City Faith – Eid-ul-Fitr, Shahi Idgah

City Faith – Eid-ul-Fitr, Shahi Idgah

Praying in the rain. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] It was the first time in the living memory of middle-aged Delhiites that rain fell on Eid-ul-Fitr, the Muslim festival that marks the end of Ramzan, the month of…

City Faith – Ladies Are Allowed Inside, Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah

City Faith – Ladies Are Allowed Inside, Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah

Defying the repulsive tradition. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] The shameful thing about Hazrat Nizamuddin dargah, one of Delhi’s holiest Sufi shrines, is that women are not allowed inside the chamber where the 14th century saint lived, died…

Sign of the Times - Terror Attack in Data Darbar, Lahore's Sufi Shrine

Sign of the Times – Terror Attack in Data Darbar, Lahore’s Sufi Shrine

Requiem for the dead. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] On the night of July 1, 2010, three suicide bombers struck in quick succession at the Sufi shrine of Data Ganj Baksh, or Data Darbar, in Lahore, Pakistan. 35…

City Faith – Shah Farhad’s Sufi Shrine, Bagicha Peerji

Death is beautiful. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] The aroma of freshly cooked mutton biryani is wafting in the air. The old woman in white is whirling round into a blur. Two boys are lighting candles. Qawwals are…

City Culture – How I Got Drunk and Lost My Virginity in Nizamuddin Dargah

Trance music in Delhi’s most famous sufi shrine. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Every Thursday evening music lovers gather at Nizamuddin dargah, the shrine of Delhi’s 14th century sufi saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. They wait for the Nizami…

City Monument – Gurudwara Seesganj, Chandni Chowk

Holy and serene. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Not as open and airy as Bangla Sahib gurudwara in Connaught Place, Seesganj Sahib is as serene as any spiritual destination should be. It was built in memory of Guru…

City Faith – Urs, Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah

Celebrating the saint’s death. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Saturday evening, April 3rd, 2010. The sufis are celebrating the death anniversary of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, Delhi’s 14th century sufi saint. On this day, he married his lover. That…

City Music – The Real Sufi Stars

The qawwals of Hazrat Nizamuddin. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] It is amusing to see Delhiwallas scramble for pricey tickets each time a ‘big’ sufi music star such as Abida Parveen or Kailash Kher lands in the town…

Photo Essay – Basant Celebrations, Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah

Colour me yellow. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] On January 19th, 2010, the shrine of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya was all yellow. It was the eve of Basant Panchmi, the day that marks the arrival of spring. Hence yellow,…

City Monument – Birla Temple, Mandir Marg

The land of Vishnu. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Spread over seven acres, Shri Lakshmi Narain temple, popularly called Birla Mandir, is a dense neighbourhood of gods. A world in itself, it is a land of plenty. It…