What is it?
A 14th-century Sufi shrine in Delhi’s Nizamuddin neighbourhood, built to house the tomb of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, a saint of the Chishti Sufi order. Having been around as a significant religious site for several hundred years, the dargah’s enjoyed a level of deep personal engagement with the public that other monuments in Delhi can’t claim – and remains as authentic a time capsule as the city can offer.The shrine’s home to a mosque and stepwell too – as well as the tombs of Amir Khusro, his favourite disciple and one of India’s most famous poets, and Princess Jahanara, the second child of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, who also built the Taj Mahal. Today, the shrine’s best known for the ongoing, unbroken tradition of weekly qawwali performances – devotional Sufi music performed in open air by a group of musicians.
Why go?
The lead up to the dargah’s almost as much of an experience as the dargah itself. The lanes of Nizamuddin are narrow, crowded, and jammed to the brim with vendors selling interesting wares – fresh roses, incense sticks, small bottles of perfume, and lots of kebabs. Before entering the main shrine, you’re expected to remove footwear, and you’ll probably be pressed by vendors offering you baskets of devotional items to offer up to the shrine. I do recommend purchasing the sacred thread called mannat – once you’re inside, it’s tradition to tie it to the latticed framework of the shrine – they say all your wishes come true if you do.Inside, the shrine’s cool and brightly white – it’s entirely constructed in marble. Smack dab in the middle of the complex is Auliya’s shrine, draped always in green and yellow chaddars. To the left, you’ll find the smaller, humbler tombs of Jahanara and Amir Khusro.
There’s always a bit of a crowd, but it’s on Thursday evenings – qawwali evenings – that the dargah really comes alive. The qawwali is sung by performers called qawwals, most of whom have learnt the art from their fathers, who learnt from their fathers, and so on – the craft, for several, has stayed in the family for centuries. The music is performed in two batches – with the first beginning at about 7ish in the evening, with the second often continuing until midnight. Everybody sits cross-legged on the marble floor here, and it can get pretty crowded, but the music’s a great unifier.If you’re around in January or February, Sufi Basant’s an unmissable event at the dargah. It occurs on the day of Basant Panchami (a Hindu festival marking the beginning of spring and occurring as per the Hindu calendar, so the dates change every year), and it’s said it started when Khusro dressed up in yellow clothes to cheer up a mourning Auliya. The tradition’s much the same today. Devotees show up in yellow clothes, offer yellow mustard flowers to the saint’s tomb, and sing special qawwalis celebrating the arrival of spring.
Time Out Tip
Tradition prevents women from entering the main shrine where the saint is entombed, though you’re free to roam the rest of the complex. Modest clothing’s recommended for all genders. The main shrine closes by 10pm, though the qawwali continues until long after.