Ajmer History, Rajsthan: The city was founded by Raja Ajai Pal Chauhan in the 7th Century A.D. The Chauhan clan ruled Ajmer till 1193 A.D. Muhammad of Ghouri, conquered Ajmer in 1193. Ajmer was ruled by Delhi Sultanate until 1365 after which the rulers of Mewar conquered it. In 1509 the Maharajas of Mewar and Marwar warred and Marwar conquered the city in 1532. Later on Emperor Akbar conquered Ajmer in 1559 and the city remained with Mughals till 1770. From then on Ajmer was the scene of battles for control between Mewar and Marwar rulers until 1818 when the Mararthas took over the city.
The Marathas sold the city to the British East India Company and Ajmer had stable governance under the British rule. Post independence in 1947, Ajmer remained as a centrally administrated state under a Chief Commissioner for many years. Ajmer was merged into the state of Rajasthan in the year 1956.
Rulers of Ajmer, Rajasthan:
Chauhan Dynasty 7th Century to 12th century
Delhi Sultanate 12 the century – 1365 AD
Mewar Rulers 1365 AD – 1532 AD
Marwar Rulers 1532 AD to 1539 AD
Mughal Emperors 1559 AD – 1770 AD
1770 AD till 1818 AD Ajmer had remained as a bone of contention between Mewr and Marwar rulers
British Rule 1818 AD – 1947
United in the state of Rajasthan – 1956 AD are the rulers who ruled the place.
Ajmer is a trading outpost of Rajasthan. The famous Roses from Ajmer are used commercially for making perfumes and have demand in perfume laboratories across the world. The famous Ajmer Pan (after food chewable) is a specialty here. Famous Dargah of a pious Muslim saint Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti, the qawwalis, and Urs festival are few of the reasons for Ajmer being a preferred tourist destination.
Famous Personalities of Ajmer:
Raja Ajai Paul Chauhan, Harsraj Chauhan, Bisaldev Chauhan etc are some of the famous personalities of Ajmer historically. Prithvi Raj III and Saint Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti are the two most popular people of Ajmer.
Saint Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti
The revered Sufi saint arrived in Ajmer in 1192 as an ambassador of peace and humanism. Popularly known as Gharib Nawaz (protector of the poor), he dedicated his entire life to the service of mankind. His simple life spanned almost a 100 years and he embraced death in solitude in 1236 while he had withdrawn to his cell for six days. The Dargah erected by Humayun also has mosques that were built by rulers like Shah Jahan, Jahangir and Akbar.
Prithvi Raj III, commonly known as Prithviraj Chauhan (1149-1192 CE), was the last independent Hindu king to sit upon the throne of Delhi. He succeeded to the throne in 1169 at the age of 20, and ruled from the twin capitals of Ajmer and Delhi. Prithviraj was defeated and captured by Mohammed of Ghori at the Second Battle of Tarain (1192). After his defeat Delhi came under the control of Muslim rulers.