City Faith – Sufi Christmas, Hazrat Nizamuddin’s Dargah
The night of Ghusal Sharif.
[Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi]
Delhi’s most serene piece of architecture is the dome of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya’s dargah. The devotees of the 14th century sufi saint find this bulbous shape suffused with love. Birds circle around it throughout the day, while almost every pilgrim takes its photograph with their mobile phones.
This dome became magical on the night of Ghusal Sharif — the birth anniversary of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya that was celebrated on 16 December 2014. The shrine was dressed up for the occasion. A new chandelier was installed over the saint’s grave. The cold marble floor of the courtyard was covered with carpets. The pillars and walls were decked with marigolds and roses. While the espresso coffee machine was placed beside an unknown stone grave, a sophisticated audio system for the night-long qawwali session was set up inside the beautiful open-air tomb of Princess Jahanara.
The highlight was Ustad Nishat Khan’s sitar recital.
The other best part was the special lighting effects that made the aforementioned dome glow in a series of colors – green, blue, purple, orange, red, magenta and yellow.
It was a sight to remember.
Holy colors
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9. And in the daylight
such a bliss
Nizamuddin’s tomb, like most religious places in India, is situated plumb in the middle of a veritable mess.It is a world of innumerable flies, trash, importunate beggars,grime and appalling squalor.The residents – most of whom claim to be in a personal relationship with the creator of our universe- don’t seem to care much.