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Ajmer: From Mughal
emperor Akbar who came praying for a son to a relentless stream of
around 12,000 people who throng every day to Pakistan President
Asif Ali Zardari who will visit it Sunday, the pull of the 12th
century Sufi shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer remains
undiminished.
The marble-domed tomb of the Sufi saint, located 145 km from
Jaipur, in the middle of Ajmer's walled city area, attracts a huge
mass of people from all over the world who come here with an
ardent wish and a prayer on their lips.
The tomb is located at the centre of a courtyard and is surrounded
by a marble platform. It is believed that the remains of Sufi
saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, also known as Khwaja Garib Nawaz,
lie buried at the shrine.
Khadims, or priests at the dargah, claim to be his descendants and
are authorised to carry out prayers at the shrine. The premises
have eight more tombs, including those of the saint's family
members.
S.F. Hussein Chishti, a khadim, told IANS that people come here
with the hope to fulfil their wishes and offer 'chadar'. After
their wish is fulfilled, they visit again to express their
gratitude.
"It used to be Mughal emperor Akbar's favourite destination for
many years," said Chishti.
He said the most spectacular thing about the shrine is that it is
visited by not only Muslims but equally by those from other
religions, including Hindus, Sikhs and Jains.
The shrine is set to complete 800 years in June.
Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chishti is said to have been born in
1142 A.D. in Iran. "He left the place to spread the teachings of
Sufism. He came to India and settled in Ajmer," added a khadim.
"At that time, society had many social evils; so he spread the
teachings of equality and brotherhood. Sufism is a moderate
philosophy and Mughal kings were impressed and encouraged the
spread of its teachings". He is largely famous for the Sufi
philosophy that preaches brotherhood, harmony and prosperity, say
the khadims.
Julfikar Chishti, another khadim, said: "The deprived and the poor
come barefoot, walking hundreds of kilometres. For the past three
to four years, people from Europe and America are also coming here
to learn the teachings of Sufism."
Mohamed Aajam, a historian, said: "King Akbar came barefoot from
Agra to the Ajmer dargah and wished for a son here.
"There is the Akbari mosque and also Shahani mosque constructed by
Mughal emperor Shah Jahan," he said.
There are eight gates for entrance to the shrine, but only three
are used. "The Nizam gate was constructed by the Nizams of
Hyderabad," said Aajam.
A dargah committee takes care of the security and sanitation of
the place. The rituals are in the hands of the Anjuman Committee,
made up of priests of the place.
"Our duty is to organise rituals and provide food to the deprived
coming here," said Waheed Angara, secretary of the Anjuman
Committee. There are regular elections to this committee and only
khadims can participate in it.
Zardari will be the fourth Pakistani head of state or government
to visit the dargah. His late wife Benazir Bhutto and former
presidents Zia-ul Haq and Pervez Musharraf also visited the
shrine.
"The shrine has always been a great source of communal harmony and
national integrity," Mohammad Ahmed, a resident of the dargah
area, told IANS.
Every year, on the death anniversary (urs) of the Sufi saint, held
on the first six days of Rajab (seventh month of the Islamic
calendar), millions pour into the shrine.
(Anil Sharma can be contacted at anil.s@ians.in)
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