Rajasthan

• 30 Nov 2024

Shiva Temple in Ajmer Dargah

Why in News?

Recently, a local court in Ajmer ordered notices to be issued to three parties in connection with a civil suit claiming the presence of a Shiva temple within the dargah of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti.

Key Points

• The suit, filed in September 2024, claims the existence of a Shiva temple within the dargah and seeks directions to resume worship at the temple.
• Notices have been issued to the Ajmer Dargah Committee, the Ministry of Minority Affairs, and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in New Delhi, requesting their responses.
• Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti:
  • Moinuddin Hasan Chishti was born in Sijistan (modern-day Sistan) in Iran in 1141-42 CE.
  • After Muizuddin Muhammad bin Sam of Ghor had already defeated Prithviraj Chauhan in the Second Battle of Tarain (1192) and established his rule in Delhi, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti started living and preaching in Ajmer.
  • His instructive discourses, full of spiritual insights, soon drew the local populace as well as kings and nobles and peasants and the poor from far and wide.
  • His shrine in Ajmer has been visited by rulers like Muhammad bin Tughlaq, Sher Shah Suri, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan, Dara Shukoh and Aurangzeb.

Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)

• ASI, under the Ministry of Culture, is the premier organisation for the archaeological research and protection of the cultural heritage of the nation.
  • Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act, 1958 governs the functioning of ASI.
• It administers more than 3650 ancient monuments, archaeological sites and remains of national importance.
• Its activities include carrying out surveys of antiquarian remains, exploration and excavation of archaeological sites, conservation and maintenance of protected monuments etc.
• It was founded in 1861 by Alexander Cunningham- the first Director-General of ASI. Alexander Cunningham is also known as the “Father of Indian Archaeology”.