Hashmat Hotel Restaurant

a soul foul place for spending our time to make dua's from Allah & Almighty with theirs beloved Persons on earth

Born in Osh, Kyrgystan in 1173 CE Syed Mohammad Bakhtiyar Al-Hussaini later became Hazrat Khwaja Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki after establishing his own spiritual centre in Delhi. His was the disciple of the great Sufi saint Moinuddin Chisti in Ajmer and was instrumental in establishing Sufism in Delhi. His disciple was Fariduddin Ganjshaker who in turn had a disciple, Nizamuddin Auliya. Located not too far within the Mehrauli village, one has to walk through many doors to reach the shrine. The Muslim shopkeepers are very helpful and teach the first time visitors what to do and what not to do. Shoes can be kept outside the Dargah for ₹10. Both men and women have to cover their heads, caps on rent are available though women should bring a scarf of a dupattaa along and wear body covering clothes which goes for men too. After a certain point women are not allowed to enter and only men and boys have access to pray at the shrine (grave) of the Sufi saint. The area is spic and span clean and though no one asks you to pay money there are certain men sitting in and around the shrine area asking for alms which can be used for distributing food to the poor. No receipt is provided but one can hope sitting in the same area as the shrine, I don't think they would be lying. Due to its more spacious setting or less crowds I did feel at peace here which I've never felt at Nizamuddin. Was lucky to hear a Sufi Qawali being sung in praise of the Khwaja on a Sunday afternoon. Parking is very difficult in this area and one has to walk a bit and climb up a few steep steps, not recommended for people with reduced mobility.

The tomb of Qutb-ud-din Bakhtiyar Kaki in Mehrauli, is the oldest dargah in Delhi. He was the disciple of another famous sufi saint (perhaps even the most famous one in India) Hazrat Moinuddin Chishti whose dargah in Ajmer attracts a huge following of believers. Hazrat Moinuddin Chishti is known to have laid the foundation of Sufism. There are few places in a city like Delhi where various faiths merge so seamlessly. The ‘dargah’ is more than just a saint’s mausoleum. It is a religious sanctum alive with an ever-present throng of devotees to pray that their desires may come true.

It's a huge dargah with thousands of devotees visiting daily. It's relatively clean now and a lot of development has taken place recently like the shed is built above the place connecting the entrance all the way up to the main gate, which earlier used to become very hot in summers.