The secular credentials of India received a severe blow when the mausoleum or dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti or Gharib Nawaz was questioned. It sent shock waves across the country when a local court accepted the petition claiming that the dargah was built over the debris of a Hindu temple.

From Babri Mosque to Gyan Vapi Masjid to Shahi Eidgah, the tensions have been building over the years ripping apart the Hindu-Muslim bonhomie and composite culture, putting the Indian secularism in the docks. Now, the question has been raised over a mausoleum that has been the symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity for more than 800 years.

Did Narendra Modi Offer Chadar To Ajmer Sharif?

The Ajmer dargah is the place where Hindu fundamentalist leaders from Atal Bihari Vajpayee to Narendra Modi to Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi have paid respects by offering or sending ‘chadars’. Now it has been challenged by Hindu Sena chief Vishnu Gupta, who filed a petition in a court in Ajmer, that issued notices to the Archaeological Survey of India and the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs, creating murmurs across the country.

Was It Shiva Temple?

The Hindu Sena has based its petition on the book ‘Ajmer: Historical and Descriptive’, written by Har Bilas Sarda. Sarda has written in his book, “Tradition says that inside the cellar is the image of Mahadeva in a temple, on which sandal used to be placed every day by a Brahmin family still maintained by the dargah as gharyali (bell striker)”.

He demanded that the dargah be declared a Hindu temple “and if it has a registration, it should be canceled, an ASI survey should be conducted, and that Hindus should be permitted to pray”.

Who Was Moinuddin Chisti?

Born in the Sistan province of Iran, Moinuddin Chisti traveled to present-day Afghanistan and arrived in India in the 12th century. After meeting Khwaja Usman Harooni, a Sufi master of the Chishti order, Moinuddin accepted him as his mentor and followed the Chishti order

The Chisti Order

Sufism got its roots in India and amalgamated many local and non-Islamic or Hindu traditions and thus became a parallel and at the same time Islamic tradition that flourished in India. The Chishti order of Sufism was enriched by masters like Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, and Nasiruddin Mahmud Chiragh Dehlavi.

What Did Anjuman Syed Zadgan Say?

Reacting to the petition, Syed Sarwar Chishty, Secretary of Anjuman Syed Zadgan, a body of Dargah caretakers, told Indian Express, “We swallowed a bitter pill after Babri Masjid and accepted it in the interest of the nation, believing that something like that won’t repeat. But Kashi, Mathura, Sambhal … it refuses to stop. ”

RSS Chief: Why Look For ‘Shivling’ In Every Masjid?

It may be recalled that while delivering his speech at the third officer training camp in Nagpur, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat said, “Why escalate the fight? Why look for a ‘Shivling’ in every Masjid?” He was referring to the Gyan Vapi mosque controversy.

He added, “Now the issue of Gyanvapi Mosque is going on. There is history that we cannot change. We didn’t write that history, neither the Hindus nor the Muslims of the present. It happened in the past.”

He also said that the Hindu outfit got involved in the Ram Janmabhoomi campaign and completed it. However, it does not want to lead any movement there.

What Next?

The RSS has not reacted to the controversy surrounding Ajmer Sharif Dargah. The BJP is also tight-lipped over the development. The government too has not made any comment.

However, it is clear that the Hindu agenda is galloping at a high speed and new places of worship are being added to it, completely ignoring the Place of Worship (Special Provision) Act 1991, which prohibits changing the character of religious places from how they existed on August 15, 1947.

It is most likely to escalate to a new level, and a new controversy is most likely to hit the headlines in the coming times. Whether the BJP and the RSS join it or not has to be seen.