People carry the sheet (chadar) to be offered at the dargah of the great Sufi, Nizamuddin Auliya
People carry the sheet (chadar) to be offered at the dargah of the great Sufi, Nizamuddin AuliyaNeeraj Bisht
Heritage

Inside The Basant Panchami Celebrations At Nizamuddin Dargah

Tune to the comprehensive updates of the Basant Panchami celebrations at the Nizamuddin Dargah, an event that has spanned centuries
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At approximately 4:30 in the afternoon, I entered the premises of Nizamuddin Dargah. It was February 14 and the annual celebrations of Basant Panchami were all set to take off. As soon as I was inside the complex, a spectacle in bright yellow welcomed me along with faint but melodious strains of qawwali dedicated to Khwaja Nizamuddin drifting through the throngs of people. "Nothing has much to do with religion, it all started with a smile of Hazrat Nizamuddin," said Syed Rumman Nizami, an erstwhile engineer who is one of the caretakers of the Dargah and bears the distinguished lineage of being a twenty-first generation descendant of Nizamuddin Auliya, tracing his ancestry through the line of his sister's sons.

People wait for the Basant Panchami events to begin at the Nizamuddin Dargah
People wait for the Basant Panchami events to begin at the Nizamuddin DargahFaraaz Fakhri
Slowly the celebrations begin to start as people take positions for the best view to witness the proceedings
Slowly the celebrations begin to start as people take positions for the best view to witness the proceedingsFaraaz Fakhri

"In one of the terrible Delhi winters, Khwaja's nephew had succumbed to death, leaving him thoroughly aggrieved. For four months, Khwaja carried on in that state," narrated Nizami. "Then one fine spring day, on the eve of Basant Panchami, Hazrat Amir Khusrau saw that across the Yamuna, some Punjabis were celebrating Basant, celebrating happiness, when he got the idea of bringing a smile on his mentor's face," he related to me. Continuing, he said, "Dressed all in yellow, Hazrat Khusrau reached the doors of Khwaja with a dholak and started singing new kalams, like you must have heard today in Khari Boli, Hindi, Khil rahi sarson, Aaj basant mana le suhagan, which carried the essence that one season has ended and another is here; a season of new birth and rejuvenation. It was hearing these songs that Hazrat Nizamuddin had smiled, and ever since, we celebrate this day."

As the event begins, people gather around the group circumabulating the dargaah of Nizamuddin while a group of journalists and archivists stand at the terrace in the far end
As the event begins, people gather around the group circumabulating the dargaah of Nizamuddin while a group of journalists and archivists stand at the terrace in the far endFaraaz Fakhri
A group of dignitaries, caretakers and direct descendents of the Sufi, walk around the tomb as people sit around
A group of dignitaries, caretakers and direct descendents of the Sufi, walk around the tomb as people sit aroundFaraaz Fakhri
The cricumambulation of the tomb is followed by a gathering that sings qawwalis in the name of Sufi Nizamuddin and rains mustard flowers in elation
The cricumambulation of the tomb is followed by a gathering that sings qawwalis in the name of Sufi Nizamuddin and rains mustard flowers in elationFaraaz Fakhri
Syed Farid Ahmed Nizami, a Sajjadah Nashin, comes out and joins the qawwali session after offering a sheet (chadar) at the dargah
Syed Farid Ahmed Nizami, a Sajjadah Nashin, comes out and joins the qawwali session after offering a sheet (chadar) at the dargahNoman Nasir
Women from the neighbourhood observe the proceeding from the courtyard
Women from the neighbourhood observe the proceeding from the courtyardFaraaz Fakhri
A teenager passionately recites a qawwali in praise and prayer unto the revered Sufi
A teenager passionately recites a qawwali in praise and prayer unto the revered SufiNoman Nasir
A person distributes sweets after the sheet (chadar) hanging and qawwali session
A person distributes sweets after the sheet (chadar) hanging and qawwali sessionNoman Nasir

"After the sheet (chadar) hanging in the dargah of both Hazrat Nizamuddin and Hazrat Amir Khusrau along with the short qawwali session, roshni ki dua (prayer of light) follows. It is a practice done each day before maghrib (evening prayer)," said Nizami. The roshni ki dua is a tradition where a prayer is read addressed to Nizamuddin Auliya and lamps are lit to brighten up the khanqah. This time is considered particularly auspicious for seeking blessings from the saint.

A man hold a scented chalice with coal during the ceremony of Roshni ki Dua
A man hold a scented chalice with coal during the ceremony of Roshni ki DuaFaraaz Fakhri
A woman lights up an incense stick from a dia (earthen lamp) to offer at the dargah
A woman lights up an incense stick from a dia (earthen lamp) to offer at the dargahNoman Nasir
A woman carries a basket of flowers and a yellow scriptured sheet on her head to make offerings
A woman carries a basket of flowers and a yellow scriptured sheet on her head to make offeringsNoman Nasir
Women stand at the dargha whispering their prayers through the jaali
Women stand at the dargha whispering their prayers through the jaaliFaraaz Fakhri

"What has changed over the years is that what previously used to be a family festival has now opened its gates for whoever the Baba (Nizamuddin Auliya) wishes to come," Nizami said about the celebrations. The Basant Panchami at Nizamuddin Dargah, Delhi, has existed for centuries and continued ever since, attracting more and more people each year.

The dargah is lit up towards the end of the day
The dargah is lit up towards the end of the dayFaraaz Fakhri
Delhi
Basant Panchami
Nizamuddin
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