Hindu outfit claims Ajmer Dargah was a temple, demands ASI survey

JAIPUR: A Hindu outfit, Maharana Pratap Sena, has claimed that the Ajmer Dargah of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chisti was a temple, and demanded a survey of it by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The dargah committee and the body of Khadims have refuted such claims.

Rajvardhan Singh Parmar of Maharana Pratap Sena claimed that Hindu symbols were there on the walls and windows of the dargah and sought an ASI survey.

“The dargah of Khwaja Gareeb Nawaj was an ancient Hindu temple earlier. The symbols of Swastik are there on the walls and windows. We demand that ASI should conduct a survey of the dargah,” said Parmar addressing newspersons. He wrote a letter to Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot demanding the same.

Rejecting the claims and issuing a clarification, chairman, dargah committee, Dargah Khwaja Sahab Ajmer, Amin Pathan, said the claims made by the Maharana Pratap Sena aren’t true as there are no artwork or insignia inside the dargah.

“The dargah is a holy place which has the faith of people from all religions. It is unfortunate that such misleading things are being said to malign the image, which looks like a conspiracy. I also demand the government to take strict action against those who are spreading these lies,” said Pathan.

District collector, Ansh Deep said the Dargah committee has issued a statement saying there is no such evidence as claimed. “Our aim is to maintain law and order, which we are closely monitoring,” he said.

Commenting on the claims, Moin Chisti, president of Anjuman Saiyad Zadgan, the body of Khadims, said that the claim is baseless as there is no such symbol in the dargah. “I am saying this with full responsibility that the symbol of Swastik is nowhere in the dargah. The dargah has been there for 850 years. No such question arose here ever. There is a certain kind of atmosphere in the country today which was never there,” he said.

He said that raising questions on the dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin means hurting the sentiments of crores of people who irrespective of their religions visit it.