Hazrat Nizamuddin and its Monuments

 

prayers at the nizamuddin dargah, delhi (sanjay austa austa)

Prayers at the nizamuddin dargah, delhi 

 

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Hazrat Nizamuddin area in New Delhi is as bustling a settlement in Delhi as it can get. It is at once a place of spiritual fervor and a biggish slum. It gives a distinct `muslim’ feel to it what with hordes of men in scull caps and madrasa accouterments  scurrying about the narrow filthy streets. The road to the Dargah is lined with eateries from where the waiters exhort you to buy a meal for the beggars that throng them. Most of the impoverished lot at Nizamuddin are Bangladeshi refugees.

There are shops that sell flowers (purple and white petals) , savouries and incense and an assortment of religious regalia that you can offer at the Dargah. Most of the shops  also double up as `shoe- keepers’ taking charge of your footwear- (for a small fee if you look Indian). On the way you come across many a interesting shops prominent among them a butcher’s  shop that has huge chunks of buffalo meat hanging from meat hooks.

A small boy singing qwalli at Nizamuddin Dargah, Delhi (sanjay austa austa)

A small boy singing qwalli at Nizamuddin Dargah, Delhi 

If you go on a thursday evening there is a fascinating qwalli evening. Songs with  lyrics of Amir Khusro are sung to the tune of the harmonium. The complex itself is small with the shrine of the Sufi Saint Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya in marble in the centre. Around the shrine  there are some fascinating but almost forgotten monuments. It was believed to be a sign of good luck to be buried close to the saint, therefore a lot of prominent men of antiquity including Amir Khusro, Ataga Khan, Ghalib had their tombs close to the Shaikh’s dargah.

Shaikh Nizamuddin died in 1325 and the original tomb does not exist. The present structure was built in the reign of Akbar who was a great patron of sufi saints. Nizamuddin’s shrine like most sufi shrines attracts not only  muslims but a fair share of christians, hindus and sikhs as well. Religious fanatics are against shrines such as Nizamuddin because of its comparatively loose interpretation of Islam. Music and dance are integral to Sufism and that does not go down too well with hardline muslim clerics.

Women are not allowed to enter the central shrines of most  Sufi saints. Progressive muslim women have protested this discrimination but till today a placard  outside the central shire in Nizamuddin screams-“Ladies are not allowed inside”. I find that very prejudicial and discriminatory.  Only men can go inside and perform the haziri.   Women can only peep inside from the courtyard. The explanation given is that  women in Islam are not allowed near the graves. But thats not really true. Just a few meters away I photographed women sleeping among the tombstones of Jahanara’s tomb. Women are also not allowed to enter the central burial shrine of Sufi Saint Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki in Mehrauli. However women are free to enter the central shrine of  Sufi Saint Salim Chishti at Fatehpur Sikri. I therefore think this rule is extremely arbitrary .

Ataga Khan's Tomb: Ataga Khan was the husband of Ji Ji Anga, Akbar's wet nurse and held an important position in the court of Akbar. He was killed by Adham Khan in 1562 by Adham Khan son of Maham Anga another wet nurse of Akbar. Ataga Khan's death infuriated Akbar so much that he threw Adham Kham to his death from a high balcony. (sanjay austa austa)

Ataga Khan’s Tomb.

Some of the prominent monuments at Hazrat Nizamudding are:-

Ataga Khan’s Tomb:  Ataga Khan was the husband of Ji Ji Anga, Akbar’s wet nurse and held an important position in Akbar’s court. He was killed by Adham Khan in 1562 the son of Maham Anga,  another wet nurse of Akbar. Ataga Khan’s death infuriated Akbar so much that according to  legend he personally threw Adham Kham to his death from a high balcony.

Dead and the living- Jahanara's Tomb at Nizamuddin. Jahanara was the eldest daughter of Shah Jahan. She took charge of the court after her mother Mumtaj's death and became the most powerful woman in the Kingdom. (sanjay austa austa)

Dead and the living- Jahanara’s Tomb at Nizamuddin.

Jahanara’s tomb: Jahanara was the eldest and the favourite daughter of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. She became the first lady of the empire after the death of Mumtaj Mahal. Shah Jahan trusted her with important personal as well as imperial decisions. She called her brother Aurangzed a `white serpent’ and opposed his poll tax he re-introduced on  non-muslims.

Chaunsath Khamba: so called because of the 64 pillars that supports the roof. It was built for Mirza Aziz , the son of Ataga Khan.The other tombs of famous men at Nizamuddin are the Tomb of Mirza Ghalib and Tomb of Amir Khusro

Ladies not allowed. These are unfortunate but familiar signs at almost all sufi shrines in India including the one of Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki in Mehrauli (sanjay austa austa)

Ladies not allowed. These are unfortunate but familiar signs at almost all sufi shrines in India including the one of Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki in Mehrauli

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