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The Shrine and
its Rituals

The Pilgrims and
Their Movement

Objects, Visuals,
and the Media

A Site of ideological Difference

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The Pilgrims and Their Movement

The religious pilgrims take various routes to come here, often after visiting (or on the way to) a number of other shrines of the Chishti order in other towns. Traditionally, there have been several routes followed by the pilgrims:

(1) from Bihar and Bengal/Bangladesh
(2) from Punjab/Pakistan
(3) from Hyderabad/South India
(4) from Maharashtra/Gujarat side

Each of these routes has its unique milestones or resting points that are usually other Sufi shrines themselves. A typical route for most pilgrims coming from south or south-eastern India is to arrive in Delhi by a direct train, spend a few days in Delhi, and then take a short trip by bus to Agra, Jaipur, and Ajmer, before returning to their destination from Delhi. Thus, for most pilgrims, it is a combination of religious pilgrimage and family holiday. Alternatively, those coming from western India (Maharashtra, Gujarat) first visit Ajmer before heading for Jaipur, Agra and Delhi.

A large number of pilgrims (mostly with an ethnic background of the above-mentioned locations) also come from farther foreign countries such as the Gulf, South Africa, UK, Europe and the US. Many among the South Asian expatriate communities in Europe and America are the followers of Nizamuddin Aulia or Moinuddin Chishti of Ajmer. Some of them also keep direct contact with the sajjadeh-nashins (keepers) of these shrines via phone, letters and now even email. They make monetary contributions for the shrine’s upkeep, some of which may actually be going into the pocket of the keepers. There is a practice of printed literature and request-letters soliciting monetary contribution from the “rich” devotees. Many of these devotees (especially those who have been formally initiated into the order) keep Nizami as a surname or title in their name.

The relevance of this shrine is not limited only to a mediaeval saint, his religious importance or the arrival of pilgrims of south Asian origin. There is also a vital western connection here. An early 20th century Indian Sufi teacher and musician named Inayat Khan traveled to America and Europe in 1910 to spread the message of Sufism, attracting hundreds of followers in the west through his lectures. When he died in 1927, he was buried in Delhi, adjacent to the shrine of Nizamuddin Aulia. His shrine is a modern and sophisticated building where hundreds of devotees from the western world make pilgrimage each year. The management of this shrine and the international Sufi movement of Inayat Khan have been producing literature (including images) to promote the writings and philosophy of the Sufi for their western devotees in English and other European languages. Although the entry of local devotees to this shrine is not restricted, but somehow, the sophisticated look of the place does not encourage too many common (south Asian) devotees to throng the place.

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