Every year, in September, a troupe of followers lead this procession in the lanes of Mehrauli. Almost everyone has a floral fan in their hands, shehnai players leading the procession with dancers joyously celebrating the occasion. The first stop is the Yogmaya Temple, the shrine of Goddess Jog Maya. Seeking her blessings, the procession goes on through the bustling Mehrauli Bazaar and finds themselves at the final destination- the dargah of Khwaja Bakhtiyar Kaki, a 13th-century Sufi saint. While the amalgamation of visiting a Hindu temple and a Sufi saint at the same festival might sound intriguing, the reason this festival is celebrated has an even more engrossing story. The story begins in the year 1812 when Akbar Shah II was the reigning ruler of the Mughal Empire. Akbar Shah II favoured his younger son Mirza Jahangir over his eldest son Siraj Uddin Zafar and wanted the former to take over the throne after Akbar Shah II’s demise. However, the British had consolidated a lot of power at that time and weren’t happy with the biasness of Akbar Shah II.

Sir Archibald marched into the Red Fort where Mirza Jahangir was enjoying the Maubat Khana. On seeing Sir Archibald, Mirza Jahangir fired a shot from the roof aiming at him. While Sir Archibald saved himself from Jahangir’s shot, his orderly was killed which angered Archibald. He took Jahangir and exiled him to Allahabad under the orders of the British Resident.

Heartbroken after hearing about her son’s exile, Queen Mamtaz Begum took a vow of offering a chadar of flowers to the dargah of Khwaja Bakhtiyar Kaki if his son was released. While waiting for the miracle to happen, Mamtaz Begum continued to pray to God for an early release for her son. After a couple of years, her prayers and vows bore the fruit and her son was released from Allahabad.

She travelled to Mehrauli to redeem her vow and offer ‘phoolon ki chadar’ to the dargah. For almost a week the celebration continued with kite flying, wrestling, swimming boats, and many more. While the chadar was sent to the Dargah, the emperor also offered a floral pankha to the Yogmaya Temple in Mehrauli, showcasing his secular ideals.

The amount of joy and happiness this festival produced was enormous. Hence, it was decided that every year, after the last spell of monsoon Phoolwalon Ki Sair would be celebrated. The last time this festival was celebrated was in 1857 during the rebellion.

However, after Independence, our first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru revived the auspicious festival that promoted communal harmony and collective love for God. Today, people travel from Chandini Chowk to Mehrauli, a total of 32 km to celebrate this festival. The main functions take place in the Jahaz Mahal in Mehrauli.