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Flower-sellers outside the Dargah.
The roses of the Ajmer region
are sought by perfumiers
all over the world.
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We reached Ajmer in the afternoon and went to see the Sufi
Dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti - probably the
most important Muslim shrine in the Indian sub-continent with tens
of thousands of pilgrims flocking here especially during the Urs
celebrations.
During the celebrations, the devotees' food is cooked in two
enormous degs (cauldrons), one of them nearly 10 feet in
diameter, and then follows the ritual of "looting the degs".
After emptying them at lightning speed, attendants jump inside the
steaming hot interiors to scrape out the dregs - all in just 3-4
minutes flat!
The other reason that people have heard of Ajmer is Mayo
College. Once described as "the Eton of the East",
this public school has a sprawling self-contained campus.
 From
there, we went to see the Adhai din ka Jhonpra.
Literally meaning "the hut of two-and-a-half days", we
were told that it was originally a Sanskrit college which was
demolished and converted into a mosque in just two-and-a-half
days! This was the 12th century and the guy in charge was the
Sultan of Delhi. Can you imagine things getting done so fast in
today's times?!
It was dusk and after taking a peek at the ornate 19th century
Narsiyan Jain temple, we drove down to Pushkar,
one of the holiest centres of Hinduism.
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Pilgrimage, socializing, trading,
music, dance and revelry
mark the Pushkar Fair.
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After checking in at the hotel, we had a cup of "chai"
(tea) and then roamed the narrow lanes of this quaint little town.
Pushkar is built around a picturesque lake with broad ghaats
leading down to the water.
A Rajasthani song and dance programme going on at dinner time at
the hotel. Giving us a feel of what Pushkar must be like during
the astonishingly colourful Annual Camel Fair -
the largest in the world! Click here for
a superb photo-feature on the Pushkar Fair.
 In
the morning, we visited a few temples (there are some 500 of
them!) including the famed Brahma temple with its coin-studded
floor. It's really amazing that just 11 kms separate the holiest
pilgrimage centres of Muslims and Hindus - Ajmer's Dargah and
Pushkar's holy lake & temples.
We spent the rest of our time picking up odds 'n' ends.
Pushkar's colourful bazaars are one of the best places in
Rajasthan to buy vivid embroidered and painted textiles, as well
as old silver jewellery.
 Full
day excursion to Kishangarh famous for its
miniature paintings (especially "Bani-Thani" - the "Mona
Lisa of Rajasthan") and Tilonia famed for
its embroidered leather and other cottage crafts industry.
You can learn more about Rajasthani
Painting and
Leatherware by clicking
on the appropriate links.
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