Upon his arrival, Mawlana Hazar Imam was received by Joint Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs Shri Rudrendra Tandon and Chief of Protocol Shri Jaideep Mazumdar on behalf of the Government of India.

Aitmadi Gulam Rahimtoola, President of the Ismaili Council for India welcomed Hazar Imam on behalf of the Jamat. Aabad Ahmed, Chairman of the Aga Khan Foundation for India, and Nasser Munjee Chairman of DCB Bank and the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme in India represented the Aga Khan Development Network institutions in India. Senior Jamati and AKDN institutional leaders were also present to greet the Imam.

Mawlana Hazar Imam is accompanied to India by Princess Zahra, Prince Aly Muhammad and Princess Zahra's children, Sara and Iliyan.

Hazar Imam was named a recipient of the the Padma Vibhushan in January, as part of the commemoration of India’s 66th Republic Day. It is one of the country’s highest civilian decorations.

While in India, the Imam is also expected to lay the foundation stone for a site museum and visitor’s centre for Humayun’s Tomb. The Aga Khan Trust for Culture is part of a partnership that will construct the new museum, to be situated at the World Heritage Site.