 26.45N 74.64E

Country India

State Rajasthan

District Ajmer

Founded by Raja Ajaypal Chauhan

Government

Body District Headquarters

Elevation 486 m (1,594 ft)

Population (2011 census)

City 542,580

Metro 2,661,720

Languages

Official Hindi, English

AjmerFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ajmer (Rajasthani: ), (pronounced [dmer] ( ))

is the 5th largest city in Rajasthan and is the centre of theeponymous Ajmer District. Ajmer has a population ofaround 551,360 in its urban agglomeration and 542,580for the city (2011 census), and is located 135 kilometres(84 mi) west of Jaipur, the state capital, 190 km fromKota, 274 km from Udaipur, 439 km from Jaisalmer, and391 km from Delhi.

Ajmer is surrounded by the Aravalli Mountains. It is apilgrimage centre for the shrine of the Sufi Saint KhwajaMoinuddin Chishti and is also the base for visitingPushkar (11 km), an ancient Hindu pilgrimage city,famous for the temple of Brahma.

Contents

1 History

2 Geography

3 Climate

4 Transportation

4.1 Air

4.2 Rail

4.3 Road

4.4 Intra-city transport

5 Industry

6 Tourist sites

7 Education

8 Demographics

9 See also

10 References

11 External links

History

Ajmer

Coordinates: 26.45N 74.64E

Regional Hindi, Rajasthani

Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)

PIN 3050 xx

Telephone code +0145

Vehicleregistration

RJ01

Nearest city Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur

Website www.ajmer.nic.in(http://www.ajmer.nic.in)

Jahangir receives Prince

Khurram at Ajmer on his

return from the Mewar

campaign

According to Rajputana Gazetteer, Ajmer was held byChechi Gurjars until about700 years ago. Ajmer(Sanskrit Ajayameru) wasfounded in the late 7thcentury A.D. by AjayrajSingh Chauhan. Chauhanclan is a branch of ChechiGurjars. The Chauhandynasty ruled Ajmer inspite of repeated invasionsby Turkic Muslim armies from Central Asia across the north of India. Ajmer wasconquered by Muhammad of Ghor, founder of the Delhi Sultanate, in 1193.However, the Chauhan rulers were able to gain autonomy upon the payment of aheavy tribute to him. Ajmer regained independence under the ruler of Mewar in1365. In 1509, control of Ajmer was disputed between the Maharajas of Mewarand Marwar unitil it was conquered by the Marwar in 1532. In 1553, the state wasruled by the Hindu Emperor Hem Chandra Vikramaditya, popularly known asHemu, who was killed in 1556 in the Second Battle of Panipat. The city was

conquered by the Mughal 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 theprovince of Ajmer-Marwar, which consisted of the districts of Ajmer and Merwara and were physically separatedby the territory of the Rajputana Agency. Ajmer-Marwar was directly administered by the British Raj, by acommissioner who was subordinate to the Governor-General's agent for Rajputana. Ajmer-Marwar remained aprovince of India until 1950, when it became the Ajmer State.

Ajmer state became part of Rajasthan state on 1 November 1956.

Geography

Lake Anasagar against Taragarh Hill

Ajmer is surrounded by the Aravalli Mountains. The city is sied on the lower slopes of the Taragarh Hill in theAravalli Range. It is situated almost in the centre of Rajasthan. To the north of the city is a large artificial lake, calledAnasagar with a marble structure known as Baradari. Ajmer is protected from the Thar desert by the massiverocks of Nagpathar range.

Ajmer is also antipodal to the Chilean remote island of Isla Sala y Gmez.

Climate

Climate data for Ajmer

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year

Average highC (F)

22.9(73.2)

25.7(78.3)

31.3(88.3)

36.5(97.7)

39.7(103.5)

38.4(101.1)

33.6(92.5)

31.3(88.3)

32.6(90.7)

33.5(92.3)

29.2(84.6)

24.7(76.5)

31.62(88.92)

Average low C(F)

7.6(45.7)

10.5(50.9)

16.0(60.8)

22.2(72)

26.8(80.2)

27.5(81.5)

25.6(78.1)

24.4(75.9)

23.7(74.7)

18.8(65.8)

12.3(54.1)

8.4(47.1)

18.65(65.57)

Rainfall mm(inches)

7.3(0.287)

6.0(0.236)

5.0(0.197)

4.0(0.157)

15.7(0.618)

58.1(2.287)

181.5(7.146)

157.5(6.201)

73.0(2.874)

13.1(0.516)

4.0(0.157)

3.8(0.15)

529(20.826)

Source: IMD[1]

Ajmer has a hot semi-arid climate with over 55 centimetres (25.4 in) of rain every year but most of the rain occursin 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). Duringthe monsoon there are frequent heavy rains and thunderstorms but flooding is not a common occurrence. Thewinter months of November to February are mild and temperate with average temperatures ranging from 1518 C(5964 F) with little or no humidity. There are, however, occasional cold weather front that cause temperatures tofall to near freezing levels.

Transportation

The Pushkar Ghati connecting Ajmer

and Pushkar

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 PrimeMinister Manmohan Singh in September 2013 and it is expected to

commence operations in 2016.[2] At present the nearest airport is theJaipur International Airport, about 132 km away, with daily flights to themajor 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 Electricwires i.e. only Diesel engines can be run on them. Electrification of therailway lines is under progress, starting with Ajmer-Jaipur line.

Road

The city is located on the Golden Quadrilateral National Highway 8 (NH8) midway between Delhi and Mumbai, about 400 km from Delhi and135 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.Rickshaws are 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 engineeringworkshops, re-rolling mills, electronic component plants etc. The nearby town of Kishangarh is one of the largestcentres for marble products, employing about 7,000 people.

Tourist sites

The Dargh Sharf of Khwja Mu'nuddn Chisht is situated at the foot of the Trgah hill, and consists of severalwhite marble buildings arranged around two courtyards, including a massive gate donated by the Nizm ofHyderabad and the Akbari Mosque, built by the Mughal emperor Shh Jahn. It contains the domed tomb of thesaint. Akbar and his queen used to come here by foot on pilgrimage from Agra every year in observance of a vowwhen 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 hasbeen estimated that around 125,000 pilgrims visit the site every day.

Inside Dargah Sharif

Baradari on Lake Anasagar

Soniji Ki Nasiyan

Lake Foysagar at sunset

Trgah Fort, the fort guarding Ajmer, was the seat of the Chauhn rulers. It is reputed to be one of the oldest hillforts in India and the world. It was built by King Ajypl Chauhn on the summit of Trgah Hill and overlooksAjmer. The battlements run along the top of the hill. The walls are two miles (3 km) in circumference and the fortcan only be approached by way of a very steep slope. When it fell to the British Raj, the fort was dismantled on theorders of Lord William Bentinck and was converted into a sanatorium for the British troops stationed at thegarrison town of Nasirabad.

Adh Din K Jhonpd, a Vaishnava Hindu temple built in 1153 and converted into a mosque by Qubuddn Aybakin 1193, is situated on thelower slope of Trgarh hill.Aikbak's successor, Shams al-Din Iltutmish added to themosque. It is noted for itsdouble-depth calligraphyinscriptions, in the Naskh andKufic scripts. Apart from themosque, called Jma' Iltutmish(pronounced Altamishlocally), nearly the whole of theancient temple has fallen into

ruins, but the relics are still unsurpassed as examples of Hinduarchitecture and sculpture. Forty columns support the roof, but no two

are alike and the ornaments are exceptional in their decorations.[3]

Magazine, the city's Museum, was once the residence of Prince Salm,the son of the Emperor Akbar, and presently houses a collection ofMughal and Rajput armour and sculpture. This is the location from whereSalm, as the Emperor Jahngr read out the firman permitting the British East India Company to trade with India.

Maqbara Shaikh Husain, houses the tomb of Khwaja Husain ChishtyRehamatullah Alaih (Shaikh Husain Ajmeri) who was the Peer of AjmerSharif Dargah in Emperor Akbar's Time, He was the great grandson ofKhwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chishty Rehmatullah Alaih, his tomb was builtin 1637-1638 by Khwaja Alauddin Chishty and Sajjadanashin HazratKhwaja Moinuddin

Mayo College was founded in 1875 by Lord Mayo, Viceroy of India.The architecture of the school buildings is in the same style as royalRajasthani architecture. The school's main building, in white marble, is a

classic example of Indo-Saracenic architecture.[4]

Ansgar Lake, this historic man-made lake was built by Maharaja Anaji (1135-1150 AD). By the lake is theDaulat Bgh, a garden laid out by Emperor Jahngr. Emperor Shh Jahn later added five pavilions, known as theBaradari, between the garden and the lake.

Soniji Ki Nasiyan is an architecturally rich Digambara Jain temple. It was built in the late nineteenth century. Themain chamber, known as the Swarna Nagari "City of Gold", has several gold-plated wooden figures, depicting

several figures in the Jain religion.[5]

Ajmer, a view from Taragarh Fort

Sophia School and College

Population Growth of Ajmer

Census Pop. %

1891 68,800

1901 73,800 7.3%

1911 86,200 16.8%

1921 113,200 31.3%

1931 119,500 5.6%

1941 147,300 23.3%

1951 196,300 33.3%

1961 231,200 17.8%

1971 264,300 14.3%

1981 374,400 41.7%

Lake Foy Sagar is situated in the outskirts of the city, it is a picturesque artificial lake that was created as a faminerelief project in 1892. It offers panoramic views of the neighbouring Aravalli mountains as well as of the eveningflights of nearby birds.

Nareli Jain Temple is a relatively new Jain temple. It is located on the outskirts of Ajmer.[6]

Located about 11 kilometres from Ajmer Pushkar is also an important tourist destination. It is famous for PushkarLake and the 14th century Brahma Temple at Pushkar, dedicated to Brahm, according to the Padma Pura,

Pushkar is the only place where Brahm may be worshipped.[7] There is a general belief amongst Hindus that nopilgrimage to the four principal pilgrim centres (Char Dham) namely, Badrinth, Jagannth, Rmeshwaram andDwarka, would be complete without a blessing that comes from bathing in the holy Pushkar Lake. Pushkar has 52bathing ghats and many temples. Pushkar is also famous for its annual Pushkar Fair.

Education

Mayo College was founded by the British Raj in 1875 to educate thechildren of India's royalty. Ajmer is also home to Saint Anselms School(1904), Sophia Girls' School (1918/1935) & College (1942), and thehistoric Ajmer Music College (1942), the first accredited institution inRajasthan 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.

Demographics

1991 402,700 7.6%

2001 490,520 21.8%

2011 551,101 12.4%

source:[8]

Population growth through the years

Year Population

1891

1901

1911

1921

1931

1941

1951

1961

1968

1971

1981

1991

2001

2011

Source:[8]

According to the 2011 India census,[9] Ajmer district has a population of 2,584,913, which was made up of1,325,911 males and 1,259,002 females. Ajmer district had an average literacy rate of 70.46 percent, male literacybeing 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 tomale ratio in Ajmer was 950/1000. This represents an increase of 2.04% from the 2001 census. Ajmer'spopulation growth in the decade was 18.48%, this compares to a growth figure of 20.93% for the previousdecade. The population of Ajmer city according census 2011 is 542,580 positioning Ajmer in top 100 major citiesof India and 5th in Rajasthan.

See also

Luni River

References

1. ^ "Monthly mean maximum and minimum temperature and total rainfall of important cities (PDF)"

(http://www.imd.gov.in/doc/climateimp.pdf). Retrieved 28 July 2013.

68,800

73,800

86,200

113,200

119,500

147,300

196,300

231,200

265,200

264,300

374,400

402,700

490,520

551,101