Khanqah

noun

/ˈkɑːnəɡɑː/

A Sufi hospice or residential centre for spiritual practice, communal worship, and charitable activities, where a shaikh and his disciples live, meditate, and serve the poor.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

The khanqahs of the Chishti order, by throwing open their kitchens to all comers irrespective of caste or creed, did more to weave the syncretic fabric of medieval Indian society than any imperial edict could have achieved.

Synonyms

Sufi lodgehospicemonasteryzawiyatekkedargah

🌱 Word Family

khanqahi (adj, related), zawiya (n, Arabic equivalent), tekke (n, Turkish equivalent)

🔡 Root

Persian khānagāh = place of the house; khāna = house; gāh = place; Arabised to khānqāh

📜 Etymology

From the Arabised form of Persian khānagāh, a compound of khāna ("house") and gāh ("place"); the institution appeared in Khurasan and Transoxiana from the 10th century CE as centres of Sufi teaching and prayer.

🧠 Memory Hook

Hear the Persian "khana" (house) inside KHANqah — a "house" of God where wandering Sufis find rest, much as a guest "hangs" their cloak (KHAN-qah) at a spiritual inn.

🏛️ History & Culture 📖 Seen in: Bhakti & Sufi Movements

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