Dargah Sharif

Dargah Sharif, Ajmer, 1893

Dargah Sharif or Ajmer Sharif is a sufi shrine of sufi saint, Moinuddin Chishti located at Ajmer, Rajasthan, India.[1] The shrine has the grave (Maqbara) of the revered saint, Moinuddin Chisti.[2]

The Shrine

The main gate to the shrine is the Nizam Gate, followed by the Shahjahani Gate, erected by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. In turn it is followed by the Buland Darwaza,[3] built by Sultan Mahmood Khilji,[4] upon which is hoisted the urs flag, marking the beginning of the death anniversary rituals.[5] The urs for Moinuddin Chishti is celebrated every year on the 6th and 7th of Rajab.[6]

Kalanders

The main attraction of the Urs are the kalanders from Mehrauli, called the friends of Gharib Nawaz, walk to Ajmer all the way from Delhi every year. They offer colourful chadders with gold and silver threads...

Trust

The dargah (shrine) of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti is an international wakf (endowment), managed under The Dargah Khwaja Saheb Act, 1955 of Government of India. The Dargah Committee, appointed by the Government, takes care of the maintenance of the shrine, and runs charitable institutions like dispensaries, and guest houses for the devotees but do not care take the rituals of the main shrine(Mazar sharif/Astana e Alia) which is under the Custody of inherited Priests known as Khadims. .[7]

See also

Hazrat Turabul Haq Dargah

Notes and references

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ajmer Sharif dargah.
  1. ↑ "Will carry on our work in India". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  2. ↑ "797th Urs of Khawaja Moinuddin Chisty begins in Ajmer". Sify. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  3. ↑ This "high gate" or "buland darwaza" should not be confused with Akbar's more famous Buland Darwaza in Fatehpur Sikri.
  4. ↑ Sultan Mahmood Khilji II (Shihab-ud-Din Mahmud Shah II) ruled Malwa from 1510 to 1531.
  5. ↑ "Historical Monuments". Mission Sarkar Gharib Nawaz. Archived from the original on 29 January 2015.
  6. ↑ "Preparations for Urs in full swing at Ajmer dargah". The Times of India. 13 May 2011. Archived from the original on 26 May 2014.
  7. ↑ Mayank Austen Soofi. "The Sufi Solution". Live Mint. Retrieved 18 February 2012.