Copyright infringement not intended

Picture Courtesy:

http://international.zeenews.com/hindi/india/rajasthan/ajmer/ajmer-dargah-akbar-wish-fulfilled-shiv-mandir-know-hidden-secret-history/2535186

Context:

Recently, a court in Ajmer admitted a petition asking for a survey of the Ajmer Sharif Dargah in view of purported evidence for the existence of an ancient temple to Lord Shiva at the site.

About the Ajmer Dargah:

Ajmer Sharif Dargah is a Sufi Tomb (dargah) of the Sufi saint, Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chishti, located at Ajmer Shareef, Rajasthan.

It is situated at the foot of the Taragarh hill.

Honoured by members of all social classes, the tomb was treated with great respect by the era's most important Sunni rulers. 

The 13th-century Sultan of Delhi Iltutmish as well as the Mughal Emperor Akbar paid a famous visit to the tomb to commemorate the memory of the saint.

Architecture:

Akbar reconstructed the tomb's sanctum sanctorum in 1579

Jahangir, Shah Jahan, and Jahanara later renovated the structure.

An elegant covering over the dargah was constructed in 1800 by the Maharaja of Baroda.

The dargah is an example of the Indo-Islamic architecture.

The white marble dome of the shrine features a lotus and a crown of gold, donated by Rampur's Nawab Haider Ali Khan.

Materials used: marble, brick and sandstone.

The complex has eight tombs besides that of Chishti, belonging to members of his family.

About Moinuddin Chisti:

Moinuddin Chishti was a 13th-century Sufi saint and philosopher. 

Born in Sanjar (of modern-day Iran), or in Sijistan, he arrived in Delhi during the reign of the Sultan Iltutmish.

The biographical accounts of his life written after his death report that he received the gifts of many "spiritual marvels, such as miraculous travel, clairvoyance, and visions of angels" in these years of his life.

The death anniversary of Moinuddin Chishti is called the Urs Sharif festival.

Source:

INDIAN EXPRESS