Colours of Harmony

By Staff Reporter, *Devotees flock to Jannati Darwaza at Ajmer dargah* - The Times of India - Jaipur, India; Thursday, September 1st, 2011

Ajmer: The city of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti here wore colours of harmony on Wednesday with people from various communities celebrating Eid-ul-fitr.

Devotees flocked to Idgahs in and around the city but it is the shrine of the Sufi saint where a large crowd was seen from early morning to enter the Jannati Darwaza, which was opened for the devotees on the occasion.

In Ajmer, Eid is celebrated not only by the Muslim community but also by different communities offering prayers and greeting each other with 'Eid Mubarak'.

"Before offering namaz [prayer] in a masjid [mosque], we have to see that no poor is left hungry and it is the duty of every devotee that he should ask them for their needs," said S F Hussein Chishti, a khadim [custodian] at the dargah.

Many people were seen giving out 'firka', a tradition to give food and money to the poor.

People from Hindu, Jain and Christian faiths went to the dargah in their best clothes to offer prayers and wish their Muslim colleagues. "Since time immemorial, it is a regular tradition that people of our area came out, gather near the dargah to welcome and celebrate Eid with our Muslim friends," Avinash Kane of Kaserganj sabji mandi said.

P K Shrivastav, a resident of Nala bazaar, said, "It is a custom that we all wear new clothes and went to the homes of our Muslim friends along with our families to wish them a happy Eida. My five-year-old son is liking his new cap for the occasion."

A special attraction for kids is the traditional toy shops outside different masjids where items made from clay and woods are sold. "The bazaar which came up for a day, made us remember our old days when we ask our father after the namaz to buy these toys," Mohammad Ayub of Ramganj said.

On the occasion, most houses and shops were decorated with lights and different colour of paints. The dargah was illuminated with decorative lights in the evening.

[Picture: The Jannati Darwaza (Gate to Paradise). Photo: Dargah Ajmer Sharif.