India eNews.com - Gurgaon,Haryana,India
Wednesday, November 1, 2006
Led by shehnai players and fire dancers, the annual three-day festival of flower sellers, better known as the 'Phoolwalon Ki Sair', will begin in Mehrauli in south Delhi Thursday.
This is a festival in which both Hindus and Muslims participate. The flower sellers visit the ancient Yogmaya temple in Mehrauli Bazaar and place floral curtains at the tomb of Sufi Saint Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki.
'Almost all residents of Mehrauli, irrespective of their religion, take part in the procession that goes from the dargah to the temple. Led by fire dancers and shehnai players the flower sellers pay floral tributes at both the holy places,' said Dilfakra Ali, a resident of Mehrauli.
Another highlight of the festival is its cultural shows held in the evenings. The festival becomes a melting pot of different cultures with qawwalis and kathak dances being performed on the same stage.
The cultural programme is held at Jahaz Mahal, a ship palace built by the Lodhis on the banks of Shamsi Talab, once a large pool at the end of the Mehrauli Bazar.
The festival was first celebrated during the Mughal period to mark the return of a Mughal prince to the capital. Though the festival has lost its grandeur down the ages, it is still celebrated every year.
Arshi Khan, a professor at Aligarh Muslim University, told IANS: 'Such festivals send a message of universal brotherhood preached by Sufi saints and the rishis. These festivals bind people from different communities.'
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment