Flower filled decorations during Phoolwalon Ki sair

Phool Walon Ki Sair meaning "procession of the florists" is an annual celebration by the flowers sellers of Delhi. It is a three-day festival, generally held in the month of September, just after the rainy season in the region of Mehrauli, Delhi. A festival 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 Hindus and Muslims alike.

This secular festival involves a procession, led by shehnai players and dancers, and bearing large floral fans, pankha, to Yogmaya Temple, the shrine of Devi Jog Maya, and winds though Mehrauli bazar, to reach the dargah of 13th century Sufi saint, Khwaja Bakhtiyar Kaki.

Also known as Sair-e-Gul Faroshan, during this three festival, the flower sellers pray for a better flower season in the coming year by offering big fans, pankha, embroidered with flowers to both shrines.

Just as when it was first conceived, and had the Mughal Emperor as its patron, these days the festival has the Prime Minister of India has its main patron; Jawaharlal Nehru who revived and inaugurated 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, Chief Minister of Delhi and also the Lt. Governor of the city. The recent addition 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 also in Mehrauli, located in a corner of 'Hauz Shamsi' and is believed to built in Lodhi dynasty era, takes the festival beyond its vision of communal harmony to that of national integration.

Source:Wikipedia

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