These days Ajmer Sharif Dargah has again come into discussion. This time the reason for this has been a book, which focuses on Ajmer. In fact, the local court has issued a notice to the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and Ajmer Dargah Committee for conducting the survey of the Dargah.
According to the information received from the book ‘Ajmer: Historical and Descriptive’ by Diwan Bahadur Har Bilas Sarda, a petition has been filed in the court. In this, a demand was made to conduct a survey of the historically important Ajmer Sharif Dargah. The notice issued by the court is a part of this petition.
book of har bilas sarda
It is mentioned in the book of Har Bilas Sarada that where Ajmer Sharif Dargah is situated, there used to be a Hindu temple earlier. Har Bilas Sarda, an eminent personality during the British period, is known as a judge, politician and educationist. He published his book in 1910. In it, Sarada has carefully described the existence of ancient Hindu temples at the place where Ajmer Sharif Dargah is now situated.
Mention of ancient temple of Mahadev
It is mentioned in his book that there might once have been an ancient temple dedicated to Mahadev in the Dargah complex. In his documentation, Sarada mentions a Brahmin family who were appointed to ring the bells at the Dargah. His job was to offer sandalwood on the statue of Mahadev every day.
There is also mention of a family offering sandalwood to Mahadev.
It is also mentioned that there is a door behind the sandalwood house which leads to the basement through an underground passage. Where the remains of Khwaja were buried. First a simple mud tomb made of bricks was built on top of it. It is mentioned in it that according to old traditions, there is an idol of Mahadev in a temple inside the basement. In this, sandalwood was offered daily by the Brahmin family. It is still kept by the Dargah in the form of Ghadiyali (bell ringer). Sarada has even written that the entire Dargah appears to have been built on the site of old Hindu temples.
Claim of having basements of temples below the Dargah
He has mentioned that beneath the space between the Baland Darwaza and the inner courtyard, there are basements of old Hindu temples. Many of these rooms are still intact. In fact the entire dargah, as was common during the time of the early Muslim rulers, appears to have been built partly on the sites of older Hindu temples and partly by adding to pre-existing structures.
‘Andha Din Ka Jhopra’ is above the Saraswati Temple.
Har Bilas Sarda has also mentioned Aadhaai Din Ka Jhopra (Mosque) in his book. He has written that this too was built by demolishing the temple. He has told that there was a Saraswati temple here. He has compared it with Raja Bhoj’s school located in Dhar, MP. He wrote that the building stood on a high terrace and was originally built against the cliff face of the hill. It had a Saraswati temple (temple of learning) on the western side and entrance gates on the south and east. The interior consisted of a quadrangle measuring 200 feet by 175 feet.
Chauhan emperor Visaldev had built the temple of education.
This temple of education was built by India’s first Chauhan emperor Visaldev in around 1153 AD. This building should be compared with an almost similar building located in Dhar (Madhya Pradesh), which has now been converted into a mosque. It is still known as Raja Bhoj’s Pathshala (school).
This temple was compared with Raja Bhoj’s school located in Dhar.
He has said in his book that if we compare this temple of education with Raja Bhoj’s school located in Dhar, then all doubts regarding its origin will be removed. The minarets, the exquisitely designed carvings and decorative panels of the pillars and the wonderful quadrilateral-shaped cloisters, which originally spanned 770 feet and of which only 164 feet now remain. Gaur’s Afghans were destroyed due to ignorant fanaticism and fanaticism.
After Gauri’s attack, mosque was built by demolishing temples.
Afghans attacked Ajmer under the leadership of Shahabuddin Gauri in 1192 AD. After this he started converting it into a mosque. The alterations mainly consisted of the addition of the Great Wall, which had seven arches in the front of the western part.
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