The Edgeways of Faith: The Space and Language of In-betweenness in New Delhi’s Roadside Mazaars

This article focuses on the vernacular spaces of roadside tombs—or mazaars—of anonymous saints (commonly referred to as ‘Zinda Pir Baba’) in the heart of the contemporary Indian capital, New Delhi. These mazaars are located along the megacity’s main roads and constitute a shared space where Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs perform rituals in ways that do not classify or identify them as members of rival religious communities. The custodians of grave-shrines shape and reshape social and religious inclusiveness along vernacular and contemporary planes. Simultaneously, the makeshift environments of grave-shrines create a space of in-betweenness that ruptures gender roles, sidelines histories of power, and contests urban planning in India’s capital city.