JAIPUR: Amid the controversy claiming that the Ajmer Dargah was built over a Hindu temple, the 813th Urs of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti was celebrated with great fervor and devotion.
The rituals of Bade Kul and Jumme ki Namaz on Friday attracted a record-breaking number of pilgrims. Despite the controversy, the turnout this year was reportedly double that of the previous year.
Pilgrims from around the globe, including 89 people from Pakistan, thronged the dargah to seek the blessings of the Sufi saint.
The influx was so overwhelming that when the rooms in over 6,000 hotels in Ajmer proved insufficient, locals opened their homes as makeshift guest houses to accommodate the devotees.
The Anjuman Committee revealed that while no official record of chaadar offerings is maintained, an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 chaadars were presented daily during the Urs. Notable figures, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, also sent chaadars as a mark of respect.
A delegation of pilgrims from Pakistan, led by the Second Secretary of the Pakistan High Commission, Tariq Masroof, offered a chaadar on behalf of Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif. The delegation later returned to Pakistan via a special train under tight security.
Speaking to the media, one pilgrim expressed heartfelt prayers for peace and prosperity, stating, “We all came to pray for peace and brotherhood. May Allah bless everyone, fill everyone’s bags, and bring peace to both India and Pakistan.”
Syed Sarwar Chishti, Secretary of the Dargah’s Anjuman Committee, dismissed concerns about the controversy’s impact, stating that pilgrim numbers had only increased. “This year, we have witnessed a larger turnout than before,” he said.
Traditionally, the crowds begin to thin after the Chhathi ritual, but this year, even after the Bade Kul ceremony, hotels remained fully booked, and pilgrims continued to arrive. The last time such a large crowd was witnessed was during the 786th Urs.
The Urs celebrations were held under the shadow of a legal dispute. On September 25, 2024, Advocate Vishnu Gupta, President of the Hindu Sena, filed a petition claiming that the site of the dargah was originally a Sankatmochan Mahadev temple. The petition cited a 114-year-old book, Ajmer Historical and Descriptive, by retired judge Harbilas Sarda. An entire chapter of the book asserts that a Lord Shiva temple once stood at the dargah’s location.