Ajmer is a historical region in central Rajasthan, a central part of a big Chauhan empire in 11-12th centuries.
The region includes a present day Ajmer district and is bounded on the west by Marwar, on the northeast by Dhundhar, on the southeast by Hadoti, and on the south by Mewar regions.
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The independent history of the region is closely connected to Chauhans, who ruled this part from 11 th till 14th centuries. Chauhan clan was one of the four main Rajput dynasties (Agnivanshis) of that era, the others being Pratiharas, Paramaras and Chalukyas.
One of the branches of Chauhans established themselves in the salt lake Sambhar area (in the Dhundhar region). Sakhambari branch remained near lake Sambhar and married into the ruling Gurjar-Pratihara, who then ruled an empire in Northern India.
The Chauhans later asserted their independence from the Pratiharas, and in the early eleventh century, the Sakhambari king Ajaya-Raja founded the city of Ajayameru (Ajmer) in the southern part of their kingdom, and in the mid twelfth century, his successor Vigraharaja enlarged the state, captured Dhilika (the ancient name of Delhi) from the Tomaras and annexed some of their territory along the Yamuna River, including Haryana and Delhi.
In 12th century the Chauhans dominated Delhi, Ajmer, Ranthambhor. They were also prominent at Godwar in the southwest of Rajputana, and at Hadoti (Bundi and Kota) in the east. Chauhan politics were largely campaigns against the Chalukyas and the invading Muslim hordes.
The Chauhan kingdom became the leading state and a powerful kingdom in Northern India under King Prithviraj III (1165–1192), also known as Prithviraj Chauhan or Rai Pithora. Prithviraj III has become famous in folk tales and historical literature as the Chauhan king of Delhi who resisted the Muslim attack in the first Battle of Tarain (1191). Armies from other Rajput kingdoms, including Mewar assisted him. The Chauhan kingdom collapsed after Prithviraj was defeated by Mohammed of Ghor in 1192 at the Second Battle of Tarain.
This failure ushered in Muslim rule in North India, the first of the enlightened Delhi Sultanates, but the Chauhans remained in Ajmer as feudatories of Mohammed of Ghor and the Sultans of Delhi until 1365, when Ajmer was captured by the rulers of Mewar.
In 1509 Ajmer became a source of contention between the maharajas of Mewar and Marwar, and was ultimately conquered by the Marwar ruler in 1532. Ajmer was lost to the Mughal emperor Akbar in 1559. It continued to be in the hands of the Mughals, with occasional revolts, till 1770, when it was ceded to the Marathas. From that time up to 1818 Ajmer was the scene of an ongoing struggle, being seized at different times by the Mewar and the Marwar maharajas.
In 1818 the Marathas sold Ajmer to the British for 50,000 rupees, and it became Ajmer-Merwara Province. Since then Ajmer had enjoyed unbroken peace and stable governance.
The province consisted of the districts of Ajmer and Merwara, which were physically separated by the territory of Rajputana Agency. Ajmer-Merwara was administered directly by the British Raj, by a commissioner who was subordinate to the governor-general's agent for Rajputana. Ajmer-Merwara remained a province of India from independence in 1947 to 1950, when it became the state of Ajmer.
In 1950, Ajmer state became a "Part C" state, governed by a chief commissioner appointed by the President of India. Haribhau Upadhyaya, a noted Congress leader, was the Chief Minister of Ajmer state from 24 March 1952 to 31 October 1956. Ajmer state was merged into Rajasthan state on November 1, 1956. Kishangarh sub-division of erstwhile Jaipur district was added to it to form Ajmer district.[1]