What is the Urs Festival in Ajmer?

Every year, during Rajab – the seventh month of the Islamic lunar calendar – thousands and thousands of people head to the city of Ajmer for the Urs Festival. For six days and nights, the streets fill with drumming, singing and prayer. The motivation? To commemorate the anniversary of the death of the great Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti.

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Who was Moinuddin Chishti?

Born around 1141 in East Persia, Moinuddin Chishti was devoted to spiritual development from a very young age. Legend has it that, as a teenager, he experienced enlightenment following a meeting the renowned Sufi figure Shaikh Ibrāhim Qundūzī. Soon after, Moinuddin travelled extensively – firstly to religious sites in the Middle East, then to India. In Ajmer, he established the Indian branch of the Chishti order, which Abu Ishaq Shami had founded in Chisht (situated in modern-day Afghanistan). Most of Moinuddin’s time was spent assisting the underprivileged, disadvantaged and poor and he came to be known as the ‘Protector of the Poor’ (Khwaja Gharib Nawaz). It wasn’t long before his followers came to number in their thousands.

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What happens during the Urs Festival

The centrepiece of events is Ajmer Sharif Dargah – Moinuddin Chishti’s sacred tomb – which is located in the centre of Ajmer. Hundreds of thousands of devotees, many of whom have travelled on foot for hundreds of miles, bring votive offerings. One of the most common is ‘chadar’ – brilliantly-coloured cloths woven with silver and gold. Some are so enormous that several people are required to lift them – the sight of bright reds, purples, blues and oranges passing through the streets is stunning. Flowers and petals are another common offering.

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Singing is heard throughout the week – both day and night. Professional vocalists known as ‘qawwals’ fill the city with their sonorous, high-pitched melodies. Nearby listeners often join in with rhythmic clapping. The entire effect is deeply hypnotic – it’s haunting to hear sounds that have held such immense religious significance for hundreds and hundreds of years.

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Of course, no festival is complete without its culinary side. Absolutely massive cauldrons are filled with milk pudding (known locally as ‘kheer’) and shared amongst the pilgrims. This food is believed to be ‘tabarruk’, which means blessed.

Moinuddin Chisti’s death

The story goes that the saint spent his final six days on the Earth in seclusion in a prayer room (known as a Huzra). The word ‘Urs’, after which the festival is named, comes from the term ‘uroos’. This refers to a person’s ultimate meeting with God.

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Consequently, the sixth day of the festival is considered the most important. Between 10am and 1:30pm, pilgrims gather together to listen to followers of Moinuddin Chishti read from religious texts, before partaking in intense prayer. The ritual concludes with the singing of an exultant poem of spiritual praise known as ‘Badhaawa’ to the accompaniment of clapping and the firing of a cannon.

Visiting Ajmer during the Urs Festival

Everyone should experience the Urs Festival at least once. Few spiritual events on the global calendar can compare for intensity. However, as aforementioned, it’s also incredibly busy, so some careful planning is appropriate. For a start, take the time to book a hotel in Ajmer in advance. In addition to the thousands of pilgrims who arrive, there’s an abundance of international visitors who attend for various reasons – from personal spiritual goals to fascination with cultural differences to sheer interest in spectacle. The crowds can be rather overwhelming, so it’s a great idea to stay somewhere that’s private, secure and peaceful.