Ajmer<\/a>, the Rajasthan’s most important site in terms of Islamic history and heritage, was founded in late 7th century A.D. by Ajayraj Singh Chauhan<\/a>, a clan branched out of Chechi Gurjars<\/a>. For many centuries Ajmer withstood the repeated invasions by Turkic Muslims of Central Asia, until in 1193 it fell to Muhammad of Ghor<\/a>, founder of Delhi Sultanate. Heavy tribute payments to Delhi guaranteed Ajmer a relative autonomy until 1365, when the city was captured by the ruler of Mewar<\/a>. Since 1509, control of Ajmer was disputed between the Maharajas of Mewar and Marwar<\/a>, until the city was conquered by the Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great<\/a> in 1559. In the 18th century, reign passed to the Marathas<\/a> and from 1818 till 1956, the area was directly administered by the British Raj<\/a>.<\/p>\n It took Sunil and I about 2 hours to drive 135 kms from Jaipur to Ajmer, and at 11 am I was already standing by the Soniji Ki Nasiyan<\/a> (or Siddhkoot Chaityalaya).\u00a0 Also know as The Golden or Red Temple, this architecturally rich Digambara<\/a> Jain Temple was built in 1865 by Soni family. The complex consists of two structures – the main temple building and a two storied Svarna Nagri Hall located behind the temple and known as the Museum.<\/p>\n Greatly revered by the Digambar sect of Jains, the Nasiyan temple is dedicated to Lord Rishabhdev<\/a>, first of the 24 Tirthankars<\/a> (religious path-makers of the Jains). \u00a0The \u00a0beautifully carved entrance gate of the temple is made of red sand stone brought from Karauli. The temple’s court houses an artistically designed 25 m high Manastambha<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0and a marble staircase, leading to the main temple, which is embellished with images of the Tirthankars. \u00a0The halls of the temple are said to be adorned with series of large, gilt wooden figures and delicate paintings that display scenes from Jain scriptures. The central image is of Lord Rishabhdev seated in the “Samavasarana<\/a>“, in which he imparts true knowledge to the humanity, so that they get liberated from the entanglements of life and death. Unfortunately, this part of the temple is closed for non-Jains, or as the guard told me “It is the Soni’s family property and at their discretion no foreigners are allowed”.<\/p>\n Since I couldn’t bribe my way into\u00a0Siddhkoot Chaityalaya, I went to check out the Svarna Nagri (admission Rs.10, shoes storage is free). It is sort of a museum that hosts only one item – a three- dimensional replica of the story of Rishabhdev in accordance with an old manuscript by Acharya Jinasena<\/a>. The thought to have such an impressive model occurred to Seth Moolchand Soni after completion of the main temple in 1870. He wanted to build a figurative representation of the five auspicious events (panch-kalyanak<\/a>) in the life of every Tirthankara: conception, birth, renunciation, enlightenment, and salvation (moksha<\/a> or nirvana). It took Jaipur masters 25 years to complete this work and now, it is considered to be the largest (24.3 m by 12.2 m) and most artistically represented mythological narrative. You can’t really approach the structure, but you can see it from different directions and levels by following the corridor encircling the model. I was very impressed by the grandeur and amount of details depicted in Svarna Nagri.<\/p>\n After admiring the Nasiyan Temple for about an hour, Sunil drove me to Dargah Sharif<\/a>, \u00a0so that I can participate in pilgrimage to the Muslim’s holy of holies in India. It is impossible to approach the Dargah by car since Dargah Bazaar is one of the busiest shopping streets in Ajmer. Sunil dropped me off about 1 km away from the main gate; aware of “No bags, no cameras” policy at the Dargah, I took my wallet, my iPhone (which was allowed) and entered the Bazaar.<\/p>\n![\"IMG_6426\"](\"http:\/\/svetanyc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/IMG_6426-768x1024.jpg\")
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