Feb 21, 2012 09:31 AM
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Ajmer needs no introduction from me. Home to a shrine which is frequented by celebrities & common man alike, not only from India but all over the World, is not famous for nothing.
I was in Ajmer this weekend & thought of sharing about this beautiful place with you. “World” famous for Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti Dargah, Ajmer is also close to town Pushkar which is home to the only Brahma Temple in the world.
Location & how to reach. Ajmer is close to the capital of Rajasthan, Jaipur & National capital, Delhi & lies on the National Highway connecting the two cities of Delhi & Bombay. It is also well connected by rail & road to various other cities in North & West India. People from other parts of the country may reach through Jaipur, Delhi or Bombay. Nearest Airport is Jaipur, nearest railhead is Ajmer Junction.
The Dargah. One Kilometre from the Railway station, passing through the narrow lanes & cheerful Bazaar you can reach The Dargah on foot or on a Rickshaw. If you are driving, you would have to stop your vehicle at least 500 mts earlier than the Dargah. There is no parking facility provided by the Shrine or Govt. The Hotel owners & house owners along the bazaar provide parking & charge Rs 100 per hour! Any kind of object is not allowed here inside & the flower sellers would be happy to keep your stuff & shoes with them without any charge, provided you buy flowers & chaddar from them. Else there is no counter to deposit you shoes. If you wont buy flowers & stuff, no one will keep your stuff for a charge. Is it a conspiracy to make us buy the offerings? You can also get a guide from the shop, but what’s the fun?
Once inside, you will come across two mammoth daeg(cooking utensil). There are some Muslim priests positioned there, who claim that we have to put all our donations here in the daeg as that would go to feed the poor. They also claim that during a festival (probably Urs) the food is prepared in those daeg & is distributed among one & all, rich & poor. They claim that people think no twice before removing their gold chains, rings or other ornaments. However, the gold is nowhere to be seen. You can spot some silver articles & rice though. Anyways, inside the Dargah,the priests will judge you by the size of the offerings you have brought for Khwaja Ji. They will take the offering from you, put chaddar on your head, chant the blessings & ask for cash donations. No complaints here!
In the Dargah complex you will see many priests who sit there, sing, read the Holy Book or just meditate. This was my second visit to the Shrine. During my first visit in 2006, when I was just about to put my donation in one of the many donation boxes placed in the complex, a priest came & caught me by my hand. He would not let me put the donation in the box! He insisted that we cannot put any donation in box as it had to be given to the priests only. He said it’s the rule of the Shrine, to which I asked then why is the box placed in the first place. He had no answers to my queries & we had an argument. Later I had to give in to his demands as we cant question them much in their territory & because we are taught to respect priests. I learnt not to open my wallet when in a shrine (any), as they will suspect & hassle you. Keep exact change ready in my pocket & be prepared. This second time I was successful.
All in all The Dargah is divine & serene all in itself. Just say a prayer, and you will get peace of mind & sheer bliss. Don’t get much bothered by the priests.
Religious franchising is common in India. Only Sikh Shrines do not allow the practice. Else, everywhere you will find places full of these priests who do business in the name of God. This is practice which puts lot of people off & I am sure God hasn’t appointed them. But sadly, we cannot choose not to be a part of this business.
Shop – Do shop for Desi Ghee Sohan Halwa & Fenii (Vermicelli).
Stay – Lot of budget & mid-range options are available in Ajmer. For luxury/High budget options, let me take you to Pushkar in this review.
Pushkar. 10 Kms from Ajmer is a small town of Pushkar among the beautiful Aravalis. The road which lead to the town is very scenic & one loves the good sights it offers. With this Pushkar is also a Hippie den of drugs & sex.
How to Reach – There are lots of buses & shared autos from Ajmer Railway Station. The best is if you drive in your own car or hire a Taxi.
Year 2006. As we parked our car in Pushkar, a small boy below his teens, offered to be our guide for only Rs 20. He was so small, my father enquired about him attending school. He said he attends & guides tourists part time. Guide or misguide? Read on!
Our first stop was Pushkar lake. The lake is not in good health & is at the apathy of municipality. The water has lot of worms & algae & is not fit. There are lot of panda (Oh! here too) & he took us to one of them for a puja. They told a certain puja is done at the lake to wash away sins. As we sat there, the panda advised that all the adults would have to perform puja separately. We were 3, so 3 pujas & 3 donations! My father demanded that we shall not oblige them & decided to leave the place. Suddenly many other pandascame to us & they would not let us leave. They argued that we will now have to do puja in a manner they were advocating. Again we had to give in to their demands because we were so weak in front of that bunch of hooligans. Our (mis)guide was a mute spectator to all this. Probably the priest was his father or Uncle!
In the lake, do not intend to bath or drink that water for puja purpose, because the water is really unfit.
The next stop was Brahma Temple. There, because he had no business interest, our guide informed us that offering Prasad at the temple is abolished by the lord Brahma & we shall not offer. As we were at the Temple entrance, he made an excuse & left us for tea at a nearby stall, till we are back from visiting the Deity. Again, no shoe counter by the Temple management, no one agreed to keep our shoes, because they don’t charge for shoes, they keep it only if we buy Prasad from them. So we bought Prasad (for the sake of our shoes) and my father enquired about our (mis)guide’s claims being true. The Prasad shop owner rejected his claims and told us that even cash offerings are accepted at the Temple & there are donation boxes inside there. Horrible misguide!
Now that we were all done with it, my father though pissed off, decided to pay the boy as per the promise for his labour. But he was nowhere to be found. When we reached the car park, we spotted him. He was running after a lady & his young son, with the same story! My father called him, he didn’t pay heed. We called again; he signalled that we shall not call him as he is not interested in our “alms”! Attitude! Boyy! I was burning with fury, but so helpless.
Pushkar is highly recommended for its natural beauty & Brahma Temple. Ignore guides and pandas at all costs.
This was my bitter sweet experience. Thanks for your patience. Please rate and comment.
