Shah Jahan’s 3-day ‘Urs’ begins at Taj Mahal

AGRA: The gates of Taj Mahal were thrown open to public after 2 pm on Friday – the monument’s weekly closure day – to mark the beginning of the three-day ‘Urs’ of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.

As a tradition, the passage leading to the basement, which contains the real graves of Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal and remains closed for the rest of the year, was opened for the ‘ghusl’ (bath) ritual.

Munawwar Ali, convenor of the Uttar Pradesh Aman Committee, said, “This is a rare occasion when the ‘jayareen’ (devotees) get the opportunity to view the original graves of the Mughal emperor and his queen. There was no entry ticket today (Friday). The lock of the basement was opened in the presence of an official from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the graves were bathed with ‘gulab jal’ (rose water) as part of the ‘ghusl’ ritual.”

He said this was followed by devotees offering ‘dua’ (prayers) and placing a ‘phoolon ki chadar’ (floral mat) on the graves that are located under the main mausoleum.

“Emperor Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal in the memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal in the 17th century. ‘Urs’ is organised every year on the 25th, 26th and 27th days of the ‘Razab’ month of the Islamic calendar,” Ali shared.

Speaking about the rituals slated for the second and third days of the festival, Tahiruddin Tahir, president of the ‘Khuddam-e-Roza’ committee, said, “The tradition of applying sandalwood paste on the graves will be observed on Saturday, and ‘chadar-poshi’ (offering of ‘chadar’) will take place on Sunday -the last day of ‘Urs’. A 1,111mlong ‘chadar’ has been prepared for being offered at the ‘mazar’ of Shah Jahan.”

Superintending archaeologist for Agra circle of ASI Bhuvan Vikram Singh said, “Entry to Taj Mahal will be free after 2 pm on Saturday too. On Sunday, there will be no entry charges throughout the day.”