Where there has been a tradition of Sufism
By Humra Quraishi

BEFORE you can start by pointing an accusing finger that right from pre-Mughal times so much has already been written about the Kashmir valley, so why these upcoming additions, I’d simply suggest first read on and then lift that finger. Chances are that you wouldn’t. Simply because that till date very few of us know that there is definitely more to the valley than just the shikaras on the Dal Lake, houseboats and dongas at the Nagin, handicrafts and shopping arcades along the bandh, the willows and those cricket bats made out of them, apple orchards of Sopore, saffron fields at Pampore, Pahalgam’s Lidder river and lake, Seshnag or the meadows of Sonamarg, Yusmarg and Gulmarg lying several kilometres off the city of Srinagar.

Though from the mid-seventies I had been travelling frequently to the valley and its outskirts, it was only around 1993 when J&K Secretary Tourism Parvez Dewan brought to my notice the existence of Sufi dargahs and the only school of Sufism in the whole of Asia. In no other state of the country, or for that matter in no other country of the world, has there been such a long tradition of Sufism as in the valley of J&K.

Sufis to travel to Srinagar from the Central Asian republics of Iraq and Iran. Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb’s son Prince Dara Shikoh had, at the instance of his spiritual teacher Akhund Mulla Mohammad Shah Badakshani, set up a residential school of Sufism (said to be the only one of its kind in Asia) in Srinagar. Called Pari Mahal, perhaps a term that came from the original ‘Peer Mahal’ the dilapidated state of the building can still be witnessed near the Chasme Shahi springs.

And 20 miles from Srinagar is Charar-e-Sharif, where stands the dargah of the patron saint of the valley Sheikh Nuruddin Wali Nund Rishi.

And on my recent visit to this dargah, one was dismayed to see that in place of the pagoda styled peaked structure (burnt down about four years back) of this dargah, there is a huge concrete building coming up which in no way resembles the erstwhile structure. In fact here at the onset let me also mention that nearly all these Sufi dargahs of the valley were built in a simple pagoda style, perhaps in keeping with the lifestyles and lives led by these Sufis (Emperor Jahangir’s memoirs and the writings of Abu’ 1 Fazal have detailed descriptions of the Sufis and the simple lives they led).

And 15 km ahead of Charar-e-Sharif lies the serene village of Pokhor Por, where the dargah of the Iraqi Sufi Syed Ali is located. Once inside it a sense of calm prevailed, and one of the first sight to catch my attention were the rich coloured threads and wool pieces tied to the jaali work encircling the dargah. The caretaker insisted that any wish is granted and added that such is the power of this Sufi that even today if a man looks in the direction of the graves of the womenfolk lying on one side of the compound he is sure to turn blind.

Coming back to Srinagar and heading straight towards the downtown area (old city), it is here around Nowhatta Chowk that most of the dargahs mosques, shrines and graveyards are located. Standing prominently on the banks of the Jhelum river is the khanqah of Shah-i-Hamdan (the king of Hamdan, a small town in Persia), who left Hamdan to escape the wrath of Timur. Though the Shah-i Hamdan mosque was first built in 1395, it was rebuilt several times, and the present structure dates back to 1732. A little ahead of it lies a dargah of the Iraqi Sufi Dastgeer Sahib, and there is a theory that he himself never really visited Srinagar. In actual reality some of his descendants came and settled down in Srinagar and built this ziarat. Just a few hundred metres ahead lies a ziarat with a board reading "Ziarati Hazrati Yousa Asouph Syed Nasiruddin.

There is a lot of controversy as to whose shrine it is. Every Kashmiri is brought up with the belief that this is the shrine of not a Sufi but that of a important prophet.

Once you are inside the shrine compound you will notice that it is in a state of neglect, and in a small-sized room there are two graves — that of Hazrat Yousa Asouph and Syed Nasiruddin.

Further ahead, passing the Nowhatta Chowk and then the Behram Shah Masjid, you come to Srinagar’s Jama Masjid. It has a rather peculiar history of having been burnt down several times and rebuilt each time. Originally built by Emperor Sikandar in 801 AH (1398 AC), it was enlarged by the most popular king of Kashmir — Zain-ul-Abidin. Historians say it was burnt during the reign of Mughul Emperor Jehangir. It was rebuilt after a period of 17 years. However, in 1084 AH (1674 AC) this mosque was again burnt down, this time during the reign of Aurangzeb, who rebuilt it.

Further ahead, at the foot of Hariparbat, stands the dargah of Sheikh Hamza Makhdum, the Sufi scholar of the fifteenth century. It is not only one of the biggest ziarats in the valley but also well laid out, with almond trees all along the steps leading you up the slope to the dargah. It is said that on this very slope the Sufi sat for long hours meditating.

On the other end of the town is Hazrat Bal. Built on the site of the early Mughal gardens known as Sadiqabad, on the shore of the Dal Lake, this shrine has gained sanctity because a hair of Prophet Muhammad is said to be brought to Bijapur from Madina by Syed Abdullah in 1699. He, in turn, is said to have given it to a merchant called Khwaja Nuruddin Kashmiri , who had brought it to Srinagar.

Besides these Sufi Dargahs — The sixth Sikh guru had travelled through Kashmir and gurdwaras came up at the places of his halts (during his travels through the valley). The most prominent is the Chhatti Paatshahi Gurudwara at Kathi Darwaza (Rainawari).

Besides the Amarnath cave, there are other places of pilgrimage for the devout Hindu. Atop the highest hill within Srinagar (1000 ft above the city) is the Shankracharya Temple devoted to Lord Shiva. And the site is said to date back to 2500 BC. Then, to the west of the Srinagar city is the temple of Sharika Devi (on Hari Parbat). And about 20 km from Srinagar is the temple and spring of goddess Raginia. This temple spring complex is known as Kheer Bhavani and it is said that the changing colour of the spring water predicts and warns of impending disasters. Not far from the Raj Bhavan of Srinagar lies the shrine of Zeestha Devi.