RAS question
The Urs of Ajmer Sharif Dargah is an annual celebration of which Sufi saint?
Correct answer: (B) Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti.
The Urs of Ajmer Sharif Dargah is the annual death-anniversary commemoration of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, the Sufi saint enshrined at the Ajmer shrine.
Explanation
The key is to connect the festival with the shrine. Rajasthan Tourism identifies Ajmer Sharif Dargah as the Ajmer landmark where Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, a Sufi saint, is enshrined, and notes that he made Ajmer his home from 1192 until his death in 1236 AD. The Urs is his death-anniversary observance, held for six days in Rajab, and he is regarded as the founder of the Chishti order in India. So the annual Urs belongs to Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti: the celebration is tied to the saint whose tomb is at Ajmer, and whose shrine remains open to people of all faiths.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Nizamuddin Auliya is associated with a dargah in Delhi, so choosing him shifts the annual observance away from Ajmer Sharif.
- (C) Amir Khusrau was a poet-disciple rather than the Sufi saint whose tomb is enshrined at Ajmer Sharif Dargah.
- (D) Baba Farid's shrine is in Pakpattan, Pakistan, whereas the Ajmer Urs is tied to the saint enshrined at Ajmer Sharif.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan's religious-cultural heritage through major Sufi shrines, saints and annual observances. RAS repeats this area because Ajmer Sharif links local history, devotional practice and the spread of the Chishti tradition in India.