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SPIRITUAL CULTURE

ManagingMobility_Roads_Dheli_1272_edited

Delhi's spiritual landscape is marked by an inclusive and harmonious coexistence of various faiths, making it a unique and vibrant spiritual hub. As the seat of several dynasties, the confluence of different rulers and communities over centuries has created a unique spiritual mosaic in the city. Dotted with temples, gurudwaras, mosques, churches, sufi shrines, aashrams, monasteries, synagogues, Delhi is also home to many modern spiritual movements. Observing with equal fervour the festivals, rites and rituals of many faiths, it witnesses popular devotional events like jalsa/ juloos and yatras (processions and pilgrimages), kirtans and jagrans (spiritual soirees), bhajans and kathas (devotional stories and songs), bhandaras and langars (community kitchens) and many more. Borne out of this spiritual matrix, the festivals, rituals, art, social communities, education, identity, and ethics, profoundly influence and define Delhi's cultural life. Discover on this page the monumental, architectural, social as well as political landscape produced by Delhi's spiritual culture. 

Contents

  1. 10 Most Famous Temples in Delhi: https://www.transindiatravels.com/delhi/temples-in-delhi/

  2. Ali, A. (2012). Mosque Architecture in Delhi: Continuity and Change in its morphology. Ateet, vol. Special Issue, 40-57.

  3. Ali, A. (2014). Feroz Shah-A Great Patron of Mosques, ATEET; Special Issue, Dec. 2014.

  4. Amman, M. (2006). A Tale of Four Dervishes. Penguin UK.

  5. Aquil, R. (2008). Hazrat-i-Dehli: The making of the Chishti Sufi centre and the stronghold of Islam. South Asia Research, 28(1), 23-48.

  6. Arora, K. (2020). “I Get Peace:” Gender and religious life in a Delhi Gurdwara. Religions, 11(3), 135.

  7. Auliyā, N. (1992). Nizam Ad-din Awliya: Morals for the Heart: Conversations of Shaykh Nizam Ad-din Awliya Recorded by Amir Hasan Sijzi (Vol. 74). Paulist Press.

  8. Delhi Hindu Muslim Population: https://www.census2011.co.in/data/religion/state/7-delhi.html

  9. Delhi Population by religion: https://www.findeasy.in/delhi-population-by-religion/#google_vignette

  10. Delhi’s Last ten Jewish Families Guard an Ancient Heritage: https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-india-jews-idUSLNE74M05L20110523/

  11. Delhiparsis.com: https://delhiparsis.com/

  12. Hinduism in Delhi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism_in_Delhi#References

  13. Jaffer, M. (2012). The Book of Nizamuddin Aulia. Penguin UK.

  14. Jamil, G. (2014). The capitalist logic of spatial segregation: A study of Muslims in Delhi. Economic and Political Weekly, 52-58.

  15. Keshani, H. (2001). Building Nizamuddin: a Delhi Sultanate dargah and its surrounding buildings. University of Victoria.

  16. Klune, C. (2014). The Delhi Sultanate’s Treatment of Hindus, E-International Relations. https://www.e-ir.info/2014/02/11/the-delhi-sultanates-treatment-of-hindus

  17. Mody, P. (2002). Love and the law: love-marriage in Delhi. Modern Asian Studies, 36(1), 223-256.

  18. New Delhi’s tiny Jewish Community Keeps Customs Alive: https://www.dw.com/en/india-new-delhis-tiny-jewish-community-keeps-customs-alive/a-64261419

  19. Pati, S. (2017). Building ‘Monuments’ in a World-class City: Aesthetics and Politics of Contemporary Delhi. India and Its Visual Cultures: Community, Class and Gender in a Symbolic Landscape, 329.

  20. Pinto, D. (1989). The mystery of the Nizamuddin dargah: The accounts of pilgrims. Muslim Shrines in India: Their Character, History and Significance, 112-124.

  21. Religions in Delhi: https://www.delhionline.in/guide/religions-in-delhi

  22. Safvi R (2021). A Folk Tale and Other Stories: Lesser-Known Monuments of India. Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi.

  23. Sharma, J. P. (2002). A Cross-cultural Dialogue: A Case Study of Pre-Mughal Mosques in Delhi. Built Environment (1978-), 249-262.

  24. Singh, K. (2010). Temple of eternal return: The Swāminārāyan Akshardhām complex in Delhi. Artibus Asiae, 70(1), 47-76.

  25. Smith, R.V. (2015). Lingering Charm of Delhi: Myth, Lore and History, Niyogi Books, New Delhi.

  26. Srivastava, S. (2020). Urban spaces, Disney-divinity and the moral middle classes in Delhi. In Elite and Everyman (pp. 364-390). Routledge India.

  27. Taneja, A. V. (2013). Jinnealogy: Everyday life and Islamic theology in post-Partition Delhi. HAU: Journal of Ethnographic Theory, 3(3), 139-165.

  28. Taneja, A. V. (2013). Nature, history, and the sacred in the medieval ruins of Delhi (Doctoral dissertation, Columbia University).

  29. Taneja, A. V. (2020). Jinnealogy: Time, Islam, and ecological thought in the medieval ruins of Delhi. Stanford University Press.

  30. The Parsis of Delhi: https://parsikhabar.net/culture/the-parsis-of-delhi/1355/

  31. Welch, A. (1997). THE SHRINE OF THE HOLYFOOTPRINT IN DELHI. Muqarnas Online, 14(1), 166-178.

  32. Welch, A., Keshani, H., & Bain, A. (2002). Epigraphs, scripture, and architecture in the early Delhi Sultanate. Muqarnas Online, 19(1), 12-43.

JINNEALOGY Time, Islam, and Ecological Thought in the Medieval Ruins of Delhi
 

Anand Vivek Taneja

A Saint, a Folk Tale and Other stories

Rana Safvi

10 Most Famous Temples in Delhi

Online Read

Religions in Delhi

Online Read

DelhiParsis.Com

Online Read

Feroz Shah -
A Great Patron of Mosques

Asif Ali

Urban Spaces, Disney-Divinity and Moral Middle Classes in Delhi

Sanjay Srivastava

Love and the Law: Love-Marriage in Delhi

Perveez Mody

Nature, History, and the Sacred in the Medieval Ruins of Delhi

Anand Vivek Taneja

THE SHRINE OF THE HOLYFOOTPRINT IN DELHI

ANTHONYWELCH

Jinnealogy: Everyday life and Islamic theology in Post-Partition Delhi

Anand Vivek TANEJA

Nizam Ad-din Awliya
MORALS FOR THE HEART
Conversations of Shaykh Nizam ad-din Awliya
recorded by Amir Hasan Sijzi

Translated and Annotated by
Bruce B. Lawrence

Mehru Jaffer, The Book of Nizamuddin Aulia.jpeg

The Book of Nizamuddin Aulia 

Mehra Jaffer

Hinduism in Delhi

Online Read

Delhi population by religion

Online Read

New Delhi's tiny Jewish community keeps customs alive

Online Read

Mosque Architecture in Delhi: Continuity and Change in its Morphology

Asif Ali

The Temples Eternal Return: The Swaminarayan Akshardham Complex

Kavita Singh

Epigraphs, Scripture, and Architecture in Early Delhi Sultanate

Anthony Welch, Hussein Keshani, and Alexandra Bain 

The Delhi Sultanate’s Treatment of Hindus
 

Christopher Klune

Building Nizamuddin: A Delhi Sultanate Dargah and its Surrounding Buidings

Hussein Keshnai

The Mystery of the Nizamuddin Dargah: The Account of Pilgrims

Desiderios Pinto and S.J

A tale of four.jpg

A Tale of Four Darweshes

Mir Amman

R.V. Smith, Lingering Charm of Delhi - Myth, Lore and History.jpeg

Lingering Charm of Delhi: Myth, Lore and History

R.V. Smith

Delhi Hindu Muslim Population

Online Read

The Parsis of Delhi

Online Read

Delhi's last ten Jewish families guard an ancient heritage

Online Read

A Cross-cultural Dialogue: A Case Study of Pre-Mughal Mosques in Delhi

Jyoti P. Sharma

The Capitalist Logic of Spatial Segregation - A Study of Muslims in Delhi

Ghazala Jamil

“I Get Peace:” Gender and Religious Life in a Delhi Gurdwara

Kamal Arora

Building ‘Monuments’ in a World Class City: Aesthetics and Politics
of Contemporary Delhi

 

Sushmita Pati

EPIGRAPHS, SCRIPTURE, AND ARCHITECTURE IN THE EARLY
DELHI SULTANATE

ANTHONY WELCH, HUSSEIN KESHANI, AND ALEXANDRA BAIN

Hazart-i-Dehli: The Making of the chishti Sufi Centre and the Stronghold of Islam

Raziuddin Aquil

A major research project sponsored by Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR)

Dr. Niraj Kumar Singh
Project Director

Prof. Sangeeta Mittal
Co-Project Director

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