The dargah at the IGI Airport

Unknown to many, located within the vast precincts of the Indira Gandhi International Airport, near Terminal-2, is the ‘Peer Baba ki Dargah’. The resting place of two Sufi saints, the shrine is held in high esteem and reverence by a large number of employees working at the Delhi airport. The shrine has been there for as long as old employees can remember and over time has acquired an almost cult status.

People throng to the shrine to pay reverence, make a mannat (wish), offer prayers for the well-being of near and dear ones, safety of the air travellers or just spend a quiet moment with the Almighty.

The mazaar is open to the public on Thursdays, and the Airports Authority of India provides a free bus from the Cargo Complex T-2 to the shrine between 2 pm -5 pm. This is because Thursday is considered to be the Jumme Raat, or a day considered
to be auspicious for the people visiting the shrine and praying there. 

The people visiting the shrine are meticulously frisked by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officers, and near Gate Number 6, people can buy offerings such as incense sticks, flowers and chaadars for the respected saints. People are forbidden to take photos of the shrine. Rest of the days, the Dargah is open to all Delhi Airport employees.

Bhagatji, the caretaker of the shrine, tells Metrolife, “This mazaar is a tribute to Bade Baba (Baba Kale Khan) and Chhote Baba (Baba Roshan Khan). Flights come and go, but our saints are the ones keeping all the operations safe.”

“The mazaar is very old. Once a brick was found there which dates back to 1860. Peer Baba ki Dargah is believed to be much older than that. Both the saints
possibly lived in the 14th century,” says Anjana, an Air India employee.

“It is widely believed that the dargah has prevented many a catastrophe. Once, a flight’s engine caught fire while landing at the runway. However, as soon as it came near the Peer Baba shrine, the fire died and was successfully controlled. Nobody was hurt,” Satish Singh, another employee working near the Airport, tells Metrolife.

It is this popular belief, and faith in the power of the dead saints, that has ensured that the dargah remains at the place it is. It is located close to the runway 10/28 and takes up an acre of land in the middle of the airport. The dargah is maintained by the donations made by the devotees working inside and outside the airport, and it is run by a committee called the “Baba ki Committee”.

Every year, the Airports Authority of India, in association with the other airlines, celebrates a relatively grand festival called “Urs” inside the dargah, where there is music, dance and langar for all the devotees.

The dargah is beautiful with subtle decorations and flower garlands adorning the two huge Banyan trees that stand as sentinels of the graves of the saints. Two bells, similar to the ones found in Hindu temples, adorn the front gate. Indeed, the shrine is an example of communal peace and faith that continues alongside the everyday activities of life.