Ramadan celebrations at Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah

The fast is broken by eating dates

Although clicking pictures is permitted in the dargah, taking snaps of women is prohibited

Women offering taraweeh (additional prayers performed at night after the main prayer)

A man selling incense sticks that are used as offerings in the dargah

Evenings at the dargah are melodious with sounds of qawalli (a form of Sufi Islamic devotional music)

People usually make a wish while tying a dhaga or holy string at a dargah

Everyone sits down together to enjoy an iftar meal

Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah beautifully lit and decorated for Ramadan

Lighting agarbatti or incense sticks as part of offering prayers

Offering the Isha (night-time daily prayer)

Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah bustling with worshippers during Ramadan

Like many other religions, flowers are offered to the revered during prayers

A child buys flowers to offer at the dargah (shrine)

People gather for iftar (meal taken to break the day-long fast)

When offering namaz, the entire congregation stands and sits in harmony, making the exercise look rather beautiful

Namaz is offered five times in a day

Worshippers at Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah in Delhi

Washing hands, feet, and face is necessary before offering prayers and is called wazu

As the ninth month of the Islamic calendar sets in, Muslims around the world celebrate Ramadan, the month when the Qur’an (holy book of Muslims) was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.

The Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah (shrine) in Delhi is brightly lit for Ramadan- the holy month of fasting that is a time for contemplation, reflection and celebration for Muslims around the world.

Fasting is one of the Five Pillars of Islam and people of the faith must follow this cult along with the other pillars- prayer, charity and making the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca.

At this dargah, which is one of the most popular shrines of a Sufi Saint in the world, hundreds of Muslims gather to fulfil their holy obligation as their friends from other faiths join them in the celebrations.

As a man lights an agarbatti (incense stick) and its sweet fragrance passes through the crowd of hundreds, a calm vibe slips in the rush. Fragrance from flowers, that decorate the dargah and are being offered at it, further add to this serene sense.

A man is tying a dhaga or a holy thread and making a wish when the azan (call for namaz) is made. The congregation now gathers for offering the prayers, in which they stand and sit in harmony as they chant the name of Allah (god).

Namaz is offered five times a day, everyday, but during the Ramadan, the Isha (last namaz of the day) is followed by a feast.

Muslims break their fast by eating dates first and then drinking water. Post this they enjoy the lavish spread of iftar and feast themselves to lip-smacking kebabs and sweets.

Iftar is one of the two daily-meals taken by Muslims during their fasts. The other- suhoor– is taken before dawn.

At dusk, as many proceed to break their day’s fast, some continue with prayers or taraweeh that are additional prayers offered after Isha.

At the Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah, the day comes to an end on a joyous note, as the energy of the qawalli (Sufi Islamic devotional music) rings around.