• How is Ajmer Sharif Dargah managed? Key provisions of The Durgah Khawaja Saheb Act 1955 with Income-tax related issues. Only a Hanafi Muslim can become Committee Member. What is Sufism? Should AD be structured on lines of Tirupati Trust-Need an Ajmer Dargah Corridor Project? Hindus who donate should give to ‘The Durgah Committee, Ajmer’ and ask for Official Receipt.  

Portion of building of Ajmer Dargah damaged-Centre blamed. This headline made me wonder why Centre was involved. That kindled my interest.

This essay only looks at legal and administrative aspects of Ajmer Durgah. It is not the author’s intent to show disrespect to any Holy Man, religion, organization. Intent is to provoke thought for the benefit of devotees who visit the Durgah.

The DURGAH Khawaja Saheb Act, 1955 repeals The Durgah Khawaja Saheb Act, 1936 (XXIII of 1936) and the Durgah Khawaja Saheb (Emergency Provisions) Act, 1950 (XVII of 1950). Before passing this 1936 Act, in 1927 the British introduced the Madras Religious and Charitable Act 1927 for government control of Hindu temples. In 1937, the British passed The Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937. See the game!

The 1955 Act was passed by the Central government unlike the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Act, 1988 passed by the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. So also Tirupati (per Google search), “The TTD Act refers to the Andhra Pradesh Charitable and Hindu Religious Institutions and Endowments Act, specifically the 1987 version, which governs the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).”

Seek blessings of Khwaja Moin-ud-din Chishti.

This essay has 4 parts i.e. overview, answers to general questions, specific sections of the 1955 Act with comments and what is Sufism. It compares available financials of The Durgah Committee with Vaishno Devi Shrine Board.

Part 1 - General Overview of Ajmer Durgah Management

‘The Durgah Committee, Ajmer’ is a statutory body created under a 1955 Act. The administration, control and management of the Durgah Endowment is vested in this Committee. Nazim is an IAS officer of deputy secretary rank and is the Chief Executive Officer. The Centre nominates nine Committee Members all of whom have to be Hanafi Muslims. The Committee shall elect a president and a vice-president from among its members. Nazim shall be Secretary of the Committee. The Central Government may, in consultation with the Chief Commissioner, constitute an Advisory Committee consisting of such number of persons, being Hanafi Muslims, not exceeding seven.

The accounts of the Durgah shall be audited every year by such persons and in such manner as the Central Government may direct and Annual Report published in the Official Gazette. Khadims are hereditary priests at Ajmer Dargah.

Kalbelia dance by Hungarian Muslim at Jaisalmer Desert Festival 2013.

Part 2 - Answers to General Questions  

Q1. Why was a separate Act passed for Ajmer Dargah? 

“The Durgah Khawaja Saheb Act, 1955, was passed to establish a statutory body, the Dargah Committee, to manage the Ajmer Dargah and its endowments. This Act aimed to ensure the proper administration, management, and maintenance of the Dargah.” The Ajmer Durgah is not covered by the WAQF Act.

Q2. Why Ajmer Durgah?

“Khwaja Moin-ud-din Chishti, the Sufi saint from Persia is enshrined here. He reached Ajmer in 1192.” Source Rajasthan Tourism “He came with Delhi Sultan Shabuddin Mohammed Ghori, and settled there. He introduced and established the Chishti order (silsila) of Sufi saints in India.”  1

To know about monuments in Ajmer Dargah click Here

Q3. What is the legal entity under which the Dargah is managed? 

According to the Ministry of Minority Affairs site, “Dargah Khwaja Saheb is the only Dargah in India, the management of which is governed by an Act of Parliament known as Dargah Khwaja Saheb Act, 1955. It is administered through a Dargah Committee, a statutory body, constituted by the Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India, under the provisions of Section 5 of the Dargah Khwaja Saheb Act, 1955.”  To know more visit Government of India site

So is it managed by the Trust?

No. According to a 2009 article in the Times of India, “We do have a functional trust as per the Khawaja Saheb Act, 1955.” The same article asks if the shrine be managed by a trust similar to the Tirupati Venkateswara Temple Trust? This question makes sense because from next para it is clear that ‘The Durgah Committee, Ajmer’ is the legal entity. 

Section 4 of the 1955 Act reads, “The Committee shall by the name of ““The Durgah Committee, Ajmer”, be a body corporate and shall have perpetual succession and a common seal and shall by the said name sue and be sued through its president.” So The Durgah Committee, Ajmer is the legal entity. 

During an online search found one could make donation to Ajmer Dargah online Here . HDFC Bank page says donation to be made to ‘Dargah Khwaja Saheb, Ajmer’.  

Q4. Does Ajmer Dargah have an Official Website?

Yes. The Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India as part of ministry’s website has a section on Ajmer Dargah. View Here  One can book a guest house room, make a donation, book Langar/Deg Here  The url is https://gharibnawaz.minorityaffairs.gov.in

A google search for Ajmer Dargah on 15.7.25 at 1.30 pm shows these sites in the top ten for e.g. https://www.khawajagharibnawaz.com/, http://www.ajmer-sharif.com/, https://ajmerdargah.in/ . There are different sites which may be run by people associated with the Dargah. As per https://ajmerdargah.in/dargah-mannat contributions accepted in these names. (checked on 11.7.25 at 11.48 am)

This leads to confusion. Ajmer Dargah needs one official website, the normal convention.

My observations are based on review of https://ajmerdargah.in/

1. Ajmer Dargah Sharif Services – HDFC Bank– ‘Ajmer Dargah Sharif Services’

2. Online Donation for Badi/Chhoti Deg etc. A/c Name- Syed Nazzre Hasan Chishty with SBI/HDFC Bank / UPI.

3. Chadhar Payment - A/c Name- Syed Nazzre Hasan Chishty with SBI/UPI.

This site https://www.syedajmersharif.com/donation shows ‘Mera Khwaja Foundation’ bank account with Barclays Bank UK. Seems like a UK based site. 

Another site https://dargahajmer.com/  Home page shows ‘Haji S.M. Hameed Chishty. Khawaja Garib Nawaz Services, Ajmer.” For Online Transfer has account with ICICI Bank. Here the offerings are priced in US Dollars.  

Have these respected persons been authorised by the Nazim/Durgah Committee to receive online contributions on behalf of The Durgah Committee?

It is not known that when an online donation is made in the name of an individual, does he treat contribution as personal income or is amount received in name of society/trust?

Q5. Do Donations to Official Durgah Committee get 80G benefit under I.T. Act?

According to  Section 88 of the Income-Tax Act, 1961 and 1974 notification, “Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (5), this section shall apply to donations given for the renovation or repair of any temple, mosque, gurdwara, church or any other place which is notified by the Central Government in the Official Gazette to be of historic, archaeological or artistic importance.”

Simply put, amount donated for renovation or repair of Ajmer Durgah gets tax break. To read 1974 circular and monuments covered

There is more to India than the Taj – West. 

Q6. Who is Sajjada-Nishin?

According to Google search, “In Muslim law, a Sajjadanashin is a spiritual leader and hereditary administrator of a Sufi shrine (Dargah or Khanqah). They are typically descendants of the Sufi saint or their close disciples, and their role involves managing the shrine, conducting rituals, and guiding followers. The term combines "sajjada" (prayer mat) and "nashin" (one who sits), signifying their position of authority on the prayer mat during ceremonies.” Read this Express

The current Sajjada-Nashin of the Ajmer Sharif Dargah is Dewan Syed Zainul Abedin Ali Khan Sahib. His site  Local sources say, “He takes his half share in Dome Offerings from Khadims. Nazim’s Office gives him traditional material for performing customs for e.g. sandal wood paste, sweets for faitha and padgdiyan.”

Do Hindu Temple laws have a provision for payment of maintenance to the descendants of priests who managed the temples for centuries?

It is not known if share of offerings received by the Sajjada-Nashin attracts income-tax. Experts can tell!

Q7. Who are Khadims?

They are hereditary priests. They have two registered societies, and representative bodies of hereditary priests who carry out traditional and religious activities, namely Anjuman Moinia Fakhria Chishtiya Khuddam Khwaja Sahib Syedzadgan and Anjuman Moinia Fakhria Chishtiya Khuddam Khwaja Sahib Shakhzadgan Source   Indian Express 4

The Nazim shall maintain a register of Khadims and the members of their families says Bye-law 13 (j). Are names of registered Khadims displayed in Dargah?

It was not possible to ascertain role of these societies, do devotees make contributions? Are they managed by the official The Durgah Committee? Can they receive contributions from devotees in foreign currency/FCRA approval?

Section 11 (f) of Act refers to licenses issued to Khadims? Read their duties later.  

Bye-law 16 (c) states that Khadims shall not receive any offerings or nazar from any person on behalf of the Dargah or in the name of Khwaja Saheb. However, P M Currie wrote in his book, “The legal position has not changed since 1955. However, the khuddam are still to be seen within the precincts of the dargah soliciting offerings from pilgrims, while official notices exhort devotees to place their offerings in the green boxes provided for that purpose. 1 Pg 192

According to Bye-law 13 (b), “The Nazim shall start cooperative societies to improve the economic conditions of the descendants of K M Chishti and their families and the Khadims and their families to raise their standard of living.”

If the Nazim starts these cooperative societies are they subject to statutory audit and is the Nazim responsible for their operation? Who controls the funds? 

Durgah Act was enacted in 1955. Seventy years later have the descendants and their families become self-sustaining or still require sustained support!

Q8. Who is Nazim?

Nazim is IAS officer of deputy secretary rank and is the Chief Executive Officer. The Centre nominates 9 Committee Members. Source India Today 

Q9. How does Donation process compare with Tirupati Temple i.e. also covered by the 1974 circular?

Any amount donated for renovation or repair of any specified temple, mosque, gurdwara or church allows donor to get tax break. For List of Places  Ajmer Dargah, Tirupati, Golden Temple amongst others are covered  

For Tirupati donations “to the Srivani Trust are eligible for tax benefits under Section 80G. The Srivani Trust is a part of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) and the donations are used for the repair and renovation of temples. Source

Other donations are to individual trusts where they have to get permission from the Income Tax department to issue receipts under section 80G of the Income-Tax Act, 1961. I visited the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams site.

This page has list of associated trusts for Edonation. For e.g. if you want to donate for providing free meals to pilgrims- Prasadam.

Wish the amount of clarity that exists online for various activities of Tirupati Devasthanams-temple and charitable, also existed for Ajmer Dargah.   

Q10. Annual Report of Ajmer Durgah and Comparison with Vaishnodevi Board

The 2021-22 Annual Report of the Ministry of Minority Affairs has no financials of Ajmer Dargah. So also 2023-24 Report has no financials. From the Ministry site, downloaded Annual Administrative Reports as on 30.3.2019 and 31.3.20. Financials not given.

There is also a report as on 31.12.2017. It shows Total Income 5.63 crore and Expenditure Rs 4.43 crore. Total fixed deposit Rs 8.79 crore.  

The Report as on 31.3.20 does not give income and expenditure of Ajmer Durgah. It states, “Donations received in kind Diamond Crown Rs. 13.00 Lakhs (Fixed at Begumi Dalan Dec-18), 2 piece Silver Cups and Cap, 1 piece Silver Plate 5 piece Silver Plate, 1 piece Silver Tray (969 Gram), 1 piece Gold Plate (2 Gram).” 

It is difficult to believe that a place as revered as Ajmer Dargah received only these items in kind. Fixed deposits as on 31.3.20 Rs 852 L. Now compare!

Table 1 - Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board Administrative Report 2023-24.

Table 2  Ajmer Dargah 31.12.2017     Rs Crore

@ Local sources state number of pilgrims not tracked.

Both revered places – compare Income of Ajmer Sharif and Shrine Board.

I reached out to the Ministry of Minority Affairs during week ended 18/7/25 to check for the latest Annual Administrative Report but no response till date of writing. If the latest report is received or available online by 31/8/2025 shall update article.

There is more to India than the Taj – South. 

Part 3 - What is inverted commas is an extract from the 1955 Act.

Post extract are comments. To read act in PDF click on PDF 

“An Act to make provision for the proper administration of the Durgah and the Endowment of the Durgah of Khawaja Moin-ud-din Chishti, generally known as Durgah Khawaja Saheb, Ajmer.

1. Section 2 (d)

“Durgah Endowment” includes – 

(i) the Durgah Khawaja Saheb, Ajmer; (ii) all buildings and movable property within the boundaries of the Durgah Sharif; (iii) Durgah Jagir, including all land, houses and shops and all immovable property wherever situated belonging to the Durgah Sharif; (iv) all other property and all income derived from any source whatsoever dedicated to the Durgah or placed for any religious, pious or charitable purposes under the Durgah Administration, including the Jagirdari villages of Hokran and Kishanpur in Ajmer; and (v) all such nazars of offerings as are received on behalf of the Durgah by the Nazim or any person authorised by him;” The Nazim approves a list of Khadims and families. (Bye law 13 (j)). 

2. Section 4 

(1) The administration, control and management of the Durgah Endowment shall be vested in a Committee constituted in the manner hereinafter provided.

(2) The Committee shall by the name of “The Durgah Committee, Ajmer”, be a body corporate and shall have perpetual succession and a common seal and shall by the said name sue and be sued through its president.”

3. Section 5. Composition of Committee

“The Committee shall consist of not less than five and not more than nine members all of whom shall be Hanafi Muslims and shall be appointed by the Central Government.” 

Q. Who are Hanafi Muslims?

An Islamic scholar said, “Hanafis is one of the most followed Sunni jurisprudence. Sufis also follow the same.” Hanafi is one of the four major schools of thought. To read more click here

4. Section 7 - President and vice-president

“(1) The Committee shall elect a president and a vice-president from among its members.”

5. Section 9 - Power of Central Government to appoint Nazim

“(1) The Central Government may, in consultation with the Committee, appoint a person to be the Nazim of the Durgah and the Nazim shall in virtue of his office be the secretary of the Committee:

(2) The Nazim shall be paid such salary and allowances as the Central Government may fix out of the revenues of the Durgah Endowment.”

6. Section 10 - Advisory Committee to advise Nazim

“For the purpose of advising the Nazim in the discharge of his functions under this Act and also for such other purposes as may be specified in any bye-laws of the Committee, the Central Government may, in consultation with the Chief Commissioner, constitute and or the purpose of advising the Nazim in the discharge of his functions under this Act and also for such other purposes as may be specified in any bye-laws of the Committee, the Central Government may, in consultation with the Chief Commissioner, constitute an Advisory Committee consisting of such number of persons, being Hanafi Muslims, not exceeding seven, as the Central Government may think fit, such persons being chosen from among the residents of the State of Ajmer or any of the neighbouring State.”

The Advisory Committee Members must be Hanafi Muslims.

Can any law for management of Hindu Temples state that say only Kshatriyas or members of a particular Sect can be appointed as temple priests?

7. Section 11 – Power and Duties of the Committee 

"(c) to receive all moneys and other income of the Durgah Endowment;

(f) to determine the privileges of the Khadims and to regulate their presence in the Durgah by the grant to them of licences in that behalf, if the Committee thinks it necessary so to do;

(h) to determine the functions and powers, if any, which the Sajjadanashin may exercise in relation to the Durgah;  

(j) to make such provision for the education and maintenance of the indigent descendants of Khawaja Moin-ud-din Chishti and their families and the indigent Khadims and their families residing in India as the Committee considers expedient consistently with the financial position of the Durgah;” 

Does any temple pay maintenance to the descendants of the builder of a temple or its priests?

8. Section 14 - Power to solicit or receive offerings on behalf of the Durgah

“(1)] It shall be lawful for the Nazim or any person authorised by him in this behalf to solicit and receive on behalf of the Durgah any nazars or offerings from any person, and notwithstanding anything contained in any rule of law or decision to the contrary, no person other than the Nazim of any person authorised by him in this behalf shall receive or be entitled to receive nazars or offerings or behalf of the Durgah.”

Is the list of persons who can receive offerings made public by the Nazim?

9. Section 15 - Committee to observe Muslim Law and tenets of the Chishti Saint

“Save as otherwise provided under any enactment for the time being in force, the committee shall, in exercise of its powers and the discharge of its duties, follow the rules of Muslim Law applicable to Hanafi Muslims in India, and shall conduct and regulate the established rites and ceremonies in accordance with the tenets of the Chishti Saint.”

10. Rights and Duties of Khadims (Rule 16 of the Bye-laws)

(a) "The Khadims shall continue to perform such duties at the Dargah as they have been traditionally performing.

(c) They shall neither solicit nor receive any nazars or offerings from any person on behalf of the Dargah or in the name of Khwaja Saheb.

11. Nazars and offering (Rule 13 of the Bye-laws)

(b) The Nazim or any person authorized by him in this behalf shall collect the nazars or offerings from the different receptacles in the Dargah including the Galla (pit) in the shrine and all offerings dropped in the Degs and credit the same to the Dargah funds.

(c) The Nazim alone shall receive all cheques, money orders and other articles on behalf of the Dargah and he shall credit the same to the Dargah Endowment.

(d) No one shall collect within the Dargah any fund on behalf of any individual or institution without the permission in writing of the Nazim."

12. Section 19 - Audit of accounts and annual report

“(1) The accounts of the Durgah shall be audited every year by such persons and in such manner as the Central Government may direct. (2) The Committee shall every year prepare a report on the administration of the Durgah, which, together with the accounts of the Durgah and the report of the auditor thereon, shall be published in the Official Gazette.” 

Local Sources say audit is conducted by the Accountant General. Till the time of publishing I am yet to receive reply from Director’s Office, Jaipur to my email dated 18/7/25 1.02 pm to these questions. Is the audit done annually or frequency? What type of audit is done? meaning Ownership or Performance audit? If any other type, please state. For private organizations, the auditor certifies the Balance Sheet and Profit and Loss Accounts for the year. How does it work for a statutory body like Ajmer Dargah?

I was told to expect a reply. If received before 31/8/2025, shall incorporate in article.

Should the accounts be audited annually by a professional CA firm like Vaishno Devi Shrine Board is audited by S R Batliboi and Company? 

And Accounts should be in public domain like BCCI (Board of Cricket for Control in India).

According to a April 2025 ABPLivenew.com report, “Centre Orders CAG Audit of Ajmer Sharif Dargah’s Finances Over Alleged Misuse Of Donations, Foreign Funds. The probe will cover the two Anjumans (associations) of Khadims—hereditary custodians of the dargah. The two Anjumans are responsible for managing the day-to-day religious affairs at the shrine, including facilitating pilgrimages for devotees, who, in return, offer voluntary monetary gifts. These donations are distinct from those placed in the dargah’s donation boxes, which are handled by a separate government-managed committee. Hundreds of Khadims operate within the dargah premises and receive financial offerings from pilgrims during ziyarat (pilgrimage).” In Also Read see 4

Based on the above report one infers that donations in dargah boxes go to the Dargah Committee whilst voluntary monetary gifts given to the Khadims is retained by them. It is not known if these voluntary gifts are made to the two Anjumans or any other legal entity. If these gifts are received by them personally, what is the amount subject to tax?

11. Section 20 - Bye-laws

(1) The Committee may make bye-laws to carry out the purposes of this Act.

There is more to India than the Taj – East. 

Part 4 – Sufism

1. What is SUFISM?

Read briefly on Ajmer Sharif site or Here

According to volume 7 of The History and Culture of Indian People published by the Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan, “Historically, Sufism was a religious system which in the course of its development, had imbibed several beliefs which are essentially of Hindu origin. It is not strange that in the 16^th/17^th centuries it came to be common with the bulk of the Indian Muslims to be attached to some religious preceptor, usually a Sufi, just as the Hindus considered the guidance of a Guru to be essential for one’s spiritual salvation, so that almost every religious-minded Muslim linked himself up with one Sufi Silsila (chain) or another as a sine qua non of respectability and religious awareness.” 3 Pg 655

“The primal strife between the Shariat (Muslim Law) and the Tariqat (Sufism) which started in the lands where Sufism first made its appearance, was in evidence in India also.  With the accession of Aurangzeb, the Sufi movement in India seems to have received a definite set-back.” 3 Pg 655/673  

2. Who are Sufis/Sufism? (view of German site)

According to dw.com, “Sufism is a mystical and ascetic Islam practiced by tens of millions of Muslims. Known as "Tasawwuf" in the Muslim world, in the West it is often erroneously thought of as a separate sect. Sufism is more prominent among Sunnis, but there are also Shiite Sufi orders, or "tariqa."” 

“Wahhabism sought to purge Sunni Islam of accretions and innovations such as the widespread Sufi practice of venerating saints and visiting tombs and shrines. The goal was to create a "pure" Islam.”” To read more  

3. Sufism – Shah Waliullah Dehlawi (1704-1762)

Author J Said Deepak wrote in India, Bharat and Pakistan, “Although he was himself a sanad-holding Sunni Sufi of the Naqhhbandiyah Order, Dehlawai wanted Muslims of this part of world to rid of bida, i.e. Hindu influenced Sufi practices. In other words, only that version of Sufism which was rooted in the Quran and the Hadith was the right one.” Pg. 13 

4. Did Chisti bless Ghori to defeat Prithviraj Chauhan? 

Read by Swati Goel and Sanjeev Newar wrote in Swarajyamag.com

5. Was Ajmer Dargah a Shiv Mandir?

See Pg 87 of P M Currie book. Also this Tribune Chandigarh article says that Adhai din ka Jhonpra mosque, Ajmer was a Sanskrit college. Both in same town. 

P M Currie wrote in his book, “Mu‘in al-din. Chishti is believed to be Allah’s appointed evangelist in Hindustan, to have been instrumental in the victory of the Muslim armies in their final invasion of India. 1 Pg 198

Errors if any are inadvertent and without malafide intent. In case of error, do write with details and I shall correct.

Read, reflect and decide for yourself.  Love.

The author is a Senior Chartered Accountant.

References

1. Shrine and Cult of Mu‘in al-din Chishti of Ajmer by P M Currie 

2. 1974 notifications that gives list of institutions covered by Section 88 (6) of the Income-Tax Act.

3. The History and Culture of Indian People published by the Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan

Also read

1. Album Adhai di ka Jhonpra mosque, Ajmer

2. Hanafi School – Britannica.com

3. The petition challenged the CAG’s order to audit the Dargah’s accounts for a five-year period, from 2022–23 to 2026–27.

4. Delhi HC stays of 2 societies representing Ajmer Dargah Priests – The societies are Anjuman Moinia Fakhria Chishtiya Khuddam Khwaja Sahib Syedzadgan and Anjuman Moinia Fakhria Chishtiya Khuddam Khwaja Sahib Shakhzadgan.

5. 1961 Court Order has useful information on subject

6. Tirupati Temple Board decides to get is accounts audited by CAG  

7. Hanaffi School

This article should not be republished without written approval of www.esamskriti.com

I wish to express gratitude to all those, well-wishers of Ajmer Dargah, who helped with this essay.