Rajasthan Tour
AJMER TOUR
South west of Jaipur, Ajmer is an oasis wrapped in the green
hills. The city was founded by Raja Ajay Pal Chauhan in the
7th Century A.D. and continued to be a major centre of the
Chauhan power till 1193 A.D. When Prithviraj Chauhan lost
it to Mohammed Gaure. Since then, Ajmer became home to many
dynasties. Today, Ajmer is a popular pilgrimage centre for
the Hindus as well as Muslims. Especially famous is the Dargah
Sharif-tomb of the Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti, which
is equally revered by the Hindus and Muslims. It is a centre
of culture and education, the British chose Ajmer for its
prestigious Mayo College a school exclusively for Indian nobility.
Ajmer is also the base for visiting Pushkar (14 km.), the
abode of Lord Brahma, lying to its west with a temple and
a picturesque lake. The Pushkar Lake is a sacred spot for
Hindus. During the month of Kartik (Oct./Nov.), devotees throng
in large numbers here to take a dip in the sacred lake.
Ajaipal Chauhan founded Ajmer in the seventh century. He
constructed a hill fort "Ajaimeur" or the invincible
hill. The Chauhans ruled Ajmer till the 12th century when
Prithviraj Chauhan lost Mohammed Ghauri. Thereafter it became
a part of the sultanate of Delhi. Ajmer was also favourite
residence for the great Mughals. One of the first contacts
between the Mughal King Jahangir and Sir Thomas Roe took place
here in 1616. The Scindias took over the city in 1818 and
then handed it over to the British and it became one of the
only part of Rajasthan controlled directly by the East Indian
Co.
The bus stand in Ajmer is located near the RTDC hotel Khadim.
And the railway is further north and most of the hotels are
west of the stations. Northeast is the main post office and
most of the cities market is located behind and up to Agra
Gate. Further north is a large artificial lake called the
Anna Sagar.
PUSHKAR
For a devout Hindu Pushkar is a very important pilgrim centre,
for one visit to this holy place in a lifetime is highly prescribed.
Brahma forms the great Hindu trilogy of Brahma, Vishnu and
Shiva, each symbolising the lifecycle of birth, preservation
and destruction. Brahma the creator is depicted as of four
bearded heads and four hands each holding a book of Vedas
(knowledge). His vehicle is the swan and his consort is Savitri.
According to the legend Pushkar means a pond created by flower,
was formed when Brahma dropped a lotus flower on the earth
to determine a place for his yagna, a holy sacrifice. The
story goes that Brahma wanted to perform the yagna at the
most auspicious time but his consort Savitri whose presence
at the yagna was vital for its performance kept him waiting.
Irritated by this Brahma married Gayatri, a milkmaid and installed
her instead. Savitri on seeing someone else in her place was
infuriated and cursed Brahma that he would be forgotten by
people on earth and never worshiped. She relented on pleas
from other Gods that he could only be worshiped in Pushkar,
hence there are no Brahma Temples elsewhere.
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