New Delhi

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday visited the Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah in south Delhi along with the high level delegation that accompanied him for his two-day India visit.

Emmanuel Macron reached the Dargah of Hazrat Nizamuddin straight from Hyderabad House. He offered a chadar, flowers and prayers and tied a thread asking for a wish to be fulfilled at the Sufi shrine.

Macron and his entourage listened to Sufi Qawwali for about an hour before emplaning their flight to France by late evening 

 Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, French Ambassador to India Thierry Matho, Indian Ambassador to France Javed Ashraf, Dargah Committee Chairman Farid Nizami, General Secretary Kashif Nizami were present on the occasion.

Emmanuel Macron at dargah

Pirzada Syed Altamash Nizami said that the French President Emmanuel Macron stayed in the Dargah for about an hour. When he reached the Dargah, along with Peerzade and the Dargah Committee officials, he placed a chadar on the Dargah of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. 

He also prayed for peace and harmony in the world. 

Emmanuel Macron enjoyed Amir Khusro's song presented in the form of a Qawwali by Ghulam Rasool Qawwal's troupe. 

Nizami further said that President Emmanuel Macron met the Dargah officials and the flower sellers one by one. He reached the shrine at two o'clock.

The area around the dargah was placed under tight security and the entry of common people to it was closed.

Europe Central posted this video of the occasion on X:

🚨🇺🇸French President Macron, delegation listen to Qawwali at Nizamuddin Dargah in 🇮🇳Delhi.
This was the last engagement in India & his plane is set to take off now for back home.#India #France #Macron #MacroninIndia pic.twitter.com/zp7KxCrKM4

— EUROPE CENTRAL (@europecentrral) January 26, 2024

Meanwhile, in a reaffirmation of the longstanding friendship between India and France, President Emmanuel Macron on Friday said: "Long live the friendship between France and India."

At the outset of his address during a banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu, Macron expressed heartfelt gratitude for the warm welcome extended to his delegation.

Macron shared his appreciation for the unique bond that transcends time and shared values.

Emmanuel Macron offering prayers

The French President acknowledged the exceptional welcome and recalled the five years since his last state visit, expressing his pleasure at returning to India after the resounding success of India's G20.

Macron expressed deep honour in having French soldiers participate alongside their Indian counterparts, deeming it an unforgettable memory for the entire delegation.

"It is with the most pleasure that we are here and to come back five years after our former state visit and five months after the success of your G20. We were extremely honoured to be part of such an important and unique day and to have our soldiers being alongside with you and being part of this exceptional moment. I think this is for everybody here in this delegation, in our memories forever," he said.

Highlighting the warmth of their meetings, Macron reflected on the special relationship between India and France, citing the recent joint celebration of Bastille Day and the reciprocal visit during the 75th Republic Day.

Earlier on Friday, French President Macron attended the 75th Republic Day Parade as the chief guest at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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President Droupadi Murmu and PM Narendra Modi warmly greeted him as he arrived at Kartavya Path. French contingents marched alongside Indian forces during the parade.