Late on a December afternoon, a procession will squeeze through the narrow lanes of old Ajmer. Rose petals will fall from balconies. Drums will roll, and people will climb onto rooftops just to catch a glimpse. At the centre of it all, a few men from a family in Bhilwara will carry one folded flag towards the highest gate of the Dargah of Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, Khwaja Gharib Nawaz (RA).
When that flag rises over the Buland Darwaza, Ajmer knows the Urs has arrived. For the 815th Urs, the flag ceremony is set for Saturday, 5 December 2026, and the flag will be raised by the Gauri family of Bhilwara, who say their family has carried this duty since 1928.
Quick facts: the Ajmer Urs flag ceremony
| What | Jhanda (flag) ceremony that announces the Urs |
| Where | On top of the Buland Darwaza, Dargah Sharif, Ajmer |
| Hijri date | 25 Jumada al-Akhirah, a few days before the Rajab moon |
| 2026 date | Saturday, 5 December 2026 (815th Urs) |
| Who raises it | The Gauri (also written Ghori or Gori) family of Bhilwara, Rajasthan |
| Since | 1928, according to the family |
| Height of the gate | About 85 feet, the tallest structure in the Dargah |
| What follows | The Urs begins with the Rajab moon, expected from 9 December 2026 |
Why does the Urs begin with a flag?
Long before WhatsApp invitations and printed posters, a flag on the highest gate was the clearest way to tell a whole city that something important was coming. That is still the idea. Fakhruddin Gauri, the family’s current standard-bearer, once explained to reporters that the flag is there so that people know the Urs of Gharib Nawaz is about to begin.
The ceremony is held on 25 Jumada al-Akhirah, the sixth month of the Islamic calendar. The Urs itself runs from 1 to 6 Rajab, the days that end with the anniversary of Khwaja Sahib’s passing on 6 Rajab 633 AH (1236 CE). So the flag goes up about five days before the Urs, giving pilgrims across India time to set out. Khadims (the traditional servants of the shrine) have usually sent their dawatnama (Urs invitation) to their guests weeks earlier.
Which gate is the Buland Darwaza? (Not the one in Fatehpur Sikri)
Many readers picture Akbar’s famous Buland Darwaza at Fatehpur Sikri. Ajmer has its own. Buland Darwaza simply means “high gate”, and in Ajmer it is the tall gateway inside the Dargah complex.
A pilgrim walking in from Dargah Bazaar passes through the gates in this order: first the grand Nizam Gate, then the Shahjahani Gate gifted by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, and then the Buland Darwaza. Historians credit this gate to Sultan Mahmud Khilji of Malwa, the kingdom ruled from Mandu, which makes it older than the Mughal additions around it.
At roughly 85 feet, it towers over the courtyard. On either side of it stand the two giant cauldrons, the Badi Deg and Chhoti Deg, in which food is cooked and shared as tabarruk (blessed food). Before every Urs, workers repaint the gate in fresh white and green, so it shines when the flag goes up.
Who are the Gauri family of Bhilwara?
Bhilwara is a textile town in southern Rajasthan, a few hours by road from Ajmer. From here, every year, one family travels to Ajmer with the Urs flag.
According to Fakhruddin Gauri, the tradition was started in 1928 by Pir Abdul Sattar Badshah, the spiritual guide of his grandfather, Lal Mohammad. One report describes the Pir as coming from Peshawar. After him, Lal Mohammad carried the flag, and the duty passed down the family. Fakhruddin is the third generation to do it.
Dates in older reports vary a little. A 2009 news report quoted the family as keeping the tradition alive since 1944, which may refer to when the grandfather himself took it over. Either way, the same household has opened the Urs for most of the last hundred years.
What happens on flag day, step by step?
- The family arrives. Members of the Gauri family reach Ajmer a day or so early and are received at the Dargah.
- The procession sets out. The flag is carried in a procession from the Garib Nawaz Guest House near the Dargah.
- Through the Nizam Gate. The procession winds through the bazaar and enters by the Nizam Gate. Devotees line the route and shower flowers on it.
- The flag goes up. The flag is raised on top of the Buland Darwaza. News reports of past years describe a gun salute at this moment, and by tradition cannon shots from Bade Peer ki Pahadi, a hill above the Dargah, announce the coming Urs.
- The Dargah lights up. Representatives of the Anjuman Syed Zadegan, the Anjuman Shaikhzadegan and the Dargah Committee attend, and the shrine is lit for the evening.
From that moment, the city changes. Pilgrims start arriving in large numbers, and the lanes fill with the smell of roses and itr (perfume oil) and the sound of qawwali practice.
Did you know? The flag itself has a story too. In 2024 the family said it was stitched by a local tailor named Omprakash, who had been making the Urs flag for almost 70 years. A family from Bhilwara carries it, a tailor from Ajmer stitches it, and pilgrims of every background crowd the rooftops to watch it rise.
What comes after the flag? The 2026 timeline
| Event | Expected date (India) |
|---|---|
| Flag ceremony on the Buland Darwaza | Saturday, 5 December 2026 |
| Rajab moon; Urs begins, Jannati Darwaza opens | Evening of 9 December (or 10 December if the moon is not seen) |
| Chhati Sharif and Qul (6 Rajab) | 15 or 16 December 2026 |
| Badi Qul (9 Rajab) | 18 or 19 December 2026 |
Between the flag and the moon, the Dargah prepares in earnest. The Jannati Darwaza, normally kept closed, is opened for the Urs, and from the first night of Rajab the Mehfil-e-Sama (gathering of devotional music) begins in the Mehfil Khana. If you are curious how the Chishti chain spread from here, read about Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya of Delhi and our guide to the great Sufi saints of India.
Planning to watch it? A few practical tips
- Arrive by 4 December if you want to see the flag go up. Rooms near the Dargah fill quickly.
- Expect big crowds along the procession route and around the Nizam Gate. Keep children close and valuables safe.
- Follow the police and Dargah volunteers. The lanes are narrow, and organisers sometimes change routes for safety.
- Dress for the cold. December evenings in Ajmer can be chilly.
- Keep your Namaz times. The Shahjahani and Akbari Masjids are inside the complex.
The lesson in a simple flag
There is no great spectacle in folding a cloth, carrying it a few hours by road and raising it on a gate. Yet one family has done exactly that, year after year, for close to a century. That quiet faithfulness says something about the man whose Urs it announces.
Khwaja Gharib Nawaz (RA) built his life on khidmat (service): feeding the hungry, welcoming strangers and serving people for the sake of Allah, without asking who they were. The flag on the Buland Darwaza is, in the end, an invitation. It tells everyone, rich or poor, near or far, that the door is open. The best way to answer it, whether or not we travel to Ajmer, is to carry his spirit of service into our own homes and streets.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Ajmer Urs flag ceremony in 2026?
The flag of the 815th Urs will be raised on the Buland Darwaza on Saturday, 5 December 2026 (25 Jumada al-Akhirah 1448).
Who hoists the Urs flag at Ajmer Dargah?
The Gauri family of Bhilwara, Rajasthan. The tradition was started in 1928 by Pir Abdul Sattar Badshah, according to the family, and Fakhruddin Gauri now carries it as the third generation.
Is Ajmer’s Buland Darwaza the same as the one at Fatehpur Sikri?
No. Fatehpur Sikri’s Buland Darwaza was built by Akbar. Ajmer’s is a separate high gate inside the Dargah complex, credited to Sultan Mahmud Khilji of Malwa, and is about 85 feet tall.
Does the Urs start on the day of the flag?
No. The flag announces the Urs. The Urs formally starts when the Rajab moon is sighted, expected on the evening of 9 December 2026, and its main day, Chhati Sharif, falls on 6 Rajab.
Related: Ajmer Urs 2026 dates · Khwaja Gharib Nawaz: life and teachings · Great Sufi saints of India · Important events in Rajab · Khuldabad, the Valley of Saints
Sources: UNI Varta, 15 October 2026; ETV Bharat, 7 January 2024; Oneindia, 2009; Live History India: Dargah Ajmer Sharif; Shrine of Mu’in al-Din Chishti (Wikipedia); Rajasthan Patrika, Ajmer reports on Urs preparations.
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