Dargah Sharif, Ajmer 2012

May 27, 2012

Dargah Sharif, Ajmer 2012

A Miniature Sheet consisting of 2 nos. of postage stamp on the 800^th Urs, Ajmer Sharief Dargah (Khawaja Gharib Nawaz), a sufi shrine of Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer, Rajasthan :

Issued by India

Issued on May 27, 2012

Issued for : Department of Posts is happy to commemorate the “800^th Urs, Dargah Sharif, Ajmer” by issuing a set of two postage stamps and a miniature sheet.

Credits :
Stamp / Minisheet / FDC : Kamleshwar Singh
Cancellation : Alka Sharma

Type : Miniature Sheet, Mint condition

Colour : Multi Colour

Denomination : 500 & 2000 Paise

Stamps Printed : 0.4 Million Each

Miniature Sheet : 0.2 Million

Printing Process : Wet Offset

Printer : Security Printing Press, Hyderabad

About :

Dargah Sharif of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, celebrates its 800^th Urs this year. Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, fondly known as Khwaja Garib Nawaz, was one of the most famous Sufi Saints of India and the founder of Chishti Order in India. After arriving from Persia in 1191 A.D., he settled in Ajmer from where he preached the principles of Sufism. The cornerstone of his beliefs and teachings was “love to all and hate to none”. Garib Nawaz propagated that love and compassion were the paths to reach the divine.
The word “Urs” has been derived from “UROOS” which means “Ultimate meeting of an individual with God”. It is said that Khwaja Garib Nawaz spent the last six days of his life in seclusion in a cell and on the sixth day of Islamic month of “Razab” his noble soul left the mortal body. “Urs Mubarak” is celebrated every year on his death anniversary in the month of “Razab”. The “Urs” is a time of celebration and joy as the death anniversary of a Sufi is not taken as an occasion to mourn. Instead, it is a festive occasion since the ascetic is believed to have attained union with the supreme being.
People from all walks of life, different faiths and socio-economic backgrounds converge to Ajmer throughout the year to seek favours and blessings of the great saint who was a believer of absolute simplicity, piety and austerity. The devout feel that a visit to the Dargah can help them attain whatever they seek in life. The number of visitors increases manifold during the period of Urs when special prayers and devotional songs in the praise of the Garib Nawaz are recited round the clock.
The life and teachings of Khwaja Garib Nawaz continue to be relevant to the democratic, secular and diverse society of modern India and will be a source of inspiration for generations to come.
Text : Based on the material provided by the proponent.