Reader\'s Digest India - 09.2019

Culture

Quest

By Yasaswini Sampathkumar

Ajmer, Rajasthan

Tucked away in central Rajasthan,

around 400 kms from Delhi and

130 kms from Jaipur is the small town of

Ajmer. It has played a largely unknown,

but important role in shaping Islamic

culture in the subcontinent. Khwaja

Moinuddin Chishti was one of the ma-

jor proponents of Sufism in India, and

the Ajmer Sharif dargah, built over his

grave, is one of the most important sites

of qawwali. It was a significant move for

Islam in India, allowing music in the

process of worship, and possibly con-

tributed to the spread of devotional

music in the region. In that spirit, the

dargah continues to be a symbol of

India’s syncretic culture. It attracts

Hindus as well as Muslims, especially

since local folklore says that visiting

the dargah will grant you your heart’s in

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