Men, women and children turned out at the shrine. People from all walks of life congregated to offer the “Dhuhr Namaz ” or midday prayers at the 17th century saint’s mausoleum at Batamaloo in the heart of the city.
Kashmiri Muslims, who are mostly meat eaters, shun all forms of non vegetarian food while observing the urs that lasts for around a fortnight. They do not even use onion and garlic.
The devotees host special parties where some traditional variety of dishes are prepared exclusively during this festival are served to neighbours and relatives.
Three iconic dishes for the big feast are gogji aar ti chaman (Dried turnips with cheese), moong dal ti thool (Moong sabat prepared with pre-fried boiled eggs) and a milky daal prepared with Zeera tadka. The preparations are served hot with rice.
But over the years, some of the new varieties like lotus stem and cheese, mushroom–cheese and crushed-cheese preparations have also been added to the menu.
