LANGAR - DEGS

In emulation of their Shaikh, the Chishtis take to heart the hadith-

"If someone visits a living man and gets nothing from him to eat,
it is as if he had visited the dead."

Sufi Dervesh were never to eat alone, were to welcome anyone who joined their company, serve them with pleasure and patience, and offer even the smallest morsel of food to any person hungrier than themselves.

Did you know : Since last 400 yrs the Degs of Tabarruk are prepared of Sweet Rice, 100%
Vegetarian in 100% pure ghee so that all the Zayrins can enjoy the Tabarruk of Khwaja Sahab

For the Sufi, observance of adab forges links with a spiritual heritage. The extension of hospitality and sharing of meals offer opportunities to embody remembrance of God within traditions shared by generations of fellow travelers on the path.

Hazrat Junayd of Baghdad, who was known for his moderation and generosity. His house was a center where Sufis held meetings and often stayed as guests. When Shaikh of Khorasan came to Baghdad with eight dervishes, Junayd lodged them in his home for a full year, offering them every day fresh food, new clothes and perfumes.

When asked "What is worship?"

Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, founder of the Chishti Order, responded,

To listen to the plight of the oppressed, to help the needy, and to fill the stomachs of the hungry. The man who does these three things may consider himself a friend of Allah. First he should have generosity like a river; secondly, kindness like the sun and, thirdly, humility like the earth. The man who is blessed is the man who is generous.

Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishty became legendary for his embodiment of this philosophy. It is said that so many meals were cooked every day in his kitchen that every impoverished person in the whole city could eat until satisfied. His custom was continued by the Khadims— any surplus at Chishti khanqahs was distributed to visitors and the needy.

Langar Khana
( FREE KITCHEN )

A Langar Khana is the place in a Sufi Dargah where free food called Langar is distributed to all, and where food is prepared to be given to the poor.

COOKING POT

Dargah Sharif distributes food to the destitute twice daily from the langar khana. Chishty foundation have always believed in distributing food to the needy whenever possible. The medieval Chishty Khanqas kept open kitchens and this tradition in continued by the Ajmer Dargah Sharif and Khadims. The British Administration was clearly impressed by this aspect of the dargah sharif’s activities. The Rajputana District Gazetteer of 1904 reports that ordinary private charity in times of famine cannot much be continued upon to supplement government aid…. an exception is, perhaps, the institution attached to the Dargah Sharif of HazratKhwaja Moinuddin Chishty at Ajmer, known as the Langar Khana, the only permanent poor-house in the district.

Two mounds and six seers of grain with six seers of salt are cooked and distributed to all corners before day break in the morning, and the same quantity before five o’clock in the evening. Besides the 1,570 maunds of grain which are thus yearly consumed, 644 maunds are annually distributed to infirm women, widows and other deserving persons at their own houses.

[ During the monsoon floods which destroyed many houses around the Ajmer, during the Urs of 1976, the Khanqah of Dargah Sharif fed and housed all those who found themselves without shelter after the devastation]

The story goes that Emperor Akbar, like any other pilgrim devotee, once went to the Langar Khana in disguise to take food. Providentially, it was raining heavily, and Akbar unfortunetly fell down on the floor as the ground was slippery. Contemplating over this mishap, Akbar decided that a pucca building to house the kitchen was needed in order to save such mishaps to others and as a result the present building came up.

DEGS
(CAULDRONS)

After crossing the Buland Darwaza two huge cauldrons, one on the right and the other on the left are seen.

Bari Deg - It is located on the right side of Buland Darwaza inside Sahan-e-Chiragh Emperor Akbar pledged to visit Ajmer Sharif in 976 Hijra (1567 A.D.) on foot and presented a large cauldron if victorious in Chittaurgarh battle. So he kept his word after winning the battle. 4800 kg of food can be cooked in it and the cost comes to about 100,000/- Indian Rupees.

Chhoti Deg : It is located on the left side of Buland Darwaza inside Sahan-e-Chiragh. It was presented by Sultan Nooruddin Jahangir in 1013 Hijra. (1613 A.D.) 2400 kg of food can be cooked in it that approximately amount to 50,000/- Indian Rupees.

Pilgrims to the shrine according to their ability and generosity propose to offer a deg. The smallest amount which can be given for the large deg is 80 maunds of rice, 28 maunds of ghee, 35 of sugar and 15 of almonds and raisins, besides saffron and other spices. The smaller deg exactly half the large one.

Three list of the ingredients cooked in the deg reproduced that the food not always sweet rice. Meat was also used, but out of deference to Non-Mulsims devotees of Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishty and their vegetarian principles the practice of cooking meat was ended.

The prescribed rental fee for getting food cooked in the small deg is Rs 3572/- and Rs 7390/- for big one, which is to be deposited in Dargah Sharif Office, without which cooking does not take place. Likewise the donar must be represented by a Wakil also called a Khadim, without whose representation cooking does not take place. A portion of the fee (Zar-e-Chaharrum) is paid to the Khadim by the Dargah Sharif.

All these Degs (Cauldrons) are cooked by Zaireen (pilgrims/devotees) who can afford to cook, Bavakalat (through) respective Khadims of Khwaja Gharib Nawaz. 

http://dargahsharif.com/degs.htm