Beawar

Beawar lies about 54 km from Ajmer and began in 1825 as a British military cantonment set up by Colonel Charles George Dixon, some 7 km from the older village of Beawar Khas. Traders soon settled, and it became the money centre of Merwara in Rajputana. Its grid of streets is unusual for Rajasthan, and the old core, the Parkota or walled city, is entered by five fortified gates: Ajmeri, Mewari, Chang, Nehru and Surajpole.

Places of worship include the domed Mahadev Ji ki Chhatri, the Indo-Saracenic Shoolbred Memorial Church, said to be the first church in the area, the Makardhwaj Balaji Dham and the Sumatinath Jain Temple. Dev Dham Devmali, a shrine of the Gurjar community, is 24 km away at Masuda. Subhash Udyan is the main park, the nearby Aravallis offer walks, and Halwai Gali is known for til papdi, a crisp sesame sweet. The Badshah Mela recalls Todarmal Agarwal, made king for a day after rescuing Akbar from bandits, and is played with red gulaal; the Tejaji Fair and Gair Festival are other big events.