Ajmer, or how all I really need is good food

Within the first 10 minutes of arriving at our haveli-turned-guesthouse in Ajmer a mouse ran from the tv stand to the bed and we killed three mosquitoes. Rather than find alternative accommodations we helped the mouse find the front door and unpacked the bug zapper. Aaron was concerned with confirming that the rodent was in fact a mouse and nothing bigger, while I was more interested in whether he fled to a hole in the wall (infestation) or out the front door (one-time intruder). This is how I know traveling around the world has changed me.

That first day we ate a mediocre lunch at the "top" restaurant in Ajmer and then a fabulous four course dinner prepared by "the ladies of the house not the servants" at the haveli. Among other things they introduced us to halwa - the sugar infused lentil paste traditionally served in siekh and hindu temples - and sweet paneer. In three days in Ajmer and neighboring Pushkar we managed not to eat anything but our hostess's fare ever again. This is how I know that despite everything, traveling hasn't changed me that much.

Ajmer most famous attraction is the dargah - a pilgrimage destination for the chishti order of sufi muslims. It was the location of a terrorist bombing in October 2007. Our visit to the dargah was one of the more intense and memorable ones of the entire trip. First you leave your shoes, bags, valuables including cameras) outside in a cloak room. Good thing, because inside many areas are so crowded it would have been impossible to protect my belongings from thieves. Though we know other tourists visit the dargah we never saw any. I was careful to keep my hair and body completely covered.

The dargah is an air complex with a shrine built over the remains of a sufi saint in the middle. In the surrounding courtyards we watched pilgrims washing themselves, dropping money into fire pits, and praying on large walled platforms. A group of men chanted and played drums and a harmonium for an audience of men and boys who made offerings of money in exchange for blessings from the musicians. Rose petals and incense filled the entire complex with smoke and perfume. The marble floors would have been colder on our bare feet, but for the layers of petals, leaves, and - I'm sorry to say- bird poop. Some of the incense were in crystalline form, which was new to us.


A crush of pilgrims were constantly moving around the saint's tomb inside the central shrine. Many were crying, kissing the ground, the walls, and the priests who hit visitors who failed to donate to their baskets with incence sticks.

Outside the walls of the dargah was a maze of food vendors selling meats, breads, and sweets to visitors and locals alike. Among other wonders we finally got a glimpse of the process involved in making the mysterious spongey/cakey milk products.


Though our evening at the dargah was incredible, it was hardly the only memorable sight in Ajmer (which, incidentally was way underbilled by the LP). The white marble memorials around the Ana Sagar resevoir were a welcome respite from the dust and bustle of the city. And the hilltop ruins of the Adhau din ka jhonpra mosque, where muslim families picnic and young boys now play cricket, were interesting to see as well.


Last, but hardly least, was the Jain temple complex just outside of town. The site is still under construction and not even in the guide book, but I'm certain it will be by the next edition. The Jains are a tiny minority of the India population, but you wouldn't know it from the number, size, and construction of their houses of worship.




xoxo Jessie