Ajmer

We traveled to Ajmer from Jaipur to visit the Darrgah Sharif-tomb of the Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti.  This is a sacred site for Muslims and we happened to visit on the holiest day of the week. As we approached the mosque the street was crowded and there was a lot of pushing and shoving, which became worse when we arrived at the security check point. They have separate entrances for men and women and if you have a camera you have to check it since no photography is allowed and they were pretty diligent in enforcing this rule.  There are many steps and no 'real' queue so it took us about an hour to enter the doors of the mosque. The mosque is quite ornate and the superstition is to tie a string on the pillars surrounding the mosque while making a wish and when your wish comes true to return to the mosque to untie your string. Since you purchase the strings from the vendors outside the gate all the strings are the same so the likelihood that you will untie the same string that you tied when you return is slim, but it supposedly does not impact the outcome of anyone else's wish.  There was a lot of energy in the area and people were very emotional, many were crying in happiness for having the opportunity to visit such a sacred site, others were praying in hopes that their wishes would come true while tieing their string. We did not make it to the main prayer area because of the crowds we got pushed outside one of the doors. Many people on our tour were disappointed that after traveling so far they were unable to get the chance to reach that final destination.