City of Hind Al Vali. Review on Ajmer

I visited Ajmer in July 2004 on my way back from New Delhi. I was there for just one day and I visited the shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti ( peace be upon him ) and Ana Sagar. I am therefore confining my review to the Dargah Sharif and the Ana Sagar Lake.

The Dargah Sharif is situated about a kilometer from the railway station. The market area around the Dargah Sharif is called the Dargah Bazaar. Before you climb the steps of Dargah sharif please take off your shoes and cover your heads either with your handkerchief or with the prayer caps available in the market.

The main door through which you enter is the Buland Darwaaza. It was constructed by Emporer Akbar. As you enter the courtyard of the complex you shall find two big vessels on the either side of the courtyard. The smaller vessel is called the Chotti Degh ( small cauldron ) and the bigger vessel is called the Badi Degh ( big cauldron ). The Chotti Degh was constructed by Emporer Shah Jahan while the Badi Degh was constructed by Emporer Akbar. The marble for flooring was given by Maharaja of Indore while the 1.25 ton golden dome of the Mazaar Sharif ( the structure housing the actual tomb ) was given by Nizam of Hyderabad.

As I visited the Dargah Sharif on the day before Chatti Sharif ( a holy day ) the Dargah Sharif was fairly crowded. After purifying the body by Vazoo we proceeded to take darshan of the saint's Mazaar. The saint's mazaar is enclosed by a silver enclosure and no one except the Khadim's ( saint's traditional worshippers ) are allowed inside. After taking Darshan and paying our respects we toured the Dargah Complex.

We saw a mosque built by Emporer Shah Jahan. The marble is of such fine quality that you can actually see your image in the marble. Besides the Dargah Sharif has a Jannati Darwaza which is open only for few days during Urs Mubarak of the saint. It is believed that one who walks through this door is assured of a place in heaven.

After visiting the Dargah Sharif we visited the Ana Sagar Lake which must be about a kilometer from the Dargah Sharif. Legend goes that Khwaja Sahab filled all the water of this lake in a small vessel to humble the ruler of Ajmer who was defiant and released the water back only after the king begged his forgiveness. There are marble structures known as Baradaris built by Emporer Shah Jahan for his stay near the Ana Sagar Lake.

Later that night I attended a Qawalli programme in the Dargah Sharif complex. I had the benefit of enjoying the spiritual atmosphere generated by singing the praises of Khwaja Sahab.

Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti ( peace be on him ) is also called Garib Navaz meaning 'benefactor of the poor'.He is also called Hind Al Vali 'meaning protector of Hind' ( India ). People of all faiths congregate at the Dargah Sharif to seek blessings of the great saint.

About visiting Ajmer and Dargah Sharif it is said , '' Iraade to bante hain aur toot jaate hain , Ajmer wahi aate hain jinhe Khwaja bulate hain '' ( intentions are made and broken , only those come to Ajmer whom Khwaja calls ). To illustrate the saying the locals point out that President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan could not visit Dargah Sharif on his last visit to India because Khwaja Sahab did not permit the enemy of India to visit him.

I am grateful to Khwaja Sahab for giving me permission to pay my respects to him.

Please rate this review and comment on it , I shall be grateful.