Dargahs: Abodes of the Saints
edited by Mumtaz Currim and George Michell
Photographs by Karoki Lewis. Mumbai, Marg Pub., 2004, 152 p., photographs, ISBN 81-85026-65-3.
"The Dargahs of India are testaments to the widespread belief in the spiritual teachings and supernatural powers of Muslim saints. Known most commonly inIndia as Shaykhs, these saints mostly belonged to various mystical Sufi orders that traced their origins to Northeastern Iran and Central Asia, some going back as far as the 9-10 centuries. Devotees regularly visit the tombs of these Shaykhs, known as Dargahs, to seek spiritual solace and the fulfilment of their personal needs. At the urs festivities marking the death anniversaries of individual saints, Dargahs become the destination of huge crowds of pilgrims who arrive from all over the country and abroad. The remarkable popularity of these shrines is explained by the fact that Dargahs have always appealed to all levels of society, from sultans and powerful elites to ordinary people, both Muslim and non-Muslim. Even women are welcome, a privilege often denied them within the more orthodox confines of mosques and theological colleges. Today, many thousands of Dargahs are in active worship in India, not counting those in Pakistan and Bangladesh. However, the authors of this volume focus on eleven of the most historically and significant shrines in India, from Delhi, Ajmer and Fatehpur Sikri in the north, to Khuldabad and Gulbarga in the Deccan and Nagore on the Bay of Bengal in the South, and from Ahmadabad in the west and Mahim (Mumbai) on the Arabian Sea coast to Bihar Sharif in the east. The articles are illustrated with evocative photographs by Karoki Lewis." (jacket)
Contents: Preface. 1. The many faces of devotion/Karoki Lewis. 2. Introduction: Dargahs, the abodes of peace/Bruce B. Lawrence. 3.Delhi: Dargah of Shaykh Nizamuddin Awliya/Abdur Rahman Momin. 4. Fatehpur Sikri: Dargah of Shaykh Salim Chishti/Michael Brand. 5.Ajmer: Dargah of Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti/Ali S. Asani. 6.Bihar Sharif: Dargah of Shaykh Sharafuddin Maneri/Paul Jackson. 7. Ahmadabad: Dargahs of Shaykh Ahmad Khattu and Hazrat Shah Alam/Mumtaz Currim. 8. Mahim: Dargah of Mukhdum Ali Mahimi/Abdus Sattar Dalvi. 9. Khuldabad: Dargahs of Shaykh Burhanuddin Gharib and Shaykh Zaynuddin Shirazi/Carl W. Ernst. 10. Gulbarga: Dargah of Hazrat Khwaja Bandanawaz Gisudaraz/Syed Shah Khusro Hussaini. 11. Nagore: Dargah of Hazrat Shahul Hamid/Vasudha Narayanan. Appendix. Glossary. Index.
