Ajmer Sharif Dargah
Ajmer Sharif Dargah, Ajmer Dargah, Ajmer Sharif or Dargah Sharif is a sufi shrine of the revered sufi saint, Moinuddin Chishti, located at Ajmer, Rajasthan, India. The shrine has Chisti's grave.
Location
Ajmer Sharif Dargah is away from the main central Ajmer Railway station and 500 metres away from the Central Jail and is situated at the foot of the Taragarh hill.History
was a 13th-century sufi mystic saint and philosopher. Born in Sanjar, or in Sijistan, he travelled across South Asia, eventually settling in Ajmer, where he died in 1236.The initial structure of the tomb was made of wood but later covered with a canopy made of stone. The Mughal emperor Akbar built the dome around Chisti's tomb and reconstructed the sanctum sanctorum in 1579. Jahangir, Shah Jahan, and Jahanara later renovated the structure. The dargah was never systematically planned and thus has multiple influences of design and materials used. An elegant covering over the dargah was constructed in 1800 by the Maharaja of Baroda.
As local and national rulers came to pray here, the dargah grew in popularity and size over the years. Muhammad bin Tughluq, Sher Shah Suri, and Akbar and his descendants Jahangir, Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb, Dara Shikoh and Jahanara Begum were known to have visited the shrine.
The Mughal emperor Akbar first visited the dargah in 1562 after hearing about Chisti while on a hunt. He then made multiple pilgrimages to the dargah, usually before any military campaign. His most notable pilgrimage was completed on foot in 1568 from Chittor Fort to Ajmer, fulfilling a vow he had made to ensure the fall of Chittor. According to another story, Akbar made the pilgrimage from Agra to Ajmer barefooted, as a vow for a male child. The large pillars called "Kose Minar", erected at intervals of two miles along the entire way between Agra and Ajmer mark the places where the royal pilgrims halted every day.
In 2019, the Hindustan Zinc Limited decided to renovate the complex under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, including many plans specifically targeted at sanitation and hygiene.
Architecture
The white marble dome of Chisti's shrine, as seen today, was built in 1532. This date is inscribed in golden letters on the Northern wall of the dargah. It is an example of Indo-Islamic architecture and the dome features a lotus and a crown of gold, donated by Rampur's Nawab Haider Ali Khan. It is located in the Ihaata Noorani of the complex. Materials used to build it include marble, brick and sandstone. The dargah has a royal darbar, Mehfil Khana, that was constructed in 1888. It is a square structure and has a patterned ceiling. Jahanara Begum donated the dargah's left facet, the railing around the dargah and also constructed a small platform, the Begumi Chabutra. The sanctum of the dargah has two doors. The canopy made of mother-of-pearl and silver was commissioned by Jahangir and is visible from the cenotaph's four silver posts. The ceiling is etched with gold and in 1888, the walls were gilded.The complex has multiple structures and has eight entrance gates. However, only three of these are in use. The Nizam Gate, a yellow structure with floral designs, is the main gate and was donated by the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad Mir Osman Ali Khan in 1911. An older gate, the Shahjahani Gate, was donated by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. It marked the expansion of the shrine complex beyond the Buland Darwaza, built by Sultan Mahmud Khalji. Other gates include the Madar Gate and the Delhi Gate. The Jannati Darwaza is a door made of silver that is used only on rare occasions. It is also referred to as the Bihisti Darwaza.
The complex has eight tombs besides that of Chishti, belonging to members of his family. Some of these include Chisti's daughter Bibi Hafiza Jamal and Nizam Sikka, who was a water-carrier who saved Humayun's life. A huge chandelier, Sahn Chirag, was commissioned by Akbar. The Ahaat-e-Noor is a large courtyard where religious functions are held and qawwalis are sung. Near the Nizam Gate is the Naqqar Khana where music was once played from to greet visitors. A large silver chandelier was donated by the Golden Temple. The Akbari Mosque is made of red sandstone and was probably commissioned by Akbar. A more elegant mosque was commissioned by Shah Jahan in 1637 and is called the Jami Masjid. It is made of white marble. The Sandali Masjid was constructed by Aurangzeb. The complex also has a Langar Khana and a Mahfil Khana. The Jhalara is a natural tank of water that is used by pilgrims. Other tanks were donated by Shah Jahan and Queen Mary of Teck in 1911.
The Jami Masjid is located to the west of the dargah, while the large marble courtyard is located on its eastern side. The Arhat-i-Noor is an enclosure restricted to women that is located on the southern side and houses the tombs of Chisti's daughter and granddaughter. More than 40 graves lie behind the Jami Masjid.
Culture
The dargah has been a site for pilgrims belonging to Hinduism and Islam since medieval times and also attracts Jains and Sikhs. Pilgrims come here from around the world and offer chaddars to the shrine. Pilgrims also offer rose petals, which total up to seven tonnes per day. Women are allowed to enter the dargah. It has been estimated that around 20,000 pilgrims visit the site every day. After pilgrims exit the shrine, photographers from photo studios offer professional photos of the pilgrims at rates as cheap as 20. Most of these photographers are Hindus who migrated to Ajmer during the Partition of India.For the langar of the shrine, Akbar and Jahangir donated degh in 1568 and 1614, respectively. These two degh are in use event today, as the dargah is known for its degh ka khana. This is made of rice, ghee, cashew nuts, almonds and raisins. People undergo the Islamic ritual purification of wudu, in which pilgrims wash their face, hands and feet prior to offering namaz. The street approaching the dargah is well-known for its food, craft items and gota work.
The daily rituals at the dargah are mainly the five mandatory prayers of Muslims, the namaz. At sunset, there is the ceremony of the Dua-e-Roshni, in which large yellow candles are carried to the darbar by the khadims. Following the prayers at night, qawwalis are sung, after which all visitors are asked to leave. Three khadims then clean the durbar with brooms made of peacock feathers. After the last person is out of the shrine, the qawwals recite the Karka, which is a musical verse in Sanskrit, Brij and Persian. The dargah is then locked and reopened only for the next day's pre-dawn prayer.
Urs festival
The death anniversary of Moinuddin Chishti, the urs, is not mourned and is celebrated since it is the day the disciple is reunited with his maker. The celebrations begin with the end of the Islamic month of Jumada al-Thani and conclude on the sixth day of the month of Rajab, a total of six days. Members of Bhilwara's Gori family march through the city towards the Nizam gate and hoist the flag on the Buland Darwaza, marking the beginning of the death anniversary rituals. Following this, the urs rituals begin with the sighting of the moon. This is followed by the Aser ki Namaz. Every night a mehfil-i-sama takes place at the Mahfil Khana of the complex, in which women are allowed to participate. The urs end with the Qul, the final prayer. During this period, pilgrims attempt to enter the dargah as many times as possible and make their prayers. The Bihisti Darwaza is made of silver and it is washed with rose water by pilgrims in the afternoon. It is believed that touching it guarantees one a place in Heaven.About five lakh people, the approximate population of the city of Ajmer, come to attend the urs. About 2700 buses of pilgrims enter the city. The Indian Railways launches a special train service, the Garib Nawaz trains, to facilitate transport for pilgrims around the country. Vishram Sthali in the Kayad locality of Ajmer serves as a place for lakhs of pilgrims to stay during this time, although every kind of accommodation is occupied with the sheer number of pilgrims. In March 2020, it was announced that a large guest house, Rubath, would be constructed in Ajmer for the same.
Management
The dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti is an international waqf, 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 which is under the custody of hereditary priests known as Khadims.Dewan Syed Zainul Abedin is the direct descendant in the 22nd generation of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. Meanwhile, according to the Supreme Court of India he is the Hereditary Sajjadanashin Spiritual Head of the shrine of Ajmer Dargah. On the other hand, in the aspect of genealogical lineage, presently he is the most direct descendant of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. He is the successor of Khwaja Gareeb Nawaz.
2007 bombing
On 11 October 2007, an explosion occurred in Dargah Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti's courtyard in Ajmer in Rajasthan. It was the holy fasting period of Ramazan and evening prayers had just ended. A crowd had gathered at the courtyard to break their fast. A bomb was placed inside a tiffin carrier went off. Reports said the blast claimed 7 lives and injured 17.Special Judge Dinesh Gupta's nearly 500-page judgment was based on testimonies of 149 witnesses and 451 document submitted to his court.
On 22 March 2017, the National Investigation Agency Special Court, sentenced two murderers named Bhavesh Patel and Davendra Gupta to life imprisonment, who were convicted for the 2007 Ajmer Dargah Blasts, in which three people were killed.
Those convicted, Bhavesh Patel and Devendra Gupta,allegedly owed allegiance to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Both were held guilty under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, Explosives Act and various sections of Indian Penal Code.