AJMER: A CONFLUENCE OF DIVINE AND MORTAL
It is this city where various beliefs and architectures strike a chord of harmony
The realm of prayer must be difficult to understand. Countless longings rising in tandem, some getting answered, some not; the criterion being a mystery too, and that giving rise to the dilemma — to ask or not. As Kahlil Gibran said, ‘For if you should enter the temple for no other purpose than asking, you shall not receive.’
Yet, since Akbar and many before him to scores now, the prayers at the Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti’s shrine might have not been all about world peace but personal miseries and wants. And that has made the millions of feet walking through the streets full of roses’ scent for over 800 years making Ajmer synonymous with the Ajmer Sharif Dargah.
A MELANGE TO CHERISH
The dargah bazaar leading to the first courtyard is your first tryst with the multitude; the shops at both sides making you lose your focus and goal. The aromas from big-small eateries and divine smell from ittar (attar) shops and trinkets of all types and colours distract you until the overwhelming presence of flowers gets you back on track.
Once you have passed through the huge Nizam Gate, followed by the Shahjahani Gate and the Buland Darwaza, and reached the shrine’s courtyard, you might be a bit jolted by some dichotomy there. Like many other places of worship, the recurring face of commercialism is forced upon you here too. Surprisingly, at a place that celebrates Sufism — the internal search for godliness and rejects materialism, it makes the experience here also variable. While a large number of devotees and visitors inside the dargah could be unnerving for some, the sheer energy that reverberates through the air during the time of qawwalis even puts fragrance from roses to shame and has a magical effect on everyone.
TRANQUIL TIMES
And, that calm that stays with you for long. So much so that the chirping of birds, movements and chatter inside the pavilions and ripples in the water of the Anasagar Lake all come together like a rhythm. Built by the grandfather of Prithviraj Chauhan, this 12thcentury lake received attention and additions from Jahangir and Shah Jahan too. Like Akbar, his son and grandson were also devotees and visited the shrine in Ajmer regularly. While Jahangir added his touch to the grand lake by building Daulat Bagh Gardens, Shah Jahan added the Baradari or the pavilions between the lake and the gardens. It is best to be there early in the day before visitors start pouring in and vendors line up by the shore. The silence that ensues then is both eerie, as quietness and alone could sometimes be, when put together, and relaxing.
GOLDEN CITY
Since a generous dose of peace should be followed by an equally liberal one of thrill, the Ajmer Jain temple or Soniji Ki Nasiyan or Sone Ka Mandir is just that. The legend of ‘city of gold’ that has inspired many real, fictional and on-screen hunts stands right in front of you in this 19th-century temple. In contrast to its red sandstone exteriors, the interiors seem to define opulence all over again and take the Jain temple architecture to another level.
Rajasthan has had a long connection with Jainism and is dotted with beautiful sandstone and marble Jain temples, some centuries old while some going back to thousands of years. The one here is counted among the richest temples in India. Dedicated to Lord Rishabhdev — the first of 24 Tirthankaras, be it the depiction of the divine procession, group meditation or Mount Sumeru, all that glitters in this temple is really gold. It is said that around 1,000 kg of gold was used for the golden chamber or Swarna Nagri. Its gold-plated figurines, animals, palaces and many more depict the scenes from Jain scriptures and ancient towns.
ETON OF INDIA
After getting close to divine and nature, it is time for some mortal links. Much like the 15th-century British entity — Eton — the nursery of England’s statesmen, Mayo College of Ajmer was founded in 1875 as a residential learning centre for the Indian princes. The ways might have become all-inclusive since long, but the grandeur is still as splendid. From the main college building being a chapter unto itself of the union of Indo-Islamic and Hindu architectures, the nine-hole golf course, a lake, to aweinspiring stables with their handsome equine inhabitants, everything justifies the high regard its alumni hold the place in.
Yet, it is the camaraderie among them that stands out. Ask anyone sharing life with one, and the years of struggles and acknowledging the ‘Mayo way of life’ will be a common narrative. So much so that even the indigenous ‘bunkach’ — quite a rudimentary combination of the bun and pyaaz kachori topped with chutneys and onion is not to be treated less than gourmet. These bonds sometimes invoke envy and impatience yet they attract admiration for standing the test of time.