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. Rose Petals outside the Dargah
Flower-sellers outside the Dargah. The roses of the Ajmer region are sought by perfumiers all over the world.
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!