Week 3: Sufism
For the week on Sufi influence in India, I decided to create a clay model of the front entrance to the Dargah of Sheikh Salim Chisti at Fatepur Sikri. I believe that the dargah, both as a very spiritual place, and also due to its role in culture and shared society in India, is a perfect symbol for Sufism in India. We have learned how the Sufi sects influenced both Hindu and Muslim culture, and how Indians of all religious faiths go to Dargahs to worship. In this way, the Dargah is not only a symbol of Indian Sufism, but also of the unique ways in which people of different faiths have interacted in India, and how traditions are shared between religions. Because I was given the chance to visit the Dargah at Fatepur Sikri, and had experieinced ritual life their first hand, I thought it would be the best subject for my model. I was also intrigued by the mixing of religious and political life that this particular Dargah represents, as it was built inside one of Akbar’s palaces, in honor of Sheikh Salim’s blessing of a son upon Akbar. Thus, within this particular dargah we see how Sufism deeply affected not only religious and traditional life, but also played a large role in influencing the politics of India, especially under the Mughals. By creating this model of a Dargah, I thus seek to portray the spiritual, political and interfaith significance of Sufism in India.