Any Hindu visiting Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti’s Dargah at Ajmer is actually celebrating the desecration and destruction of an ancient Mahadeva temple. Not just the tomb, but in fact the entire complex is built atop remains of Hindu and Jain temples demolished by Muslim invaders.
One of the oldest structures, the Sandal Khana where sandal is prepared daily for the Khwaja’s tomb has a doorway which leads by an underground passage to a cellar where the bodily remains of the Khwaja are interred. This is where the original Mahadeva deity was enshrined.
Sandalwood was offered at this very site daily to Mahadeva by a dedicated caretaker Brahmin family. The descendants of that family are still maintained by the Dargah and called “Gharhyali” (Bell-striker) indicating that there was a large temple bell also at the site.
Sandalwood is considered a sacred and auspicious offering for worshipping Bhagwan Shiva due to its cooling effect on Halahala poison consumed by him. Chameli groves in the vicinity must also have been dedicated to Mahadeva as Chameli (Mallika) is one of Mahadeva’s favorite flowers.
The Dargah complex was built 250+ years after the death of Chisti, by Mahmud Khilji and the Mughals including Jahangir, Akbar and Shah Jahan. A pucca tomb and dome were built by Khilji only after 1464 CE. All primary structures were made from broken remains of Hindu and Jain temples.
The Buland Darwaza, the entry gateway to the complex, is raised atop 2 chatrees (canopies) over the gate & supported on both sides by 3 storied chatrees of carved stone, all stylistically of Hindu and Jain origin. They are covered with paint & whitewashed to hide the details.
The courtyard between the Buland Darwaza and the inner courtyard lies directly above cellars of old Hindu temples, of which many rooms remain intact. The entire complex was built over the sites of ancient Hindu temples by converting and adding to portions to existing structures.
The ancient Jhalra tank was also a part of the sacred Hindu complex earlier. Shah Jahan had the existing structures altered and the reservoir deepened after Akbar had constructed the Akbari Masjid on site. The tank is now used for Islamic ritual ablutions before offering prayers.
Ajaimeru (Ajmer) was famous as the city of temples, gods and water bodies centuries before Islamic invaders. Similar desecration & misappropriation is visible at the Adhai Din ka Jhopda mosque which was built directly on top of a large Hindu university and grand Vishnu temple.
Sufi “saint” Chishti came to Bharat with Ghori’s army to wage holy war on Kafir Hindus. He destroyed several Hindu temples, celebrated Prithviraj’s capture, forcibly converted thousands by the sword & slaughtered a cow daily at Ajmer to eat beef Kebabs and insult Hindus.
Ajmer Sharif Dargah which is touted as the hallmark of Hindu-Muslim unity by Bollywood and pseudo-seculars is actually a horrific symbol of brutal oppression built on the savage desecration and destruction of sacred Hindu and Jain temples by fanatic Islamic invaders like Chisti.
References:
- Ajmer: Historical And Descriptive by Sarda, Har Bilas
- Excerpt on Jawahar-I-Faridi from A History of Sufism in India, Vo. 1 – Sayid Athar Abbas Rizvi.
- Islamic Jihad: A Legacy of Forced Conversion, Imperialism, and Slavery – M. A. Khan · 2009
(This article has been compiled from the tweet thread originally tweeted by Savitri Mumukshu – सावित्री मुमुक्षु (@MumukshuSavitri) on February 12, 2023.)
Great post..I knew everything about dargsis a temple ..