Ajmer
[key], former state, NW India. Now part of Rajasthan state, it formerly consisted of two
detached areas surrounded by Rajasthan and was identical with the former British province of
Ajmer-Merwara. The city of Ajmer, the former capital and now a district
administrative center, was founded in the 12th cent. The city is a trade center and has cotton
mills and railroad shops. Manufactures include wool textiles, hosiery, shoes, soap, and
pharmaceuticals. Marble is quarried nearby. Ajmer was a Mughal military base; it was there that Jehangir received Sir Thomas Roe,
ambassador of James I of England. A Jain temple (constructed 1153; now a mosque), the tomb of
the Muslim saint Muin-al-din Hasan Chishti, and a palace of Akbar are the most notable historic buildings. Mayo College, sometimes called
India's Eton, is in Ajmer.
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