Ajmer, Rajasthan, India

Ajmer lies on the lower slopes of Taragarh Hill. Founded by Ajayadeva, an 11th-century Rajput ruler, Ajmer was annexed to the Delhi Slave dynasty in 1193. Upon payment of tribute it was returned to its Rajput rulers, until taken by Akbar in 1556. In 1770 it was annexed by the Marathas, after which the area was a continual Rajput-Maratha battleground until it was ceded to the British in 1818. In 1878 Ajmer was made a chief commissioner's province known as Ajmer-Merwara; it became a part of the state of Rajasthan in 1956.

Architectural monuments in the city include an ancient Jain temple (converted c. 1200 into a mosque); the white marble tomb complex of the Muslim saint Muin-ud-Din Chishti (d. 1236); and the palace of Akbar (reigned 1556-1605), now a museum. The city was a Muslim military base used in operations against the Rajputs. To the north lies Ana Sagar, a lake created in the 11th century, on the shores of which stand marble pavilions built by Shah Jahan (reigned 1628-1658). [Adapted from Encyclopedia Britannica]

Ajmer town (1, 2)	Houses	Donkey ride	Veils
Tomb of Sufi Khwaja Muin-ud-Din Chishti
Dargah entrance (more)			Pilgrim
First courtyard			Second courtyard (more)
Big Muslim pilgrimage site	Patronized by the Mughals	Tomb chamber entrance	Father & son
Local man (more)			Beggars
Local woman			Handicapped man
Adhai-din-ka-Jhonpra Mosque
Former temple, now mosque	Inside the compound	Built in 1153 CE	Strange birth defect
Pillared hall	Local man	Pillars	Wall detail
Ana Sagar Lake and Nasiyan Temple
Lakeside marble pavilion	Built by Shah Jehan	Lakeside settlement	Ghat on the lake
Soni Nasiyan (temple)	Golden tableau (19th cent.)	Inside an airtight hall (1, 2)	Cosmos according to Jains