Langar (Sufism)

Langar (Persian: لنگر) is an institution among Sufi Muslims in South Asia whereby food and drink are given to the needy regardless of social or religious background.

[1][2][3] Langar, the practice and institution, was first started by Baba Farid, a Muslim of the Chishti Sufi order.

[7] The food is served out of a massive pot called a deg in the precincts of a dargah (Sufi shrine).

The transformation of the raw wheat to finished bread is used as an analogy for Sufi spiritual development.

In a large dargah there are two degs (cauldrons for cooking food) on either side of the saham chiragh (courtyard lamp) fixed into solid masonry in which a palatable mixture of rice, sugar, ghee (butter) and dried fruits is cooked for distribution to the public as tabarruk.

Emperor Akbar pledged to visit Ajmer Sharif on foot and presented a large cauldron if victorious in Chittaurgarh battle.