Tag Archives: dargah

A shrine near the Pichola Lake in Udaipur

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 A DARGAH IS a shrine enclosing the grave of a (usually) Sufi saint or ‘pir’ (a Sufi spiritual guide). During my travels in India, I have visited many dargahs. Today (27  November 2025), we came across a dargah close to the Imli Ghat and the city wall by the shore of Pichola Lake in Udaipur.

 

The tree growing within the dargah

The dargah was contained in a decoratively perforated stainless steel enclosure. Part of the shrine is the trunk of a tall, growing tree. A gentleman who has a shop nearby showed me that part of the trunk is hollowed out. This space is covered by a decorated cloth such as can often be found draped on Muslim gravestones.  Fresh flowers were scattered at various places in the dargah.

 

What interested me is something I have noticed before in dargahs. That is the presence of smoking agarbatti (incense sticks), similar to those used at Hindu religious shrines and temples.

 

In the case of the dargah near the Imli Ghat,  another feature that caught my attention was the tree growing within it. Maybe, it was not significant,  but it reminded me of the multitude of Hindu shrines located around the trunks of trees.

 

In my book “CORACLES AND CROCODILES: 101 TALES OF INDIA”, I have written about practices shared by both Hindus and Muslims in India. Although the two religions differ considerably, it seems to me that some rituals (rather than beliefs) are commonly used by Indian adherents of both of them. Some other commonalities related to religious rituals are also described in my book.

[My book is available from Amazon]

RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY AT A SUFI SHRINE IN RAJASTHAN

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IN MY BOOK “Coracles and Crocodiles: 101 Tales of India”, I have described how practices associated with Hinduism can sometimes be seen in Indian mosques. This is particularly true in the Sufi dargah (shrine) in Ajmer, where Khawaja Gharib Nawaz (1143 – 1236), also known as ‘Muʿīn al-Dīn Chishtī’, buried. According to Wikipedia, he was:

“… one of the first major Islamic mystics to formally allow his followers to incorporate the “use of music” in their devotions, liturgies, and hymns to God, which he did in order to make the ‘foreign’ Arab faith more relatable to the indigenous peoples who had recently entered the religion.”

 

The shrine is in a large compound containing a mosque and other shrines in the heart of Ajmer.

 The dargah compound is much visited, not only by Muslims but also by adherents of other religions: Hindus, Sikhs, etc. Visiting the dargah is considered to be a very special auspicious event. Visitors of all religions buy baskets of red petals to place on the various shrines in the complex. In many places, there are Muslim clerics who bless you by tapping your head with what looks like a large peacock feather duster. In exchange for this benediction, the recipient is expected to leave a financial donation. If the donation is large enough, it and your name will be recorded in a ledger, and you will receive a receipt. If it is insufficient,  the cleric appears to pocket it.

 

Apart from the groups of musicians playing and singing qawwalis (قوّالی). surrounded by appreciative pilgrims seated around them, there were several other things that interested me. All of these can be found in Hindu places of worship. They include burning incense sticks (agarbatti); lighting diyas (oil lamps) and placing them in holders such as can be found in Hindu temples; and tying threads to parts of the shrines.  Another activity that I found unusual in a Muslim place of worship was blessing of pieces of cloth that were then tied around the pilgrim’s head.

 

The atmosphere in the dargah compound was lively and festive. People seemed happy to be there. And surprisingly for someone like me, who is not particularly religious, I  felt that the place seemed very holy. This might be because those around me were at the dargah not as an obligatory ritual but because they believed strongly in its holiness.

[ MY book is available from https://www.amazon.co.uk/CORACLES-CROCODILES-101-TALES-INDIA/dp/B0DJZ6DMYB ]