The Urs festival is an annual festival held at Ajmer, Rajasthan, India which commemorates the anniversary of the death of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti (1143 - 1236) (founder of the Chishtiya Sufi order in India).
This Sufi saint preached to…
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The Urs festival is an annual festival held at Ajmer, Rajasthan, India which commemorates the anniversary of the death of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti (1143 - 1236) (founder of the Chishtiya Sufi order in India).
01 · What it is
Living Tradition
Documented cultural tradition on record; family classification awaits an editor.
02 · Where & name
India
Placed on record in India.
03 · How it is doing
□□□□ (Not yet assessed)
Documented in open cultural records, but no cited field assessment of its current vitality has been added here yet.
04 · Proof & reuse
2 cited sources
Every claim links to a public record below. Free to quote, teach, and share under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Chapter Takeaways
The festivalThis Urs festival is held over six days and features night-long dhikr (zikr) qawwali singing.
Common Questions Answered on Record
What is Urs festival, Ajmer in plain words?
The Urs festival is an annual festival held at Ajmer, Rajasthan, India which commemorates the anniversary of the death of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti (1143 - 1236) (founder of the Chishtiya Sufi order in India).
Where is Urs festival, Ajmer practised or documented?
Sources on this page place Urs festival, Ajmer in India.
What is the current condition of Urs festival, Ajmer today?
□□□□ (Not yet assessed): Documented in open cultural records, but no cited field assessment of its current vitality has been added here yet.
How do I cite or share this Urs festival, Ajmer entry?
Cite as: "Urs festival, Ajmer." folkroom, https://folkroom.org/art-forms/urs-festival-ajmer, text CC BY-SA, with attribution.
The Urs festival is an annual festival held at Ajmer, Rajasthan, India which commemorates the anniversary of the death of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti (1143 - 1236) (founder of the Chishtiya Sufi order in India).
This Sufi saint preached tolerance of all religions and gave a message of love. He was popularly known as 'Khwaja Gharib Nawaz' (Messiah of the poor). 1
The festival
This Urs festival is held over six days and features night-long dhikr (zikr) qawwali singing. The anniversary is celebrated in the seventh month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims, many from foreign countries, visit the shrine from all over India. The Indian Railways run special trains during his festival to bring devotees to Ajmer.
At the start of this annual festival, the hoisting of the historical flag and a 21-gun salute ceremony is held at Chishti's mausoleum since 1944. 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 or shrine complex. Shijra, or the genealogical tree associated with the Chishti Order, is read by duty bound Khadims of Moinuddin Chishti, and then there is Fariyad (prayers).
Just before the Qu'l (conclusion of Chhati Sharif), Badhaawa (a poem of praise) is sung at the main entrance of the shrine by Qawwals.
Badhaawa is a recitation accompanied only by clapping; no musical instrument is played. It was composed by Syed Behlol Chishty, an ancestor of the present day Chishty Sufis of Ajmer Sharif called Syedzadgan Khadim Khwaja Sahib. After its recitation, the ceremony of the Qu'l comes to an end, and Fatiha is recited. The end of the ceremony is marked by firing a cannon at 1:30 p.m. 1
The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Urs festival, Ajmer”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. 1
Urs festival, Ajmer is annual festival held at Ajmer, Rajasthan, India, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. 2
The source record links this tradition to 1 external register, which can be verified through the citation. 2