About Dargah Sharif
Situated at the foot of a hill and in the old part of town, this is one
of the most important places in india for muslim pilgrims. The Dargah is
the tomb of a Suffi saint, Khwaja Muin-ud-din Chishti, who came to Ajmer
from Persia in 1192 and died here in 1236. Construction of this shrine
was completed by Humayun and the gate was added by the Nizam of
Hyderabad. Akhbar used to make the pilgrimage to the Dargah from Agra
once a year.
As you enter the courtyard, the mosque, constructed by Akhbar, is on
the right. The enormous cauldrons are for offerings that are customarily
shared by families involved in the shrine's upkeep. In the inner court
there is another mosque built by Shah Jahan. Constructed of white
marble, it has 11 arches and a Persian inscription running the full
length of the building.
The saint's tomb is in the center of the second court. It has a marble
dome and actual tomb inside is surrounded by a silver platform. The
horse shoes nail to the shrine doors are offerings from successful horse
dealers.
This shrine is a hive of activity and you can really get a sense of how
deeply significant it is to the Muslim people. The tomb attracts tens of
thousands of pilgrims every year on the anniversary of the Saint's death
The
Urs.
General Tips:
You have to cover your head in certain parts of the shrine so remember
to take a scarf or a cap along with you . Remove your shoes before
entering the mosque. Beware of the guides hustling for donations around
the Dargah using standard fake donation books.
Pictures of Dargah
