old saying that:–“Only he travels to Ajmer, who are called by Khawaja Saheb”.
Perhaps it was a call of Holy sprit from Ajmer”, that I was in a holy trip of
Ajmer the city of spirituality.
shower, we came down stairs, out side Railway station for lunch. In a near by
hotel we took our lunch. During travelling
I prefer vegetarian meal .Wow the same Rajasthani style of meal. Chapatis
(bread) soaked in desi ghee.
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An Arial view of City Ajmer from Tragadh Fort |
and the British occurred in Ajmer when Sir Thomas Roe met with Emperor Jahangir
here in 1616?
Fort is most spectacular monuments in Ajmer, which should not be missed by any
tourist. Taragarh is the main hill looming over the city of Ajmer.
11th century AD and came to be known as Taragarh fort. During the Mughal and
Sultanate period, there were many wars that were fought here and the fort
served as a key military base
Now it is
known for the dargah of Miran Shah, a governor who was killed in one of these
wars at the hands of Rajput warriors.
He is
refereed to as shaheed and it is his mazaar that many pilgrims come to visit.
This is Ajmer’s little hiking spot. The view from the hill makes a visit to
Taragarh fort worthwhile.The bird’s eye view of the city below is a vantage
point that stays in your memory.
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| From Roads of Ajmer |
Ana Sagar Lake.
Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti (R.A).When the saint Khawaja Moinuddin Chish
ti (R.A)
arrived in Ajmer, he and his followers were banned from using water from Ana
Sagar. He requested to get a cup of water that was granted.
cup was filled the water of the lake got dried up miraculously. People
requested to return the water, the saint gracefully did so. Since then
Moinuddin Chishty got multitude of followers.
grandfather of Prithviraj Chauhan by excavating as a dam on in early 12 Th
century as a dam on river Loni.The lake carries its name from Anaji.
headed towards the Ana Sagar Lake; the beauty of the lake was accentuated by
the setting sun. The lake also has a boating option; however we decided to just
enjoy the beauty from the sides. We could also see a small group of local
musicians playing Qawwali.
perfect time to be on this lake. People from all walks of life were having the
pleasure of sitting and walking on the garden or on the banks. The reflections
on the surface of the water were creating a mesmerizing spells.
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Bara Dari of Ana Sagar Lake |
We stood
motionless for some time and admired the beauty of the nature. The silhouette
against the setting sun was absolutely picturesque. I felt that sometimes,
cameras cannot capture the real beauty and colorful display of the nature.
people throwing bread-crumbs, rice flakes and other edible items into the lake.
Immediately, we guessed the presence of fish in the lake.
At that
time, a small group of young children was sitting on the banks of the lake and
singing a “quwwali” in the name of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti alias Garib Nawaz.
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Qawwali in Bara Dari of Ana Sagar Lake |
When we
came out of the Ana sagar Lake, it was a perfect time for an evening snack. The
street food stalls, that we had avoided so far, ultimately dragged us into their
charm of spicy mouth watering Pni Puri, Dal Kachauri and finally cold and sweet
ice cream with faluda.
gets ready for a gorgeous end as the powerful sun rays turn in to warm cover for
the cold breeze.
of Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti (R.A)
Afghanistan in 1156, Khwaja Muin-ud-Din Chishti (R.H), India’s most revered
Muslim saint began his religious career at the age of 13.
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Dargah-Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti (R.A) in Ajmer |
On his
travels, he soaked up the teachings of the great Central Asian Sufis, whose
emphasis on mysticism, ecstatic states and pure devotion as a path to God were
revolutionizing Islam during this period. Khawaja Sahib and his disciples
settled in Ajmer at the beginning of the thirteenth century.
destination was “Dargah Sharif” for which Ajmer is famous. We hired a three
wheeler. Distance of Dargah sharif and Ana Sagar is about 2 Km.He left us at
Delhi gate, and told us we could walk straight to the Sharif shrine ahead.
When I
looked at the crowd my resolve wavered but we somehow proceeded to the entrance. I could see a lot of threads tied to the
jali. You come back and untie them if your wish comes true.
carrying my small backpack which had my camera, a few lens and all valuables. A
back pack or any other luggage is not allowed. The lady police at the entrance
of the Nizam Gate was very polite and friendly. She told to deposit all goods
with camera out side.
walking barefoot my feet were a mess. But there is a water tank inside where
you can clean your feet before entering the main shrine and I happily freshed
my wazoo to physically purify for a Fateha, Dua and Namaz.
grant “yes” to wishes and duaen of evry human. I offered my Fateha on grave of
Khawaja saheb, asked Allah to make true my wishes .Ameen.
was time of isha prayer, I entered in masjid adjacent to main shrine chamber
.This was a beautiful masjid built by Gt. Moghul king Shahjahan.
have time, make sure you attend a ‘qawwali’ (musical performance) at the
dargah, usually held on every Thursday and Friday evening. These melodious
performances include verses sung in praise of the Prophet and various Sufi
saints.
takers of Dargah to ask and exchange mony at every step. I did’t obliged
them.This tradition must be banned.It leaves a bad impression of spiritual
places.
I cold’t
stop my carving of a non veg foods .All hotels were full of devotees; we waited
few minutes to get seats.we ordered
Butter chicken , chiken fry ,chicken masala biryani and tandoori roti.
Food was taisty and spicy.
Dinners
are incomplete without some sweets. We stopped on a sweet shop. It was difficult
to choose a sweet from dozen varieties of sweets; we ordered “Ras malaee” ,and packed famous Hawa Sohan of Ajmer.
Hired an auto and reached retiring room at railway station for night stay.
half day more to stay in Ajmer. Our next destination From Ajmer was
Jaiselmer.We decided to see Adhai Din ka Jhopra , which is situated near
dargah.
Adhai-Din-Ka-Jhonpra, The two and half days Masjid, legend said the constructed
was constructed in 2.5 days.
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Dhai Din Ka jhopra-in Ajmer |
to legend, after defeating Prithviraj Chauhan in the Second Battle of Tarain, Shahabuddin
Ghori passed through Ajmer. There he ordered his slave general Qutb-ud-Din-Aibak
to construct a Masjid — all within 60 hours (that is, two-and-a-half-days).
artisans could not build a complete Masjid in 60 hours time, but constructed a
brick screen wall where Ghori could offer prayers. Another theory says that
this mosque hosts a two-and-a-half-day fair and hence the name, but no one
really knows how this name came. By the
end of the century, a complete mosque was built.
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Railway Station of Ajmer |
End of
itinerary of AJMER…Next destination Jaiselmer. The train to Jaiselmer was
scheduled to depart at 1.30 P.M. packed our luggage, stepped down at platform
in wait of train.