Places to visit near Ajmer

A sacred lake ringed by ghats and white temples, and the Brahma Temple, one of the very few active temples of Brahma, the creator. Shoes and anything leather come off before entering. By legend the hill above belongs to Savitri, Brahma's first wife; a ropeway and a stepped path go up to her temple. About five kilometres north-east of the town, Budha Pushkar, the older lake, is almost empty. Hindus come in large numbers in the month of Kartik to bathe in the lake, and the camel fair is held in autumn (17–24 November 2026). More in the Pushkar guide.

Nag Pahar, snake mountain, is the Aravalli ridge between Ajmer and Pushkar, and the road between the towns crosses its pass. On the Ajmer side an equestrian statue of Maharana Pratap marks the start of a trail to the crest, about three kilometres there and back and moderately steep. From the top Ana Sagar and Ajmer lie behind you and the Pushkar valley in front. No shade and no water; comfortable only from October to March.

Rajasthan Tourism describes the fort's jails, granaries and armouries, the Durbar Hall where the rulers held court, and the Phool Mahal with its murals and frescoes. The lakes beside the fort, Gundu Lav Talab and Hamir Sagar, are picnic spots.

Inside the Phool Mahal palace at the foot of the fort, painters from hereditary families work at benches in the Kishangarh school of miniature, famous for the Bani Thani, painted by the court artist Nihal Chand under Raja Sawant Singh. The studio was founded in 2010 to keep local painters in work. Visits are arranged in advance by email or phone through the studio's website; ask before photographing artists or unfinished work.

Kishangarh is a marble capital, and the slurry from cutting it has been dumped on 33 hectares outside town for decades. Hardened white, it looks like a snowfield or the surface of the moon. Entry is free with a pass from the Marble Association office about 500 metres away, so carry photo ID; professional and drone shoots need written permission in advance. Come at sunrise or sunset: the midday glare is blinding, and the monsoon turns it to slush.

A white marble Jain complex on the Jaipur highway, modern in its massing and traditional in its carving. Behind it 24 small shrines, one for each Tirthankara, climb the hillside terraces. Free; shoes off and leather left outside.

A Shiva shrine among marble boulders in the Aravallis, tied by tradition to Ajaypal Chauhan, the founder of Ajmer. A spring feeds pools beside the temple, and from July into September seasonal streams and small falls run. A path goes on up the ridge. Free, with nothing on the trail, so carry water.

A shallow lake in a bowl of Aravalli ridges, dug in 1892 as famine relief work and named after the English engineer Mr Foy; its official name is now Varun Sagar. Free and open. Egrets and cormorants fish the shallows, and winter brings migratory waterfowl. Fullest from the late monsoon into winter. More in lakes of Ajmer.