The Silsilahs

 Sufis came to be organised into a number of silsilahs or orders. Abut Fazal gives a list of
fourteen orders of the Sufis, which came to India.
 However, only two of them, the Chisti and Suhravardi silsilahs took deep roots in the Indian
soil.
The Chisti silsilah centered on Ajmer and gradually spread to other parts of Rajasthan, Punjab, Uttar
Pradesh, Bihar, Bengal, Orissa and Deccan.
The Suhravardi silsilah was confined to Sindh, Multan and the Punjab.

The Chisti Silsilah:

 Khwaja Abdul Chisti founded the Chisti order in Herat (d. 966).
 On the advice of his guide, he reached India in 1190 and consequently settled at Ajmer. He is
said to have died in 1234.
 The sayings of Muinuddin show that his life's mission was to inculcate piety, humility and
devotion to God.
According to him, those who know God avoid mixing with other people and keep silent on matters
relating to divine knowledge.
After his death, the silsilah made notable progress under his able disciples.

Growth of this order in India took place in two phases: