Ajmer Circuit House

Ajmer Circuit House

I am writing this blog from the Ajmer Circuit House. I arrived in Jaipur yesterday evening and reached Ajmer around noon today to one of my favourite circuit houses in Rajasthan.

I have travelled Rajasthan and Haryana extensively by road and stayed in many of the circuit houses and Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC) properties located in different divisions of the state.

With the exception of Jhumar Bari in Ranthambore, this circuit house is my favourite. The house is located in the middle of the city atop a hillock and encircled by a lake on three sides. The picture post card view of the lake is simply captivating during the daytime. The night view of the Ajmer city below is another breath taking experience with the town presenting itself in specs of lights in the dark.

For the past ten years I have stayed here at this Circuit House many times. Sometimes I have spent the night and at times spent just a few hours, like today.

Whenever I have to travel beyond 100 kms around Ajmer, I always halt here. This Circuit House was renovated when the former President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, was to visit the dargah at Ajmer sharif during his India visit. The plan was to put him up here. The Ajmer Circuit House got a face-lift and was equipped with all kinds of modern amenities.

The fact that presidents, prime ministers, senior politicians, foreign dignitaries and celebrities come to Ajmer Sharif to pay their obeisance or send a chadar at the dargah is well known. Like earlier visits, I too have plans to visit the dargah today (file picture).

The dargah has a very interesting history of Khadims and Deewans since the time of Akbar.

The Room No 7 is on the upper level and happens to be one of the biggest rooms in the Circuit House. The main door overlooking the lake leads to a verandah where one can sit and spend hours lost in the view of the lake. The effect on one's jagged nerves is therapeutic. I always prefer this room and only on one occasion I had to settle for Room No 1 on the ground floor.

Ajmer, which is home to the famous Mayo College and Sofia College, has also emerged as a good education and tutorial destination of Rajasthan on the lines of Kota.

The Kanpura village located 35 kms from here has been in news today as the villagers hooked up on a video conference with the US President Barrack Obama yesterday. This village has a population of 5000 approx and it seems that the Obama effect will last for quite sometime to come.

I will be in America next week, but as of now I have plans to go to Pushkar after visiting the dargah and laying a chadar on the shrine.

ess bee