Amid Hindus claiming their temples on the sites like Gyanvapi in Varanasi, Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura, Qutub Minar in Delhi, Taj Mahal in Agra etc, Maharana Pratap Sena has claimed that the Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti’s Dargah at Ajmer is originally a Hindu temple. Rajvardhan Singh Parmar is the national president of Maharana Pratap Sena. He has written a letter to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot demanding that a survey of the Dargah be conducted through the archaeological department.
In his letter to the CM, Parmar said that a Hindu temple was demolished and a dargah was built in Ajmer, so it should be surveyed by the archaeological department. He claimed that there will be strong evidence of the existence of a temple in it and that at many places inside the dargah, the Hindu religious symbols Swastik and lotus flowers can be seen.
He said, “The dargah of Khwaja Gareeb Nawaz was an ancient Hindu temple earlier. The symbols of Swastika are there on the walls and windows. We demand that ASI conduct a survey of the dargah.”
Parmar, a resident of Delhi, said that if this is not investigated in a week, he will meet union ministers in Delhi, and then 2,000 workers of the Maharana Pratap Sena will go to Ajmer. He said that there will be a large-scale movement. He has sent a copy of the letter to President Ram Nath Kovind, Governor Kalraj Mishra, Union Ministers Arjun Ram Meghwal and Meenakshi Lekhi. Ajay Nagar of Hindu Jagran Manch has also said that the dargah has been built by occupying the Eklinga temple built by Prithviraj Chauhan.
Jainual Abedin, the Deewan of the Dargah, denied the claims and said that Maharana Pratap Sena has written this letter to gain cheap publicity. He also said that the Dargah is a symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity and not only Muslims but Hindus in large numbers also visit the Dargah. Moin Chisti, president of Anjuman Saiyad Zadgan, the body of Khadims, said the claim is baseless as there is no such symbol at the Dargah.
He further said, “I am saying this with full responsibility that the symbol of Swastika is nowhere in the dargah. The dargah has been there for 850 years. No such question ever arose. There is a certain kind of atmosphere in the country today which was never there. Raising such questions about the Dargah is hurting sentiments of crores of people in the country who offer their prayers irrespective of the religion.”
It is notable that among the Sufi shrines, the shrine of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer, Rajasthan is one of the most popular. The shrine invites devotees, Muslims, and Hindus both, from all over the world. While the Ajmer Dargah is an important religious center for Muslims, and even some Hindus, who visit there to get their wishes fulfilled, the history behind Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti is rather violent, and not very tolerant either.
Records say that the much revered Khawaja of the Ajmer Dargah had a deep-seated hatred toward Hindus. He was among the very first Sufi saints to arrive in India where Delhi was under the rule of Sultan Iltutmish. Having arrived in Ajmer, Chishti reportedly saw a number of temples near the Anasagar lake and promised that he will have them razed to the ground. Besides, he was also involved in Jihad on the side of Sultan Muhammad Ghauri against the Hindu King Prithviraj Chauhan. Chishti had credited himself for Prithviraj’s capture, writing, “We have seized Pithaura (Prithviraj) and handed him to the army of Islam.”
