India News | Shahi Imam Successor: Guests Gather for Investiture Ceremony at Delhi's Jama Masjid
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Guests began to gather in the courtyard of Delhi's Jama Masjid on Sunday for a 'dastarbandi (investiture)' ceremony during which the grand mosque's incumbent Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari will declare his son "as his successor".
New Delhi, Feb 25 (PTI) Guests began to gather in the courtyard of Delhi's Jama Masjid on Sunday for a 'dastarbandi (investiture)' ceremony during which the grand mosque's incumbent Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari will declare his son "as his successor".
The ceremony, expected to last more than an hour, will begin shortly, an official said.
The Mughal-era mosque was built by Emperor Shah Jahan in the 17th century.
Various 'ulemas (Islamic scholars)' are scheduled to attend the ceremony for which the mosque -- a veritable symbol of old Delhi or Shahjehanabad and a celebrated landmark -- has been decked up.
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Some congratulatory posters bearing images of the Shahi Imam and his son have been put up along the street running in front of the mosque, whose architecture draws awe from both locals and foreign tourists.
The ceremony involves tying a 'dastarbandi (turban)' on the head, according to the old 'riwaz (tradition)' associated with the investiture, the official said.
Syed Shaban Bukhari (29) was anointed as the mosque's Naib Imam in a 'dastarbandi' ceremony in November 2014, the official said.
The Jama Masjid, in its official invite for the event issued on Saturday, said, "You are cordially invited to attend the 'dastarbandi (investiture)' ceremony at the Jama Masjid, where Shahi Imam Maulana Syed Ahmed Bukhari will declare his son, Maulana Syed Shaban Bukhari, as his successor. This significant event will take place on Sunday, the 25th of February 2024."
Syed Ahmed Bukhari -- the 13th Imam in the line of descent -- is the son of Syed Abdullah Bukhari, the 12th Shahi Imam, who died aged 87 in 2009.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)