358th Urs of Shah Jahan ends at Taj Mahal

Amid qawalli recitals, a 675 meter-long chadar was offered on the grave of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan ending the 358th annual Urs celebrations here.
A 358 meter-long chadar was also offered by the Fathpuri Mosques, which is located at the western gate of the Taj.
300 chadars were offered amidst much fanfare on the last day of the urs yesterday. The 675 meter-long chadar was offered by the Khuddam rauza (traditional caretakers of the Taj) Committee, led by its President Tahiruddin Tahir.
As the entry to the 17th century mausoleum was free during the three days (5 to 7 June) long annual urs, an estimated one lakh people visited the monument yesterday.

The urs, which till a few decades ago used to be a private affair with the khadims observing it quietly, with the rest of the world hardly aware of has become a much-publicised event in recent years.
A man named Yakub Habibuddian Tucy, who claims to be a descendant of the Mughal family tracing his descent to Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal Emperor also arrived here from Hyderabad to be a part of the celebrations.
Shahjahan was the fifth Mughal emperor who ruled the empire for 30 years from 1628 to 1658 before he was deposed by his son Aurangzeb. He died in 1666.