Malik Merchant, Editor

Pre-arrival coverage of His Highness the Aga Khan’s visit to India in September 2026

Prepared and compiled by MALIK MERCHANT

Important notice for readers: This page will be updated regularly until His Highness the Aga Khan arrives in India in September 2026. A separate page will be created to cover his visit upon his arrival.

Anchor links covering pre-arrival news and information about His Highness the Aga Khan’s visit to India

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August 7, 2026: Ismailis of India celebrate news of His Highness the Aga Khan’s upcoming visit

Celebrations erupted at various Ismaili Jamatkhanas across India following the announcement on August 7 regarding Mawlana Hazar Imam’s upcoming visit in September 2026. Below is a short video capturing the fireworks around the Methan Jamatkhana.

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August 7,2026: His Highness the Aga Khan announces visit to India

Aga Khan giving Didar in Calgary
Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, addresses the Jamat at a Didar in Calgary, Alberta, July 24, 2026. Photograph: IPL / Akbar Hakim.

In a Talika Mubarak (holy written message) read in Jamatkhanas across India and other parts of the world on August 7, 2026, Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, announced that he would undertake an official visit to India in September 2026 at the invitation of the Government of India. He expressed his eagerness to meet with the India Jamat.

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Motif of Aga Khan's visit to Ismailis worldwide
The motif representing Nur or Light, which is being used for Mawlana Hazar Imam His Highness the Aga Khan’s inaugural visits to Ismaili Muslims around the world. Photograph: The Ismaili

Mawlana Hazar Imam has stated that he does not want members of the Jamat from other countries to travel to India during his visit. In his Talika to the India Jamat, he extended his warmest and most affectionate blessings to all “his dearest spiritual children of the India Jamat,” assuring them that they are always in his heart, thoughts, and prayers. Similarly, other Jamats around the world received a similar Talika, which also included blessings for their respective Jamats.

The upcoming visit to India follows his recent trip to the Jamat in Western Canada, specifically Calgary and Vancouver, from July 23 to 26, 2026, which Barakah covered HERE.

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Map of India
Political map of India. The specific locations of Mawlana Hazar Imam His Highness the Aga Khan’s India visit will be circled in red when they are officially announced by Ismaili institutions in India. Photograph: Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection, University of Texas.

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the Jamat in India on the exciting announcement of Mawlana Hazar Imam’s upcoming visit. As with his previous visits, we are committed to providing comprehensive coverage of this event. We begin our coverage on this page with information about pre-arrival events, programs, and other relevant preparations that will be announced in the coming days by the Aga Khan Ismaili Council in India, as well as by the local Aga Khan councils in the areas he will visit.

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Historical notes: 2024 and 2025

JULY 2024: See the photo below and read more about Mawlana Hazar Imam’s last visit to India as Prince Rahim, representing his father, Mawlana Shah Karim, at the following anchor links:

Prince Rahim Aga Khan addressed guests at a ceremony on July 28, 2024, to mark the completion of the restoration work at Qutb Shahi Heritage Park in Hyderabad, Barakah
Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, then Prince Rahim Aga Khan, addresses guests at a ceremony on July 28, 2024, to mark the completion of the restoration work at Qutb Shahi Heritage Park in Hyderabad, India. Photograph: AKDN.

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FEBRUARY 5, 2025: Post on X by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi

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Ginan: A perennial supplication to the Imam-of-the-Time from all his spiritual children worldwide

Transliteration

Eji, Aash Karine Ya Ali hun tere dar ubhi,
Kar jodine em mangu Ya Shah;
Dejo didar tusi mahavar datar Shah,
Hama tere charane lagu.

Translation

With hope I stand at Thy door,
O Ali! And sincerely beg of Thee;
Bless me with Thy Holy Didar,
O Great Lord and Benefactor!
At Thy Feet I fall to prostrate

and

O Exalted Islam Shah [Imam-of-the-Time]
Our Lord and Master of the Age,
To you our hearts devoutly supplicate,
O the Eternal King and Lord of our souls!
Grace us with your visit to the Indian Subcontinent
[The Imam’s base at the time was in Iran.]
O Ali! You are Eternal,
You are the Lord of Eternity.
You alone are the Knower of the End,
Of the End that has no End

(Verses from Venti Ginan and Anant Akhado composed by Pir Hasan Kabirdin)

Date posted: August 7, 2026.

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