Urs Festival Rajasthan

Another important festival in Rajasthan  is ‘Urs’. Held during the first six days of Rajab (seventh month of the Islamic calendar), the holy city of Ajmer is the venue for the biggest Muslim fair in India. Thousands of devotees of Khwaja Mouinuddin Chisthi gather to pay homage to this saint whose mortal remains are the buried here. The saint came from Persia and established the Chisthia order of Fakirs in India.

Popularly known as Garib Nawaz, the Khwaja dedicated his life to the service of the poor. Emperor Akbar walked to the Dargah on foot to pray for a son and on being granted his wish, he presented a huge cauldron that is still in use. Other Muslim shrines of importance where the devout gather, though on a somewhat smaller scale, are in Nagaur, Sambhar, tala and Galiyakot.

Famous poet Amir Khusrau said that, “ The Urs Jubilation Rejoice, my love, rejoice; its spring here, rejoice. Oh, you’re still enjoying your sleep, wake-up. Even your destiny has woken up.”

Urs starts from the sixth lunar month, on the Dargah by the Sajjada Nashin. The gold and silver ornamented tomb is washed with sandalwood in the morning.

You can feel the divinity in the rich fragrance of rose and jasmine flowers, sandalwood and incense sticks all around in the Dargah. Countless devotees come to Dargah during the festivity of Urs, to attain the eternal peace.

On the sixth day of Rajab, the successor performs washing of the tomb with panoramic view of crackers and sound of music. This day is also termed as the day of the opening of Jannati Darwaza, gateway to heaven. You should not miss the mushaira, which is the spirit of the fair. Poets from all over the nation gather to dedicate their soulful composition to Khwaja.