Langar Khana - The Degs

The Degs

In a large Dergah 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. The circumference at the edge of the larger cauldron is 10-1/4 feet. It cooks 70 mounds of rice, while the smaller Deg takes 28 mounds. In the Dergah at Ajmer one of them was presented by Akbar in 1567 A.D. The princes or the well-to-do pilgrims order these Degs to be cooked generally during the Urs period.