Thousands attend Khoja Digar prayers at Srinagar’s Naqshband Sahib shrine
Srinagar: Thousands of devotees gathered at the historic Naqshband Sahib shrine in Khawaja Bazar area of Srinagar in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir to participate in the annual Khoja Digar prayers observed on the third day of Rabi-ul-Awwal.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the congregation, dating back to 1608 during the time of Hazrat Khwaja Khawand Mahmood of the Naqshbandi Sufi order, draws devotees from across Kashmir every year. As part of the observance, devotees offered late-afternoon Asr prayers along the stretch from Nowhatta to Khanyar.
Shrine management made arrangements for the gathering, while religious scholars highlighted the life and teachings of Khwaja Bahauddin Naqshband (RA).
“Since childhood, I have been coming here with my elders. Today, I came with my own family,” said 70-year-old Ghulam Nabi Lone.
Meanwhile, senior APHC leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was placed under house arrest ahead of the event, preventing him from delivering the traditional sermon and offering prayers at the shrine.
