According to the dargah’s origin tradition, Amir Khusrau began its Basant observance to cheer his grieving teacher, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. The story explains why yellow clothes, spring flowers and qawwali remain part of the celebration—but it is a local account, not a medieval episode independently verified by the sources cited here.
How the dargah’s origin story began
In the version recounted to journalist Rana Safvi by Altamash Nizami, a descendant of Nizamuddin Auliya and a dargah committee member, the saint was grieving the death of his sister’s son, Khwaja Taqiuddin Nuh. Khusrau, his disciple, wanted to make him smile.
Khusrau reportedly saw village women dressed in yellow, carrying mustard flowers and singing as they went to offer flowers at a temple. He put on yellow, gathered mustard flowers and sang a spring song to his teacher. The story says Nizamuddin smiled, and that followers adopted the scene’s yellow dress, flowers and music as a way to welcome spring at the shrine. Scroll’s 2016 account attributes this telling to Nizami.
A second version, recounted by dargah custodian Sufi Ajmal Nizami to The Indian Express in 2024, describes Khusrau encountering farm labourers in yellow scarves carrying mustard flowers and marigolds on their way to a temple in gratitude for a good spring harvest. Khusrau borrowed a scarf, fashioned it into a turban and sang spring couplets to his grieving teacher.
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The details differ, but both accounts connect the observance to Khusrau’s attempt to comfort Nizamuddin and to a scene of yellow clothing, flowers and springtime song.
Why yellow is central to the celebration
In the origin story, yellow comes from the clothes worn by the people Khusrau reportedly encountered and the mustard flowers they carried. The colour became a visible sign of spring and of the gesture that lifted the saint’s spirits. Contemporary reports describe visitors wearing yellow turbans and scarves, yellow decorations at the shrine and yellow chadars presented at the graves of Nizamuddin Auliya and Khusrau.
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What happens at the Basant observance
Coverage of the celebration describes music, processions and offerings, though the precise arrangements can vary by year. Safvi’s account of the 2015 celebration describes qawwals gathering in the nearby basti, processing through its lanes, stopping at the grave of Khwaja Taqiuddin Nuh and presenting a yellow sheet and mustard flowers at Nizamuddin Auliya’s grave. It also describes offerings at Khusrau’s nearby tomb. Her report says qawwali was performed inside the shrine on that occasion, unlike the courtyard performances she describes as usual; that detail is a report of one celebration, not a guarantee of current access or practice. Safvi’s report records those details.
In its 2024 report, The Indian Express described yellow decorations, visitors in yellow turbans and scarves, chadar offerings at the graves of Nizamuddin Auliya and Khusrau, and qawwali as the day’s culmination. Custodian Sufi Ajmal Nizami said the spring repertoire included “sakal bann phool rahi sarson” and “aaj basant mana le.” He described the songs as specific to the season: “The qawwalis presented today are exclusively dedicated to the spring. You will not hear them on any other day of the year.” The Indian Express report attributes the description and quotation to him.
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How old is the tradition?
Sufi Ajmal Nizami estimated in 2024 that the practice was around 700 years old. That is an attributed estimate, not independent proof that the origin story happened as told or that the observance has continued without interruption. The accounts cited here report a tradition preserved by shrine descendants and custodians; they do not establish the medieval episode through a contemporary record or document an unbroken annual history.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Visiting and ticket claims
In January 2026, The Indian Express reported that the dargah’s official Instagram account warned about fake pages and accounts selling tickets for Sufi Basant. Caretaker Anis Nizami, the sajjada nashin, told the paper: “One can enjoy the Qawwali show free of cost. It has always been free…” The same report described attendance that year as approximately 50,000; this was a news report’s estimate, not an audited count. Read The Indian Express’s January 2026 report.
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For any upcoming celebration, check the shrine’s official communication for current arrangements rather than relying on ticket-selling accounts. The 2026 report also quotes the caretaker saying people of all religions are welcome.
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