Tributes at Taj Mahal for Shah Jahan

Thousands of people gather at The Taj Mahal mausoleum to pay tributes to Mughal ruler Shah Jahan on the occasion of his 369th death anniversary.

The three-day-long annual “Shah Jahan Urs” marks the death anniversary of the emperor who commissioned the construction of the “monument of love” in memory of his Queen Mumtaz Mahal.

The 369th Úrs’of Shah Jahan had begun in the Taj Mahal post, with the opening of the passage leading to the basement of the monument, housing the original graves of the emperor and his wife Mumtaz Mahal.

The three-day annual ‘Urs’ of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan concluded with the traditional ‘chadar-poshi’ at the actual graves in the basement of the Taj Mahal.

The third day of the ‘urs’ was marked by traditional rituals, and various ‘chadar’ were offered throughout the day. However, the most prominent was the traditional 1560-meter-long multi-coloured ‘hindustani satrangi chadar,’ offered by Tahiruddin Tahir on behalf of the Khuddam-e-Roza committee associated with organizing the ‘Urs’ at the Taj Mahal.

The Taj Mahal remained free of entry charges throughout. Entry to the Taj Mahal was made free when the rituals of ‘sandal’ were performed at the original grave of the Mughal emperor.

“The tradition of ‘chadar-poshi’ continues for a long time, and every time the length increases. The ‘jayreen’ come and offer pieces of clothes, which are interwoven and offered at the actual graves of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, who built the monument as a tribute to his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal,” said Tahir.

The highlight of these three days was the opening of the passage to the basement where the actual graves of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and Empress Mumtaz Mahal are located. The graves, otherwise viewed within the mausoleum of the Taj Mahal, are replicas. The gates leading to the graves are opened only during these three days of Urs each year.