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----7-----..,,,,-, B T ~ O R ELPRIL
I,
8
1951
2
-
I
ti *
YE{TUX3 ARTICLE
----_THIS SrlINTtS SHRINZ
in
tlTIRI\CTED FdV ZtIPEROR
The v e n e r a t i o n *,vKPch t h e s i m p l e and humble p e o p l e
of I a d i d have f o r t h e i r "men of godtt 2nd which t r a n s c e n d s
c j s t e and c r e e d czn have no b e t t e r i l l u s t r c t i o n . t h b n i n t h e
Urs f e s t i v s l a t t h e Dzrgah Khvu~ja Seheb, kjmer. 'Thousands of
..uslimc
1
Hindus from t h e f o u r c o r n e r s o f t h e c o u n t r y f l o c k
t o p z r t i c i p z t e i n t h e a n n u a l ceremony s t che tomb of t h e S u f i
s a i n t Khwhja Muin-ud-din C h i s h t i who d i e d i n l!jmer 915 y e a r s sgo,
P i o u s 2nd s a i a t l y from h i s e a r l y l i f e , t h e Khwaja
e S;mnr.knnd
pursued r e l i g i o u s k n b ~ l e d . ~~t
and Dukhzra, a f t e r
-
which he t r c v e l l e d f z r and wide i n q u e s t of a s p i r i t u a l
p r e c e p t o r u n t i l h e met H c z r a t Khwaja Usman Harooni, a w e l l known f a q i r o f t h e ' ~ h i s h t is e c t . For n e a r l y 20 y e a r s h e s e r v e d
h i s m o s t e r , became h i s K h a l i f a , and l a t e r v i s i t e d I r a q , S y r i c ,
I r i n ind 1.f g h i n i s t i n 2nd f i n ; l l y l I n d i a . Sometime between 1190
;nd 1121 t h e Khwajzi r t a c h e d i.jmer where he s e t t l e d down f o r t h e
r e s t of h i s l i f e .
Devoted a d m i r e r s , s e e k e r s of b l e s s i n g s
hs well a s
s c e p t i c v i s i t o r s poured i n t o f:jmar d u r i n g t h e 44 y e z r s o f t h e
Khwajats s p i r i t u z i l r s i g n . H i s t o r i c 3 1 r e c o r d s show t h a t e v e n
thd b i t t e r a s t a g n o s t i c o r ' s c z p t i c returrled an undiluted convert.
His fame and r e p u t a t i o n s p r e c d t h r o u g h o u t t h e c o u n t r y and b o t h
t h k r i c h and t h e poor were a l i k e imbued v ~ i t hr e v e r e n c e f o r
-
h i s s i m p l i c i t y and humnnism,
HE l e d c l i f c o f polferty, His meal c o n s i s t e d of one
c h a p p ~ t iwzighing 5 m i s q a l s once i n e i g h t d s y s ; He covered
himself with a d u t s h i
-
two s h e e t s o f . c l o t h , w i t h many p n t c h e s ,
s t i t c h d d t o g t t h e r . E i s who12 l i f e vvss c e n t r e d i n t h e
renuncistion.
& .
..
r e n u n c i a t i o n of w o r l d l y d ~ s i r e s2nd a m b i t i o n s and he
i n c u l c a t s d t h e s a m e - s e l f - d e n i n l and a b n e g a t i o n among h i s
.
-
*
f o l l o w t r s . H s d i d n o t write any bbok a l t h o G g h t h e r e c r e
s o m g - p u r p o r t i n g t o b s c o m p i l a t i o n s of h i s s a y i n g s . One o'f
h i s sayings i s remcrkable f o r i t s s i m i l a r i t y with t h o s e of
t h e e k p o n e n t s of t h e Hindu B h a k t i c u l t : ItHcva you n o t i c @ lbow
2
murmuring s t r e a m of w a t e r b e w a i l s u n t i l i t s c h i e v e s
t r z n q u i l l i t y b y . f a l l i n g i n t o t h e s e n ? Thus, mhen t h e l o v e r
-
f i n d s t h e b e l o v e d , he no l o n g z r ~ a i - l s . ' ~
Such wss t h e e s t e e m i n which he wzs h e l d t h ~ even
t
h i s d ~ ~ s c e n d s n tesn j o y e d g r e a t c o n s i d e r ~ t i o nt h r o u g h o u t t h e
c o u n t r y . I t i s s c i d t h z t t h e Nizam of H y d e r a b ~ dwould n o t s i t
i n t h e i r p r e s e n c s 2nd t h a t t h e Mchor.a j a s of J a i p u r , Gwalior
and J o d h p u r used t o g i v k them s s e a t a l o n g s i d e o f t h e m s s l v e s .
I n s p i t e o f h i s g r c c t fcme and r e p u t a t i o n n o pucca
b u i l d i n g marked t h e Khwcja's g r a v e u n t i l 300 y e & r s l a t e r
*
ivhen t h e K h i l j i S u l t z n s of Mandu b u i l t i t up and r ~ i s s da
s m a l l dome o v e r it. I t wcs c h a r a c t c k i s t i c of Akbsr, t h e
Mughal Emperor, t h a t h e wss t h e f i r s t t o endow p r o p s r t y i n
f a v o u r of t h e Khwaja' s Dargah. ~ : k b n rv i s i t e d t h e Dargsh i n
1557 when Ljrner ccme i n t o h i s p o s s e s s i o n , T r a d i t i o n s a y s
t h z t h e t o o k a vow t o p z r f o r m t h e p i l g r i m a g e on f o o t from
t : g r c L i f h i s s o n J a h n n g i r s u r v i v e d G f t e r h i s b i r t h . The t : k b a r i
1.ltsji.d cnd t h e Jumz mosque i n w h i t e m s r b l e were b u i l t by
l,kbar and
S h s h j a h i n respectively. bkbnr 2nd J e h j n g i r (who
s p e n t t h r e e c o n s e c u t i v e y e z r s i n i:jmer d u r i n g h i s r e i g n )
p r e s e n t e d t h o two b i g c a u l d r o n s i n which food was cookad 2nd
d i s t r i b u t s d t o t h e poor.
-
( ~ h ~ were
s e r e p l a c e d l a t e r by some
d o n o r s from Hyderabad). The famous d a u g h t e r o f Shahjnhan,
P r i ~ c e s sJ z h z n I r o Begfun, - b u i l t t h e p r i n c i p a l a n t r o n c e t o t h e
,
.
tomb. Thus, s u b s t a n t i a l e d d i t i o n s were made t o t h e b u i l d i n g s
a h l a r g e sums s p e n t on d e c o r a t i o n a n d
o f t h e ~ a r ~ 2nd
embellishment,
The Mughal,
..,.
The Mughal Emperors continued t o l o o k a f t e r and
*
e x e r c i s e d some c o n t r o l over t h e Dargsh n l-t h(o u. q h. *, f ! ~ m e r ,
v
r
r
'passt.d t h r o u g h s e v s r a l v i c i s s i t u d e s d u r i n g t h e 1 8 t h and
.I
1 9 t h c e n t u r i e s . ~ ~ t t t rt hl e~ s,f f o i r s of t h e bnrgah were
.
l e f t i n t h e hands of t h e S n j jodanashins, who n o t 'only
3
-.
succeeded t o t h a r e l i g i o u s o f f i c e bht a l s o t o t h e p r o p-'e r t y 'L*
of t h e Dsrgsh, t h e Khadims ( ~ s r v a n t sof t h e s h r i n e ) who
*
claimed s h ~ r z si n t h e o f f e r i n g s made by p i l g r i m s and t h e
'
h e r e d i t c r y K u t e w a l l i (Mcnnger of t h e T r u s t ) .
During t h e B r i t i s h period., t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n of t h e
Dargah wos brought und.ir t h e r e g u l r t i o n s of t h e
.
~elig~oas''
Zndowmsnts Let of 1863 and l c t z r under z s p e c i c l Act of
1936. The z f f e i r s of t h e ~ c r g c h , howevar, graw from .bad t o
worse. The c d m i n i s t r ~ t i o nproved a complete f c i l u r e a s it was
5
l e f t e n t i r e l y i n t h e h ~ n d . sof b e n e f i c i b r i e s ~ n di n t e r e s t e d
parties,
STEPS TO IidPROVE BDMINISTR?TION
IVith t h e p a r t i t i o n of I n d i a , some i m p o r t a n t members of
t h e management l e f t f o r P a k i s t a n , Owing t o t h i s a n d - t h e
f a c t i o n s cmongst t h o s e connected w i t h t h e Dargah, i t s
administr::tion d e t e r i o r a t e d f u r - t h s r . With
2
,
view t o . improving
t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n t h e ~ o v g r n m e n tof I n d i a c o n s t i t u t e d i n
1949 a Committae of Enquiry c o n s i s t i n g of Mr. ~ u s t z c eGhulam
Hossen, Judge of t h e P,llahcbzd High Court (Chsirman),
Mr., Yohammad Yimin Khtn 2nd Ncwab Iviohmud Yar
ahg,
111th
E r , Mustafa Kamil Kidwai z s S e c r e t c r y , lln 'Ordinance was a l s o
promulgated i n t h e same y e a r i n v e s t i n g t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n of
t h e Dargeh i n t h e hends of a temporjry Administrator.
The committee submitted i t s r e p o r t l c s t y e o r 2nd
I
recommended t h a t t h e D a r g ~ h t s l a d m i n i s t r n t i o nsMould be e n t r u s t e d
t o a h i g h powered body of f i v e I n d i a n Musli~cs a p p o i n t e d by t h e
P r e s i d e n t . I t z l s o suggasted v c r i o u s s t e p s t o improve t h e
maintenance of t h e Dargsh znd t h e d i s p o s n l of o f f e r i n g s
from devotees. .The r ~ p o r tof t h e Committee i s a t pres'knt
under t h e ~ o n s i d e r ~ t i oofn t h s Governmsnt.
I n t h e mcznivhile, t h Dzrgjh
~
$dminlstrctor i s
making a l l e f f o r t s t o m e t t h e needs of p i l g r i m s who coice
n o t only from I n d i a b u t 31so from o t h e r c o u n t r i e s . Improved
arrcngements z r e being mcde f o r bosrding cnd lodging,
f o o d g r s i n s d i s t r i b u t i o n , supply of drinking water, s z n i t a t i o n ,
, p r o v i s i o n of medicdl heip, booking of t i c k e t s ~ n deven
r e l i g i o u s sermons cnd entertcinment. The arrzngements 2 r e
expected t o be even b e t t e r than l z s t yecr whan nenrly
25,000 pilgrims v i s i t e d t h e s h r i n e and expressed g r ~ t i f i c c t l o n
a t t h s f e c i l i t i e s provided.
THE
ABOVg IS NOT TG BE PUSLISEED OR BROPtDCASTBEFORE APRIL
8,1951
-
EDITOR: The Urs a t t h e Dargah Khwaja Saheb, Ajmer i s
I
_
-
expected t o be c e l e b r a t e d on April 8 o r 9, depending on
t h e appesrance of t h e moon.
'