The shrine at Taragarh is the second most important Dargah in Ajmer, and is dedicated to Syed Meeran Husaain. Hussain was the Governor of the fortress of Taragarh and was killed by the Rajput in 1202AD. The tomb of Hussain did not become a sacred site immediately. It attained sanctity only after roughly three centuries when Akbar visited the tomb during one of his visits to the shrine of Moinuddin Chisty in Ajmer. Since then, the shrine started to attract pilgrims, although it is only some twenty years back that the road was greatly improved which facilitated pilgrimage to the top of this high hill. Another transformation started to take place post the improving of this road to Taragarh. From a Sufi shrine, the Meeran Hussain Dargah has turned into a Shia Dargah. The shrine is now adorned with glistening golden pillars closely replicating the pillars at Karbala. Not only that, a Roza of Imam Hussain is created a few metres away which also replicates the famous monument at Karbala. This second transformation raises a number of important questions – what is the identity of this Dargah, a sufi place where qawwalis are celebrated, or a Shia monument where music is haram? How does this Dargah relate to the Ajmer Sharif which sees itself as a Sunni-Sufi Dargah? What about the relationship between the Shias on Taragarh hill and those in Ajmer city? Are there also external influences, particularly from Iran, which play a role in this transformation? These are some of the questions among others that we explore currently.
