Why in the News?
The Supreme Court of India declined an urgent hearing of a plea challenging the practice of state sponsored ceremonial honours or offering a Chadar by the Prime Minister at the Dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer.
Who was Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti?
• One of the most revered Sufi saints of India
• Popularly known as Gharīb Nawāz meaning Benefactor of the Poor
• Born in 1141 CE in Sistan (Persia)
• Studied Islamic theology in Samarkand and Bukhara
• Follower of Sunni Hanafi school
• Disciple of Khwaja Usman Harooni
Arrival and Life in India
• Came to India around 1192 AD
• Settled in Ajmer
• Contemporary of Prithviraj Chauhan and Iltutmish
• Established a Khanqah to serve the poor and needy
Contribution to Indian History
• Introduced the Chishti Order of Sufism in India
• Preached: Love and compassion, Religious tolerance, Charity and service and Detachment from materialism.
Death and Dargah
• Died in 1236 CE
• Buried in Ajmer
• His tomb is known as Ajmer Sharif Dargah
• One of the most important pilgrimage centres in India
| With reference to the religious history of medieval India, the Sufi mystics were known to pursue which of the following practices? (2012)
1. Meditation and control of breath 2. Severe ascetic exercises in a lonely place 3. Recitation of holy songs to arouse a state of ecstasy in their audience Select the correct answer using the code given below: (a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 and 3 only (c) 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3 |
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