Ajmer
Ajmer is the 5th largest city in Rajasthan and is the centre of the eponymous Ajmer District. Ajmer has a population of around 800,000 (2011 census), and is located 135 kilometres west of Jaipur, the state capital, 274 km from Udaipur, 439 km from Jaisalmer, and 391 km from Delhi.

Ajmer is surrounded by the Aravalli Mountains. It is a pilgrimage centre for the shrine of the Sufi Saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti and is also the base for visiting Pushkar (11 km), an ancient Hindu pilgrimage city, famous for the temple of Brahma.
History
Ajmer (Ajayameru) was founded in the late 7th century A.D. by Dushyant Chauhan. The Chauhan dynasty ruled Ajmer in spite of repeated invasions by Turkic marauders from Central Asia across the north of India. Ajmer was conquered by Muhammad of Ghor, founder of the Delhi Sultanate, in 1193. However, the Chauhan rulers were allowed autonomy upon the payment of a heavy tribute to the conquerors. Ajmer remained subject to Delhi until 1365 when it was captured by the ruler of Mewar. In 1509, control of Ajmer was disputed between the Maharajas of Mewar and Marwar unitil it was conquered by the Marwar in 1532. The city was conquered by the Mughal emperor Akbar in 1559. In the 18th 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-Merwara, which consisted of the districts of Ajmer and Merwara and were physically separated by the territory of the Rajputana Agency. Ajmer-Merwara was directly administered by the British Raj, by a commissioner who was subordinate to the Governor-General's agent for Rajputana. Ajmer-Merwara remained a province of India until 1950, when it became the Ajmer State. Ajmer state became part of Rajasthan state on 1 November 1956.
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 desert by the massive rocks of Nagpathar range.

Tourist Sites

Dargah Sharif

The Dargah Sharif of Khwaja Mu'inuddin 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 of Hyderabad 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.

Pushkar

Pushkar is about 11 kilometres from Ajmer and is an important tourist destination. It is famous for Pushkar Lake and the 14th century Brahma Temple at Pushkar, dedicated to Brahma, according to the Padma Purana, Pushkar is the only place where Brahma may be worshipped. 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 bathing ghats and many temples. Pushkar is also famous for its annual Pushkar Fair.

Taragarh Fort

Taragarh Fort, the fort guarding Ajmer, was the seat of the Chauhan rulers. 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 Bentinck and was converted into a sanatorium for the British troops stationed at the garrison town of Nasirabad.

Adhai Din Ka Jhonpda

Adhai Din Ka Jhonpda, a Vaishnava Hindu temple built in 1153 and converted into a mosque by Qutbuddin Aybak 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 the Naskh and Kufic scripts. Apart from the mosque, called Jama' Iltutmish (pronounced Altamish 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.

Magazine

Magazine, the city's Museum, was once the residence of Prince Salim, the son of the Emperor Akbar, and presently houses a collection of Mughal and Rajput armour and sculpture. 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.
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

Mayo College was founded in 1875 by Lord 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 of Indo-Saracenic architecture.

Soniji Ki Nasiyan

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.

Lake Foy Sagar

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

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

Education

Ajmer is notable for its public schools formed in accordance with the precepts of English public schools, amongst which are Mayo College, founded by the British Raj in 1875 to educate the children of Rajputana's royalty and nobles. Ajmer is also home to St. Anselm's H.S. School (1904) and Sophia Girls' School (1918/1935) & College (1942), and the historic Ajmer Music College, founded in 1942, the first accredited institution in Rajputana for teaching Hindustani classical music.

The Board of Secondary Education for Rajasthan is located in Ajmer.