Moinuddin Chishti, Dargah Ajmer Sharif
Ajmer, Rajasthan
Conservation and enhancement of cultural spaces of the Dargah complex
Ajmer Sharif or Dargah Sharif located at Ajmer, Rajasthan.is a Sufi shrine of the revered sufi saint, Moinuddin Chishti, was a 13th-century sufi mystic saint and philosopher. Sufi shrines are one of the most visited and revered places in India and has several historic structures from 14th century to 20th century.
The Govt. of India through its Swacch Bharat Mission has proposed a multi-stakeholder initiative to clean up Moinuddin Chishti Dargah Complex, Ajmer. The initiative is being coordinated by the Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation with other key Ministries as well as State, City and Site Managers and Hindustan Zinc India Ltd. A multidisciplinary team has been formed by for the Dargah Sharif project by ADA (Abhimanyu Dalal and Associates) and Dharohar is core team member. We are the consultant for conservation works and responsible for conservation works of historic buildings from 14th Century to 20th Century. Team already has released the vision document for the conservation of Dargah and it has been approved by the funding authority, i.e. Hindustan Zinc limited and Conservation works already started on site.
Shahjani Gate, Dargah Ajmer Sharif
Ajmer, Rajasthan
The gateway was believed to be built in 1637 AD by the Mughal emperor Shahjahan along with an enclosure wall, to mark the expansion of the Dargah Complex beyond the Buland Darwaza. But due to heavy tourist and pilgrim flow it has become a major cause of bottleneck while entering the complex.
So to cater that, widening proposals have been made and additional openings on both sides of the gate have been identified which were earlier covered with jaali on the enclosure wall. Layers of enamel and distemper paint have been added thus hiding the details and carving on its surface. New interiors and ambience have been proposed for Naubat Khana on its first floor.
Buland Darwaza, Dargah Ajmer Sharif
Ajmer, Rajasthan
Built by Sultan Mahmud Khilji of Mandu, in 1455, after he captured Ajmer. This Gateway marked the first enclosure of the Dargah complex before the Shahjahani Gate and Nizam Gateway, and is the biggest structure in the complex. Over the time layers of paint and distemper have been added on the gate thus hiding the details and carving on it.
Facade Improvement, Dargah Ajmer Sharif
Ajmer, Rajasthan
Over the time, with increase in population of khadims, new structures have been added and old structures heavily altered due to which the historic facade’s and details inside the dargah complex have been lost or overtaken by ugly modern day interiors and structural interventions.
Facade improvement proposals have been prepared to restore the historic look and feel of the complex.
