Celebrating the saint’s death.
[Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi]
The Urs ceremony, or the death anniversary, of Delhi’s 14th century Sufi saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, starts on February 27 2013. It will end on March 3.
Urs means “wedding” in Arabic and it symbolizes the union of the lover with the beloved, who is God. In Sufism, a saint’s death is not mourned, it is celebrated.
Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya was buried in the chamber where he meditated and died. His shrine is built around his tomb. A settlement of the same name – Nizamuddin Basti – came up around the dargah.
Hazrat Nizamuddin’s 709th Urs begins at half past six in the evening of February 27. A few select verses from the Quran will be read in the dargah’s courtyard. Food will be served to devotees. The next four days will include prayers, qawwalis and holy meals.
“It is not mandatory to visit the Dargah during the Urs,” says Altamash Nizami, a khadim, one of the many hereditary caretakers of the shrine. “But it is nice to be a part of a special celebration that comes once a year.”
Where Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, Nizamuddin Basti Nearest Metro Station Jangpura
Scenes of the shrine
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