As I have said multiple times on this blog that Delhi has lot of heritage and it's almost impossible to know about all these beautiful architectures in different parts of the city. Few weeks back I was in NIzamuddin Basti for a Poetry event and got to know about Urs Mahal, which is close to Mirza Ghalib Tomb.
Urs Mahal is located in front of the Chausath Khamba and it's an assembly hall where Khawwali programmes are held on festival days and on the days during Urs of Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya . It is a protected monument (refurbished in 2003).
Urs is the death anniversary of a Sufi saint in South Asia, usually held at the saint's dargah (shrine or tomb). In most Sufi orders such as Chishtiyya, etc. the concept of Urs exists and is celebrated with enthusiasm. The devotees refer to their saints as lovers of God, the beloved. The death of a Sufi saint is regarded as visal (union with the beloved), and the death anniversary is celebrated as a wedding anniversary.
Urs rituals are generally performed by the custodians of the shrine or the existing Shaikh of the silsila . The celebration of Urs ranges from Hamd to Naat and in some cases may also include the singing of religious music such as qawwali . The Urs of Moinuddin Chishti at Dargah Sharif in Ajmer attracts more than 4 lac devotees every year. Check out more about Urs at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urs
This place is little secluded from hustle bustle of Nizamuddin Dargah. Most of the folks walk in to the streets of Nizamuddin Basti and go towards the dargah, while Urs Mahal is just behind Mirza Ghalib Academy and one needs to cross Chausath Khamba gate.
Apart from the tomb of Mirza Ghalib, there are multiple tombs in front of Urs Mahal in Delhi. When we visited the place, there were hardly 5-8 folks who were playing cricket. The open compound was definitely best place to play cricket in Nizamuddin Basti.
It was great to discover Urs Mahal and Tomb of Mirza Ghalib in Nizamuddin Basti. We shall be sharing more of such places from Delhi on this blog.
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