Ajmer Sharif Dargah

Why in news?

• Prime minister Modi, Afghanistan President and many other VIPs have sent a 'Chadars' to the world famous Ajmer Sharif Dargah where the Annual 809th 'Urs Mubarak' of Khawaja Gharib Nawaz is ongoing.

About the Dargah:

• Ajmer Sharif Dargah is a sufi shrine located at Ajmer, Rajasthan.
• The dargah at Ajmer  was  established by the Chishti saint Khwaja Muinuddin
• Khwaja Muinuddin was popularly known as “Gharib Nawaz”.
• Earliest references to dargah date to the fourteenth century.
• It was evidently popular because of the austerity and piety of its Shaikh, the greatness of his spiritual successors, and the patronage of royal visitors including Iltumish, Muhammad bin Tughlaq and Akbar.
• The shrine has two large deghs (Cauldrons) donated by Akbar and Jahangir, used even today to prepare the langar (free food to needy).
• The death anniversary of Moinuddin Chishti, the urs, is celebrated and about five lakh people come to attend the urs.
• Mughal princess Jahanara wrote a biography of Shaikh Muinuddin Chishti, titled Munis al Arwah.

About Khwaja Muinuddin:

• Khwaja Muinuddin  Chisht? (1143–1236 CE), was a Persian Muslim preacher and sufi mystic who eventually ended up settling in the Indian subcontinent where he promulgated the famous Chishtiyya order of Sunni mysticism.
• His biggest contribution was the spread of Chisti silsilah which became the most dominant silsilah in India with saints like Qutab-ud-Din Bakhtyar Kaki, Far?dudd?n Mas'?d (or Baba Farid), Niz?mudd?n Auliy?, Nasiruddin Chiragh Dehlavi etc

PRELIMS QUESTION

Consider the following statements regarding Ajmer Dargah:
1.It belongs to Chisti order of sufism.
2.It was established during the period of Mughal emperor Babur.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a)1 only
(b)2 only
(c)Both 1 and 2
(d)Neither 1 nor 2

Answer to Prelims Question