Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti's 814th Urs: Janati Darwaza opened, sandalwood distributed

The 814th Urs of Sufi saint Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, located in Ajmer, began with important rituals at the Dargah Sharif on Saturday night. The khadims of Khwaja distributed the sandalwood offered at the shrine throughout the year among the devotees after removing it from the mausoleum. Along with this, the Baithak door has been opened for pilgrimage.

According to tradition, the ritual of removing sandalwood from the mausoleum was performed on the 28th night of the Jamadi-us-Sani month. During this, Khadim Syed Qutubuddin Saki, Urs convener Syed Hasan Hashmi, and other khadims were seen distributing sandalwood among the devotees.

Syed Hasan Hashmi said that Sunday is the 29th of the lunar calendar. After the Maghrib prayer, a meeting of the Hilal Committee will be held, which will be chaired by the city Qazi Maulana Tausif Ahmed Sadiqui. A decision will be made in the meeting regarding the sighting of the moon of Rajab. If the moon is sighted, the Urs rituals will begin from Sunday night, otherwise, the first gathering will be held the next day. The Urs gathering will be held at the Mahfil Khana under the chairmanship of Dargah Diwan Syed Zainul Abidin Ali Khan. If the moon of Rajab is sighted, the mausoleum will be given its first bath at midnight. If the moon is not sighted, this event will take place a day later.

The Baithak door is opened four times a year, but it is opened for the most part for six days during the Urs. According to tradition, this door will be closed on 6th of Rajab after the 'Qul' ritual. With the opening of the Baithak door, the influx of devotees at the Dargah has increased. A large number of devotees are seen waiting for their turn for pilgrimage, carrying velvet chadars and baskets of flowers.

Meanwhile, in view of the Urs, the traffic police have appealed to the public and devotees not to park their vehicles on the road or roadside. All vehicles should be parked only at the designated parking locations. During the duration of the fair, a request has been made to use two-wheelers and park them at the designated parking locations.