Prayer In My Heart
Dua In My Soul.
Humra Quraishi
A visit to the Kashmir Valley is not complete without a visit to several dargahs and ziarats dotting it. Perhaps no other locale in the world can hold out such a rare sight of Sufi dargahs and ziarats of not just Kashmiri Sufis but also of those Sufis who traveled to this land, coming from as far as from Central Asia, Iran, and Iraq.
Historians point out that these mystics reached the Kashmir Valley traveling thousands of kilometers in search of peace. They found tranquility in such abundance that they did not go back to their homelands. Their stark simplicity got them close to not just the locals but even to the emperors of their times.
Historian G.M.D Sufi writes in his volume Kashir, “Deeply imbued with Sufism of the age and country from which they emigrated, these Sayyids and their followers seem to have stimulated the tendency to mysticism for which Vedantism and Buddhism had already paved the way.”
In his memoirs, Mughal Emperor Jahangir focused on the very simplicity that these Sufis believed in and practiced in everyday life. He wrote, “Though they have not religious knowledge or learning of any sort yet they possess simplicity and are without pretense. They abuse no one. They restrain the tongue of desire and foot of seeking. They eat no flesh, they have no wives and always plant fruit-bearing trees in the fields so that men may benefit by them, themselves desiring no advantage…”
Abu’l Fazl records his meeting with Wahid Sufi, “Here an enlightened anchorite has come to my view. For thirty years he has, in an unnoticed corner, been gathering happiness on an old mat.”
These Sufis lived selfless lives with bare basics and stark simplicity. So influenced had been Mughal Prince Dara Shukoh that he had built in Srinagar the unique school of Sufism called the ‘Kas-i-Mah’. This is regarded as the first school of its kind in the whole of Asia and Central Asia. Dara Shukoh built this school of Sufism at the instance of his spiritual teacher Akhund Mulla Mohammad Shah, who had come from Badakshan in north-east Afghanistan.
The dilapidated remains of this school can be found in Srinagar close to the Chashm-e-Shahi springs, near Dal Lake. Though in a run-down condition, its grandeur stands out amidst the scenic beauty. There’s Dal Lake down below, and the range of mountains standing tall and lofty behind. In their midst stands this beautiful structure.me from Badakshan in north-east Afghanistan.
Come along to these dargahs
For several years I have been writing extensively on the relevance of these Sufi dargahs and Sufi ziarats, and their captivating architecture. Each time I visit Srinagar, I make it a point to visit these dargahs. Built-in the pagoda style, some are laced with elaborate and intricate wooden carvings. Others are equipped only with the bare basics. Unless there is an ongoing curfew or a crackdown in that area, one can find many local Kashmiris rendering prayers and sometimes looking at these structures wistfully. Perhaps they hope of better times, and lesser turbulence and tensions.
Several dargahs are situated in Srinagar city itself. Not too far from the Nowhatta Chowk, on the banks of Jhelum river is the dargah of Shah-i-Hamdan. Legend has it that the Sufi had left the small Persian town Hamdan to escape the wrath of Timur. It is said that about 700 Sayyids accompanied him to Kashmir Valley during the reign of Sultan Shihabuddin in 1372. Legend also states that when Kashmiri mystic poetess Lalla Arifa saw Shah Hamdan descend on the Kashmiri soil, she is said to have uttered that at last, she had spotted a man! The design and architecture of this dargah is remarkable. It looks amazing at night, reflected in the waters of the flowing Jhelum. The original structure was built in 1395. It was rebuilt several times, and the present structure dates back to 1732.
On the other side of the Nowhatta Chowk, overlooking the main road is the dargah of the Iraqi Sufi Dastageer Sahib. The wooden architecture of this dargah carried grandeur. It was painful to hear that a massive fire had engulfed this dargah a couple of years back. Just a few hundred meters ahead is another ziarat. The large board in front of it declares, Ziarati Hazrati Yousa Asouph Syed Nasiruddin. Inside the compound, there are two graves. One is of an average size. The other grave is far beyond the average length. The two graves are that of Hazrat Yousa Asouph and Syed Nasiruddin. There are several theories around the identity of Hazrat Yousa Asouph. Some state that he was one of the descendants of Moses.
Further ahead, on the slopes of the Hari Parbat stands the Dargah of Shaikh Hamza Makhdoom, the Sufi scholar of the 15th century.
Women mystics and Sufis of Kashmir
Kashmir Valley is one of those rare locales in the world which has been home to several well-known women Sufis and mystics. Lalla Arifa was a prominent mystic whose verses are recited by Kashmiris almost daily.
Lalla’s verses are deeply spiritual and philosophical. Here are some of them.
Patience, my son, is like a golden bowl
Being costly, none doth dare purchase it
Patience, my son, is a mixture of salt, pepper and zira (spice)
It is bitter to taste, so who will taste it?
Slay first the thieves – desire, lust and pride
Learn then to be slave to all
Robbers only for a while abide
Ever liveth the devoted call
All a man’s gain here is nothing worth
Save when his service shall be his sword
Ash from the fire is the sun of birth
Gain thou then the Knowledge of the Lord
Think not on the things that are without
Fix upon thy inner self thy
Thought So shall thou be freed from let or doubt
Precepts these, that my Preceptor taught
Dance then, Lalla, clothed but by the air
Sing then, Lalla, clad but in the sky
Air and sky: what garment is more fair
Cloth, said custom. Doth that sanctify?
Whatever thing I do of toil
Burdens of completion on me lie
Yet unto another falls the spoil
And gains he the fruit thereof , not I
Yet if I toil with no thought of self
All my works before the self I lay
Setting faith and duty before help
Well for me shall be the onward way
Image: Sammeer Wani
