Portfolio - Indian Muslims

Indian Muslims

This collection of photographs focuses on elements of Sufism and Mughal history. They depict tradition and ritual that emerged across the subcontinent.  There is a focus on the dargah (a word derived from Persian meaning portal or threshold), a shrine built over the burial place of a sufi saint, pir.  It is thought that visiting the site is a way to atain the blessings of the saint, and is also affiliated with tawassul, a term denoting nearness to god.  The dargah is a pilgrimmage site for members of all religious communities in India, frequented by Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis, and Christians. 

Nizamuddin Auliya

Nizamuddin Auliya was a famous 13th Century Sufi saint belonging to the Chishti order of South Asia. The Dargah of Nizamuddin Auliya in New Delhi is a pilgrimage site for those belonging to this school of mystical Islam, and the neighborhood surrounding the shrine and mosque includes a bustling marketplace and a residential area of narrow paths and alleyways of medieval architecture. The mosque was rebuilt in 1562.  Nizamuddin believed in the use of music to gather members of different religious communities.  Amir Khusro, his disciple, was a  poet, scholar, and musician who wrote primarily in Persian.  He is credited with creating Qawwali, a form of Sufi devotional music still popular today.  Every Thursday, Qawwali is performed at the shrine at Nizamuddin. 

Muharram

Muharram is the first month of the Islamic Calendar, and a special time for Shi'a Muslims. The third Imam of Shi'ism, Imam Husayn, was killed on Ashura, the tenth day of Muharram. It is a time of fasting, mourning, and sacrifice. Lucknow is a center of Shia culture in India. Makeshift Mausoleums, known as tazyias are created for the event and used in processionals around the city. In some cases, the tazyias are then submerged in water, a tradition that mirrors Hindu traditions of submerging idols of gods and goddesses in bodies of water after their festivals.