Ajmer

Ajmer, in central Rajasthan, grew around the Aravalli hills as the capital of the Chahamana (Chauhan) Rajputs. It was originally called Ajayameru / Ajaya Meru – “invincible hill” – and was founded by the Chauhan ruler Ajayraj (Ajayaraja) around the 11th–12th century CE, who built a hill fort on Taragarh and shifted his capital here. Through the 12th century it remained the stronghold of Prithviraj Chauhan until his defeat by Muhammad of Ghor in 1192, after which Ajmer passed to the Delhi Sultanate. Its position on trade routes and its shrines kept it strategically important, changing hands between Rajputs, Sultans and later the Mughals. Under the Mughals, Ajmer was a favourite imperial camp; emperor Akbar frequently visited, and his son Jahangir received Sir Thomas Roe here. Mughal decline allowed Maratha control in 1752, followed by British authority in 1818, when Ajmer became the headquarters of the Ajmer-Merwara province. After Independence, Ajmer State existed separately until it merged with Rajasthan. Today the city is famed for Ajmer Sharif Dargah, Taragarh Fort and Ana Sagar Lake, blending Sufi, Rajput and colonial legacies.