The Telegraph
Pics from various media sources
Jaipur, Oct 12: A red alert has been declared in Rajasthan, with emphasis on religious places.
State home minister Gulab Chand Kataria said the explosion may have been intended to create panic.
A relative attends to a man injured in the blast at a hosiptal in Ajmer
Collector Navin Mahajan said a peace committee meeting attended by both Hindus and Muslims has condemned the attack.
The blast came around the same time militants stormed a police camp in Kashmir, firing guns and throwing grenades.
In Ajmer, eyewitness Gulam Kibriya said panic-stricken people ran in all directions. “The three main exit points were naturally jammed with everybody trying to rush out at the same time.”
With the Ramazan month on, sources said the shrine was packed with at least 5,000 people.
The spot where the bomb blast took place in Ajmer dargah.
Divisional commissioner Deepak Upreti said one of the victims has been identified as 45-year-old Mohd Shoaib from Mumbai, one of whose affluent residents had earlier donated money to decorate in gold a part of the shrine.
Television pictures showed a man being stretchered from the site, his clothes apparently torn from his body, and what appeared to be a corpse with his eyes open.
The shrine, which contains the tomb of the Sufi saint, known as a benefactor of the poor, is one of the most important pilgrimage sites for Muslims in India. Seen as a symbol of communal harmony, it also draws people of other faiths, among them politicians and celebrities.
One of the high-profile visitors was Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai, though fellow actress Katrina Kaif sparked a controversy for entering the tomb in a knee-length skirt.
Singer Himesh Reshammiya, however, more than made up, sneaking in and out in a burqa.
Akbar to Advani, a gateway to heaven
Courtesy: The Telegraph
The shrine for centuries has attracted kings and commoners alike.
A few years ago Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf who, like the great Mughal emperor Akbar, was to journey from Agra to Ajmer.
But unlike Akbar who undertook his trip barefoot as a thanksgiving to the Sufi saint who the emperor believed granted his wish for a son, Musharraf had to call off his visit as no agreement could be reached during the Agra summit.
Minutes after Musharraf’s visit was called off, there was huge disappointment inside the dargah. The caretakers had made several arrangements, including a Sipahnama in praise of the general. Dozens of sajjadanashins (caretakers), who were praising Musharraf, began criticizing the Pakistan president, alleging that his intentions were not pure. Therefore, he could not get an “audience” with Khwaja Garib Nawaz, another name for Moinuddin Chishti.
The dargah is a majestic and massive monument situated in the heart of Ajmer at the foot of a barren hill. The monument is not built at one stretch and it shows the influence of various eras of different kings ranging from Sultan Altamash to Humayun, Akbar and Shah Jahan.
Officials and devotees at the Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti dargah in Ajmer on Thursday after a bomb attack.
The dargah has Jannati Darwaza (gateway to heaven) that opens only once in a year during Urs, the birth anniversary of the saint that usually falls in the eighth month of the lunar calendar.
Devotees believe that whatever is asked for with a true and sincere heart while passing through the Darwaza will be granted. The gateway has attracted both L.K. Advani and Uma Bharti.
During his visit to Ajmer, Advani had expressed his desire to pass through the gate. Uma, too, had expressed a similar wish last December when the leader who exhorted Ram sevaks to “ek dhakka aur do” paid a visit to the dargah to propagate religious harmony.
Uma had told an audience at the dargah: “Prayer, fasting, charity and pilgrimage are the first steps in all religions. Respect all prophets, all saints and all messengers of God. All saints speak the same language (the language of love). All religions lead to God. Remember this point well and live in peace and harmony with all.”
The mosque inside is often overlooked by devotees who rush to pray before the Khwaja’s grave to seek blessings for a good life.
Many years ago when freedom fighter Maulana Mohammad Ali visited the shrine, he had taken his shoes in hand while entering the mosque. But when the great maulana tried to enter the dargah, he was checked by a caretaker. The maulana asked the caretaker in jest if he could take shoes inside a mosque (house of God), why he couldn’t he do the same at a grave.
The shocked sajjadanashin retorted: “Uska kaun hai, yahan to hum baithe hain” (God does not have representation here but from the Khwaja’s side, I am sitting here).