A call to the faithful

The dargah at Ajmer has been a pilgrim centre for centuries to kings and common men alike. KAMALA RAMAKRISHNAN writes on the history and significance of this shrine which Pakistan's President General Musharraf was to have visited.

AJMER and the dargah that houses the tomb of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti was recently in the news for Pakistan's Chief Executive Gen. Pervez Musharraf was slated to visit the holy shrine. Gen. Musharraf too, like the great Mughal emperor Akbar, was to journey from Agra to Ajmer. But here the similarity ends, for Emperor Akbar did this trip barefoot as a thanksgiving to the Sufi saint who he believed granted his wish for a son.

Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti, believed to be the greatest mystic of his time, laid the foundation of the liberal Chishtia order of Sufis in India. Visiting the dargah recently, I found that crowds still throng this famous pilgrimage centre bringing their little pleas to the Garib Nawaz as he is referred to. For it is universally held that irrespective of religious leanings, those who pray here with a devout and pure mind will not plead in vain.

It is this faith that, for eight centuries has brought kings and common men from all faiths and towns to visit the dargah of this great Sufi saint. To the Muslims of South Asia the dargah stands second only to the sacred one in Mecca.

No one really knows why this great Sufi seer who was born in Sanjaristan, Iran, settled down in Ajmer, a city founded by Raja Ajay Pal Chauhan in the Seventh Century. Today Ajmer has yielded much of its importance to the capital city of Jaipur that is about 140 km away. But centuries back its location made it a centre of importance and it is believed that Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti must have come with the invading armies of Muhammad of Ghori in 1192. Legend has it that a vision made him stay on in Ajmer while others believe he found the serenity and solitude of Ajmer attractive and settled down here.

Over the years the Garib Nawaz, so called because of his empathy for the deprived, conquered the hearts of the local populace with his piety and humaneness. This, coupled with stories of the miracles he performed, started attracting a huge following. In 1233, in the month of March, on the first day of the Rajab, the seventh month of the lunar calendar, he retired to his cell with instructions that he should not be disturbed. When even on the sixth day the doors of his cell had not been opened, concern mounted and the doors were broken open and he was found dead. Since no one could say exactly when he died, the Urs are celebrated over six days. Over these six days thousands of pilgrims from all over the world pour into Ajmer to commemorate the saint's anniversary, hoping for wish fulfillment even while being part of the colourful fair that springs up around the dargah.

The dargah itself is a majestic and massive monument situated right in the heart of the city of Ajmer, at the foot of a barren hill. It was not a monument built overnight, but a majestic structure that took shape over centuries, thanks to the involvement of different rulers who lavished attention and money to make it a worthy resting place for a great soul. The first construction of the shrine was begun by Altamash, Sultan of Delhi and later completed by the Mughal Emperor Humayun. The original shrine was built of bricks. The mausoleum was given a proper shape with a dome over it by Sultan Gyasuddin of Malwa between 1464 and 1500. It was remodelled by Emperor Akbar and modified even further by Emperor Shah Jahan. Other examples of royal munificence are evident everywhere.

We entered the dargah complex through the dargah bazaar. The bazaar or market is itself an interesting halt for shops overflow with Rajasthani handicrafts and more exotic items like attars and dhoop. I mistook the dhoop or sambrani (to use the Tamil equivalent), for sweets, so varied was their colouring. Brought from all over Asia - Singapore, Korea and Indonesia, the dhoop with its green, orange, blue, red and black colouring was definitely a good buy as were the attars.

To enter the dargah one passes first through the imposing Nizam gate built in 1911 at the instance of the Nizam of Hyderabad. Upstairs, small drums beat at definite times, both day and night. Immediately following this is the beautiful Shah Jahan gate built by Emperor Shah Jahan which was the main entrance for centuries. Made of fine timber covered with silver plate, it has the Kalma Sharif inscribed over it. There is another massive high gate - the Bulund Darwaza erected by Sultan Gyasuddin Khilji of the Mandu. On the first day of Urs, a flag is hoisted on the gate. The official entrance on six days of the ceremony is the Jannati Darwaza on the western side the doors of which are covered in silver.

Entry from the Shah Jahan Gate leads to the first courtyard of the dargah complex. Here on a high pyramid, set into the concrete was a massive cauldron gifted by Akbar in 1567 to the dargah. A smaller daig was gifted by Emperor Jahangir in 1613. These have a capacity of cooking 4,480 kg and 2,240 kg of rice respectively. What we see now however are replacements copied authentically from the originals. Although it was originally intended by Emperor Akbar to be used daily for feeding poor pilgrims, today rich devotees pay for food to be cooked in it for the six days of the Urs. A palatable mixture of rice, dried fruits, sugar and ghee is cooked and in a ceremony called the looting of the daigs and amidst great confusion, people empty it in minutes, even jumping into the hot cauldron to scrape the bottom. The rest of the year devotees throw money into it to be used as alms. The outer courtyard also has a red sandstone mosque called the Akbari Masjid erected by Akbar. Today it houses a religious educational institution.

The second inner courtyard has many lovely structures, the most beautiful being the masjid constructed by Shah Jahan and made of marble with delicate carvings. The Mehfil Khana is another beautiful structure. This assembly hall, 46 ft square with 14 ft running around it, was built by Asiur Asman Jah Hyderabad in 1888-91.

The inner courtyard is of course dominated by the impressive dargah, a square, white marble tomb crowned with a domed roof and dual entrances, one of which is entirely of silver. Crowds are everywhere, especially under the huge trees of the compound. Just outside the shrine housing the remains of the saint is a beautiful porch known as the Begami Dalan built in 1643 by princess Jahan Ara, the daughter of Shah Jahan. The walls, the marble pillars and the ceiling have been painted over with coloured gold and it is a fabulous sight. This was done in the previous century by the munificence of a merchant. Unfortunately, entry into the area brought on a swoop of those interested in performing our prayers for us and time that could have been spent on gazing was expended into trying to enter the shrine.

The shrine is a definite experience. The doorway and the doors that open out from the Begami Dalan are of heavily ornamented silverplate. The heavy smell of attar and flowers fill the air. The tomb is supposed to be of white marble inlaid with pieces of precious stone but one does not see it as it is covered with a ghilaafa, a covering of velvet and silk embroidered with silver and gold.

Over the tomb is an impressive silver canopy inlaid with pieces of mother of pearl and presented by Emperor Jahangir. Between the four poles supporting the canopy and also presented by Emperor Jahangir is a silver railing with an arch towards the south. A little distance from this railing, about two ft, is another railing of silver presented by the Jaipur Maharaja in 1730. We were allowed to stand in this area to offer flowers and prayers over the tomb. The ceiling of the dome is again covered with expensively decorated velvet chatgiri.

The ambience is inspiring for one feel the faith of the crowds that teem into the shrine jostling for space within its narrow confines. There is a definite presence of an exalted soul and as one comes out wearing the red thread that is purposefully tied round our necks, as benediction, there is a feeling that the journey was justified.

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