Exploring the DJINS of Firozabad

Reminiscent of the ‘City of Djinns’ (William Dalrymple), a site filled with the spirituality of wandering saints and fakirs, the fortress is one of the few unexplored, non-conventional places of ritual worship. A curious paradox of believers and non-believers flood this site on a regular basis, perhaps due to a reason that goes beyond the boundaries of logic or maybe it’s just for the uncertainty and thrill of a mystic place belonging to a more fantastical universe.

The believers write letters to the resident djinns with the hope of appeasing their wants and gaining miraculous wishes in return. Offerings of milk, sweets, fruits, and meats are made on a regular basis as you walk along, dark old walls stuck with coins, which reflect the desires of their devout hearts. It stands witness to the countless deepest, darkest secrets that believers divulge in their pursuit of faith. Some even stand by their stories of being miraculously cured from physical ailments and recovering from cases written off by most of the well-reputed doctors the city has to offer. Hence, it’s no surprise that the place is also a house to regular exorcist practices. It is a space where rationality and science find themselves bowing their heads in defeat.