Phool Waalon Ki Sair meaning "procession of the

florist Floristry is the production, commerce, and trade in flowers. It encompasses flower care and handling, floral design and arrangement, merchandising, production, display and flower delivery. Wholesale florists sell bulk flowers and related su ...

s" is an annual celebration by the flower sellers of

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

. It is a three-day festival, generally held in the month of September, just after the rainy season in the region of

Mehrauli Mehrauli is a neighbourhood in South Delhi, a district of Delhi in India. It represents a constituency in the legislative assembly of Delhi. The area is close to Gurgaon and next to Vasant Kunj. History Mehrauli is one of the seven mediev ...

. It is seen as an example of the composite culture of Delhi, which has bolstered an environment of communal harmony in the city, and even today the festival is celebrated by both

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

s and

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

s alike. This secular festival involves a procession, led by

shehnai The ''shehnai'' is a musical instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is made of wood, with a double reed at one end and a metal or wooden flared bell at the other end.Yogmaya Temple, the shrine of Devi Jog Maya, and winds through Mehrauli Bazar, to reach the

dargah A dargah ( fa, درگاه ''dargâh'' or ''dargah'', Turkish: ''dergâh'', Hindustani: ''dargah'' दरगाह درگاہ, bn, দরগাহ ''dorgah'') is a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often ...

of 13th century

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...

saint, Khwaja Bakhtiyar Kaki. Also known as ''Sair-e-Gul Faroshan'' during this three-day festival, the flower sellers pray for a better flower season in the coming year by offering big fans, ''pankhas'', embroidered with flowers to both shrines. Just as when it was first conceived and had the

Mughal Emperor The Mughal emperors ( fa, , Pādishāhān) were the supreme heads of state of the Mughal Empire on the Indian subcontinent, mainly corresponding to the modern countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Mughal rulers styled ...

as its patron, these days the festival has the

Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...

as its main patron;

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian Anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India du ...

who revived and inaugurated the festival in 1962, and all the PMs hence, have equally participated in the festival. Another tradition is to offer a similar floral ''pankha'' to the

President of India The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Murm ...

Chief Minister of Delhi The chief minister of the National Capital Territory of Delhi is the head of government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. According to the Constitution of India, the lieutenant governor is the National Capital Territory of Delhi's ' ...

, and also the Lt. Governor of the city. Recent additions are the cultural troupes from various states of India, which perform songs, dances, and drama at the main function which is held at 'Jahaz Mahal' in Mehrauli, located in a corner of 'Hauz Shamsi' and is believed to have been built in

Lodhi dynasty The Lodi dynasty ( ps, لودي سلسله; fa, سلسله لودی) was an Afghan dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate from 1451 to 1526. It was the fifth and final dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, and was founded by Bahlul Khan Lodi when he ...

era, takes the festival beyond its vision of communal harmony to that of national integration Communal harmony, the Delhi way

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the sec ...

, 18 October 2004.

Origin

The origin of Phool Waalon Ki Sair goes to 1812, during the reign of the Mughal King Akbar Shah II (r. 1808 -1837). Akbar Shah-II was not happy with his eldest son

Siraj Uddin “Zafar” Bahadur Shah II, usually referred to by his poetic title Bahadur Shah ''Zafar'' (; ''Zafar'' Victory) was born Mirza Abu Zafar Siraj-ud-din Muhammad (24 October 1775 – 7 November 1862) and was the twentieth and last Mughal Emperor as well a ...

(

Bahadur Shah Zafar II Bahadur Shah II, usually referred to by his poetic title Bahadur Shah ''Zafar'' (; ''Zafar'' Victory) was born Mirza Abu Zafar Siraj-ud-din Muhammad (24 October 1775 – 7 November 1862) and was the twentieth and last Mughal Emperor as well a ...

) and wanted to nominate his younger son

Mirza Jahangir Shahzada Mirza Muhammad Jahangir Bakht Bahadur (also known as Prince Mirza Jahangir Bakht) (1776 – 18 July 1821) was the son of Prince Mirza Akbar, who became the Emperor Akbar Shah II in 1806 and his wife Empress Mumtaz Mahal, he was also th ...

as the heir Apparent (''Wali-Ahad''). This move was not liked by the then

British Resident A resident minister, or resident for short, is a government official required to take up permanent residence in another country. A representative of his government, he officially has diplomatic functions which are often seen as a form of indi ...

in the

Red Fort The Red Fort or Lal Qila () is a historic fort in Old Delhi, Delhi in India that served as the main residence of the Mughal Emperors. Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned construction of the Red Fort on 12 May 1638, when he decided to shift ...

, Sir Archibald Seton. Once Mirza Jahangir who was a reckless youth of 19 insulted Seton in open court and called him Loolu. The British Resident somehow did not react to this insult as probably he did not understand the meaning of Loolu. After a few days, when Mirza Jahangir was merrymaking on the roof of Naubat Khana in Red Fort, Archibald Seton was coming from the Darbar after an audience with Resident. Mirza Jahangir fired a shot at the Resident from the roof of Naubat Khana. Seton escaped but his orderly was killed. For this act of his, Mirza Jahangir was exiled to

Allahabad Allahabad (), officially known as Prayagraj, also known as Ilahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi (Benares). It is the administra ...

under orders of the British Resident.Say it with Flowers: Phoolwalon-ki-sair
''

Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest se ...

'', 2 November 2006. Tomb of Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, Mehrauli

The mother of Mirza Jahangir Queen Mumtaz Mahal Begum, was distraught and took a vow that if her son was released from Allahabad she would offer a chadar of flowers at the

of Khwaja Bakhtiar ‘Kaki’ at

. After a couple of years, Mirza Jahangir was released and like a devout lady Mumtaz Mahal Begum went to Mehrauli to redeem her vow. With her, the Imperial Court also shifted to Mehrauli and so did the entire population of Delhi. For 7 days all sorts of merrymaking continued at Mehrauli with Jhoolas (swings) in the mango groves,

cock fighting A cockfight is a blood sport, held in a ring called a cockpit. The history of raising fowl for fighting goes back 6,000 years. The first documented use of the ''word'' gamecock, denoting use of the cock as to a "game", a sport, pastime or ente ...

and bull baiting, kites flying, wrestling, and swimming bouts. Amidst all this merrymaking with great pomp and show, a chadar made of flowers was offered at the Dargah of Khwaja Bakhtiar Kaki. The Mughal king was secular-minded and under his orders floral offering in the shape of a floral pankha was offered at the famous Yogmaya Temple which is also in Mehrauli. Seeing the response of the people and sensing the enthusiasm generated, it was decided that the festival will be held annually after the rains and people of all communities will offer pankha and chadar at the Dargah of Khwaja Bakhtiar Kaki and ''pankha'' and floral offering at Yogmayaji temple. The Darbar was also shifted to Mehrauli for the 7 days of the Festival. The Festival reached its pinnacle during the reign of Siraj-U-ddin "Zafar", the last Mughal emperor also known as Bahadur Shah “Zafar”. Bahadur Shah "Zafar" went to celebrate "Phool Waalon Ki Sair" even in 1857 when Delhi was under siege of the British. This was the last "Phool Waalon Ki Sair" under the Mughals.

Celebration

The people of Delhi carry flowers from the

Chandni Chowk The Chandni Chowk, also known as Moonlight Square is one of the oldest and busiest markets in Old Delhi, India. It is located close to the Old Delhi Railway Station. The Red Fort monument is located at the eastern end of Chandni Chowk. It was b ...

to Mehrauli- to the shrine of Sufi saint Hazrat Qutubuddin Kaki and the Devi Jogmaya Mandir. The total distance of the Sair (walk) is about 32 km. One can read Delhi's soul in this journey of 32 km from Chandni Chowk to

. Along the highway were scattered life-giving

baoli Stepwells (also known as vavs or baori) are wells or ponds with a long corridor of steps that descend to the water level. Stepwells played a significant role in defining subterranean architecture in western India from 7th to 19th century. So ...

s and sarais to quench the thirst of travelers, built by kings and commoners. Arab ki Sarai.. Qutub ki Sarai... Parsi temple ki sarai..Yogi ki Sarai..Sheikh ki Sarai...Badli-ki-Sarai.. Katwaria Sarai etc. There used to be all-pervading ambience of fun and merriment what with

qawwali Qawwali (Punjabi language, Punjabi: (Shahmukhi), (Gurmukhi); Urdu: (Nastaʿlīq, Nasta'liq); Hindi: क़व्वाली (Devanagari); Bengali language, Bengali: কাওয়ালি (Bengali alphabet, Bengali)) is a form of Sufi Isl ...

s, and

kathak Kathak ( hi, कथक; ur, کتھک) is one of the eight major forms of Indian classical dance. It is the classical dance from of Uttar Pradesh. The origin of Kathak is traditionally attributed to the traveling bards in ancient northern Ind ...

being performed on the streets. Fire dancers also performed on the streets during the procession and added a mystic allure to the proceedings. As it passed through the streets of Mehrauli, where the Mughal courts used to shift after the rainy season, Mughal Emperor, Akbar Shah II, used to enjoy the procession from the balcony of Zafar Mahal in Mehrauli and watched it move towards the shrine of Sufi Saint Qutbuddin Kaki and later to Yogmaya Temple

During British Raj

The Festival continued to be celebrated even after

1857 revolt The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the for ...

by the British Deputy commissioner who was the highest government functionary in Delhi with the help of some prominent citizens. The Festival was stopped by the British during the

Quit India Movement The Quit India Movement, also known as the August Kranti Movement, was a movement launched at the Bombay session of the All India Congress Committee by Mahatma Gandhi on 8th August 1942, during World War II, demanding an end to British rule in ...

of Mahatma Gandhi in 1942 as part of their suppression of the movement.

Revival of the festival

In about 1961, the then Prime Minister of India

Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

thought of reviving the Festival and asked Mr. Noor Uddin Ahmed, the Mayor Of Delhi, Taimur Jahan Begum, scion of the Mughal Dynasty and Shri Yogeshwar Dayal, scion of a prominent family of Delhi to revive the Festival. "Phool Waalon Ki Sair" was revived in 1961-62, when Nehru joined the festivities on 6 September 1962 PM's engagements:6-9-1962- 6.00 pm
''Outside the Archives'', by Y D Gundevia. University of Nevada Press, 1965. . ''Page 193''. Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru took great interest and came to Mehrauli on every "Phool Waalon Ki Sair" as long as he lived. The Festival has grown since then. During the period of

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (; ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and a central figure of the Indian National Congress. She was elected as third prime minister of India in 1966 and was al ...

as the Prime Minister, all the States of India were requested to participate in the Festival and the Festival is known for communal harmony also took a step toward national integration by weaving the States of India into the garland of flowers of "Phool Waalon Ki Sair". Since its revival in 1962, the Festival is organized every year by the ''Anjuman Sair-e-Gul Faroshan'', a society registered under the

Societies Registration Act A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. So ...

References

External links

Phool Walon Ki Sair

Hindu-Muslim Flower Fest
at ''

The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest s ...