An emperor once walked most of the way from Agra to Ajmer to fulfil a vow made at this shrine, and its kitchens still cook for pilgrims on a similarly large scale.
The saint who founded the order
Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti arrived in India around 1192 and founded the Chishti Sufi order there, teaching a message of religious tolerance and service that drew both Muslim and Hindu followers during his lifetime, a reputation that has carried through to the shrine's present-day character as a site visited across religious lines.
A Mughal pilgrimage tradition
Mughal emperor Akbar reportedly walked on pilgrimage from Agra to Ajmer more than once to fulfil vows, a practice of imperial devotion that later Mughal rulers continued in various forms, and the dynasty funded significant additions to the shrine complex, including large gateways and buildings that remain part of the site today.
Cooking on an industrial scale
The shrine maintains two enormous cauldrons, or degs, used to cook rice and other food in bulk for distribution to pilgrims, a practice tied to the order's emphasis on charitable service; donors sponsor cooking runs, and the food is distributed freely, functioning much like the langar tradition found at Sikh gurdwaras, though organised through the shrine's own separate custodial system.
The Urs
The annual Urs, marking the anniversary of the saint's death, draws large numbers of pilgrims from across South Asia and beyond, treating the death date as a celebration of spiritual union rather than an occasion of mourning.