Everyone is welcome at Ajmer Sharif Dargah, the tomb complex that developed around the tomb of Khwaja (‘Respected Master’) Muʿin al-Din Chishti (d. 1236). It is here that social norms are temporarily suspended. Both men and women are allowed to enter this dargah and visit the tomb. Those who do not identify with conventional gender categories are likewise welcome. Many bring offerings such as rose garlands and large pieces of cloth to perform the ceremony of laying the cloth (chadar charana).

Sufi spaces throughout the Indian Subcontinent are generally open to gender-transgressing people. Ajmer Sharif Dargah is known to be particularly inclusive. It accepts all pilgrims without discrimination, including gender transgressors, often referred to as hijre (Sg. hijra) in India, although they prefer to call themselves Kinnar or Kinner, referring to mythological beings, often depicted as half-bird, half-woman creatures, renowned for their dance, song and poetry. Coming from all over the subcontinent and beyond, they flock in to attend the 808th ʿurs festival of Khwaja Muʿin al-Din Chishti, who is particularly revered by hijre, at the Ajmer Sharif Dargah. Their participation at the qawwali musical assemblies held in the dargah during the ʿurs is encouraged.

Ongoing Project

Female Mysticism in Islam

Collective volume Female Spiritual Visions: The Religious Visual Culture of Contemporary Female Islamic Mysticism, edited by Sara Kuehn and Amila Buturovic (Women & Gender series, Brill forthcoming)