"Pilgrimage city of the Dargah of Moinuddin Chishti" Ajmer by Willettsworld

Ajmer is located 135km (84 miles) south-west of Jaipur with the Aravali Range of hills to the west and north. The city is famous for being the location of the Dargah - a Muslim Sufi shrine built over the grave of a revered religious figure. The Dargah in Ajmer is a tomb to the most revered Muslim Sufi saint, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti (1142-1236). He was one of the most outstanding figures in the annuals of Islamic mysticism and founder of the Chistiyya order in India. Moinuddin Chishti came to India, reputedly after a dream in which Muhammad told him to do so, and, after a brief stay at Lahore, reached Ajmer where he settled down. There he attracted a substantial following, acquiring a great deal of respect amongst the residents of the city. Today, hundreds of thousands of people, Muslims, Hindus, Christians and others, from the Indian sub-continent, and from other parts of the world assemble to his tomb on the occasion of his Urs (birth anniversary). Other places of interest include the Ana Sagar (large lake to the north of the city), a fort and palace built by Emperor Akbar in 1570 and the Nasiyan Jain Temple which features a double storeyed hall where there are splendid and unusual wooden gilt models depicting scenes from Jain mythology. I came here by train from Jaipur and took an auto-rickshaw tour around the sights for a couple of hours before catching a bus over the hills to nearby Pushkar.