Dargahs: Abodes of the Saints

Describes, with well-researched text and colorful images, eleven dargahs which are testaments to the widespread belief in the teachings and supernatural powers of Muslim saints.

A brilliant photographic record of the dargahs or tombs of the saints that testify to the all-encompassing humane teachings of Sufi saints in India.

The dargahs of India are testaments to the widespread belief in the spiritual teachings and supernatural powers of Muslim saints. Known in India as shaykhs, these saints belonged to mystical Sufi orders that traced their origins to northeastern Iran and Central Asia, some going back as far as the 9th/10th centuries. Devotees visit the tombs of these shaykhs, known as dargahs, to seek solace and fulfillment. At the urs festivities marking the death anniversaries of individual saints, dargahs are visited by crowds of pilgrims from all over the country and abroad. Dargahs are popular because they have always appealed to all levels of society, from sultans and elites to ordinary people, both Muslim and non-Muslim. Women are welcome, a privilege denied them in more orthodox confines. Today, many thousands of dargahs are in active worship throughout India. This illustrated volume focuses on eleven of the most historically significant of them.