806th Urs of Ajmer Sharif : Gori Family Hoists Flag and Begins The Celebrations

Celebration has started with the flag hosting by Gori family of Bhilwara on Buland Darwaja.

The 806th Urs of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti was formally started with the flag hosting by Gori family of Bhilwara on Buland Darwaja. The Urs festival is an annual festival held at Ajmer, a city in the Indian state of Rajasthan, which commemorates the death anniversary of the Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti, (founder of the Chishtiya Sufi order in India). It is held over six days and features night-long qawwali singing. The anniversary is celebrated in the seventh month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Thousands of pilgrims visit the shrine from all over India and abroad.

On the very first day, a large number of devotees came to participate in this old-age ritual and offerings and prayers started in the dargah. Thousands of devotees gathered in the dargah guest house to participate in the ceremony of flag hoisting. After flag hoisting, the rituals of Urs will start with moon sighting which is expected on March 19. After the ‘Aser ki Namaz’, there were celebrations with musical bands. Qawals also sang sufi songs. As per the tradition, members of Gori family took the flag and started the march towards the main gate of dargah. The whole path crowded with devotees and they pour flowers on the procession. The march went through Mustafa market, Phool gali, and reached Nizam Gate where the flag was hosted.

The sixth day of the Urs is regarded as the most special and auspicious. It is called “Chhati Sharif”. It is celebrated on the 6th Rajab between 10:00 A.M. and 1:30 p.m. inside the Mazaar Sharif. Shijra is read by duty bound Khadims of Moinuddin Chishti, and then there is Fariyad (prayers). This time, processions will not be allowed. Emergency services will operate 24 hours and vigilance will be kept on every suspicious person and for the first time there will be CCTV cameras in dargah region to keep watch on every activity in the region and control room will work 24 hours.