What should I wear to Ajmer Dargah?
Ajmer Dargah is the Sufi Shrine of the great Sufi saint, Moinuddin Chishti. Also known as the Moinuddin Chishti Dargah, it is located in the city of Ajmer in the state of Rajasthan, India. The Ajmer Dargah/ Shrine has the maqbara (grave) of Saint Moinuddin Chishti.
Saint Moinuddin Chishti was a Sufi saint and a great philosopher in the 13th century. Born in called Iran, Saint Moinuddin Chishti arrived in Delhi during Sultan IItutmish and soon after arriving in Delhi, Saint Moinuddin shifted to Ajmer.
Where he increasingly became influenced by the writings of Abdallah Ansari.
The Dargah
The Dargah of Saint Moinuddin became an important pilgrimage site to everyone regardless of religion, class, caste or race. After his passing in March 1236, Moinuddin Chishti was regarded as a Saint by all. Great rulers came to visit the dargah in the following years, including Sultan of Delhi lltutmishin the year 1332 and Emperor Akbar in the year 1605, who saw the dargah almost 14 times per recorded history. In 1579 Emperor Akbar renovated the sanctum sanctorum of the dargah.
Over the years, many rulers visited the dargah. After the independence of India, the Ajmer Sharif Dargah become a symbol of brotherhood. Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb is a philosophythatconsiders both Hindus and Muslims as equal and thatpeople of all religious backgrounds work together toward building a peaceful society. So just like older times, the Ajmer Sharif Dargah stands to symbolize the Ganga-Jamunitehzeeb. Everyone is welcome to worship regardless of faith, caste, religion, race, or economic background at the dargah.
What should I wear at the Ajmer Sharif Dargah?
Like any religious place, be it a Church, Temple, Mosque or Gurudwara, Ajmer Sharif Dargah is also a worship centre. So we need to wear appropriate clothes that we would wear to any other holy place to show respect.
While India is a warm country, Ajmer can be hot during summers, and as at Ajmer Sharif Dargah, there is no distinction over gender. So the rules of wearing clothes have to be followed by both males and females, so it is always better to wear comfortable cotton clothes. Jeans can look comfortable to travel in, but they shouldn’t be low waist or very tight and should be worn keeping in mind you are visiting a holy place.
For males,It is better to wear a comfortable shirt, kurta, or t-shirt along with jeans, pants or pyjamas. Tank top, Vest, undershirt with boxers, shorts, anything above knees would not look good.
For females,pants, kurta pyjama, salwar suit,jeans, or long skirt with entire length top, shirt, kurta would do. Short dresses, tight jeans, shoulderless tops, tank tops, spaghetti tops should be avoided by all.
Like any religious place or place of worship, one should wear clothesthat cover the upper body entirely and cover your legs below knees. Headscarves for both males and females are essential at Ajmer Sharif Dargah, and the Head must be covered at all times as a gesture of respect toward Saint Moinuddin Chishti.
Khadims are there to help
However, if you still find it confusing visiting Dargah, Khadimsare there to help you visit the Ajmer Sharif Dargah; you can book them online before you even land in Ajmer. Khadims will help you donate a chadar and other offerings and make your visit to the dargah a wonderful experience.