Sunday, October 10, 2010

Breaking This Hour !


More than Babri
By Zakia Akhtar
The city of Ayodhya has much more than Babri Masjid. It is a wound, which has not been healed from the past eighteen years since December 1992 when kar sewaks brought down the Babri Mosque. The most striking fact is that despite all these years of communal polarization, particularly around Ram Janambhoomi, there seems to be tranquility within the town and among its people. As the nation anxiously awaited the verdict in the Ramjanambhoomi-Babri mosque title suit, the Ayodhya also called, as ‘Mecca Khurd’ (small Mecca) was busy setting a textbook example of unity in diversity. While the Hindus are preparing to make a new structure, the Muslims being unsatisfied on the verdict are planning to move to the Supreme Court, a 750-year-old mosque and dargah of a Sufi saint holds out hope. The Argada Masjid and the Dargah of Ibrahim Sahib are both located on land belonging to the Hanumangarhi Trust.

Ayodhya is also called as Shahar-e-Auliya or city of Sufis. The people only recognize this place because of Babri Masjid; however, the most interesting fact is that the city has about eighty important dargahs. Many of these shrines or dargahs were destroyed in 1992 by Hindutva terrorists along with the Babri Masjid and numerous other ancient mosques in Ayodhya. Yet, even today large numbers of Hindus visit these shrines, revering the buried Sufi saints as men of God and as powerful beings capable of providing succor and help.

The oldest Dargah of Ibrahim Sahib is venerated by the people of every faith. People, irrespective of caste, class and religion come here to offer chadar and pray. The story relates that Syed Mohammad Ibrahim came here from Kazakhstan on a horse. His horse stopped at this very spot and refused to move further. It is said that from that day he settled here. His Urs (death anniversary) is celebrated on 24th–26th of Rajab (seventh month of the Islamic calendar), the head of the Hanumangarhi Trust along with all his associates visits the Dargah to offer chadar. The other important dargahs of this place are Dargah Naugazi, an 18 yards (16.2 metres) long grave, named after a prophet named Nuh (A.S.), is located in a narrow lane. The shrine, visited by scores of devotees, has no custodian.

The Teen Darwesh dargah, whose dome was also targeted by kar sevaks in December 1992 after the demolition of the Babri Masjid, is near Naugazi. No one knows the identity of the three saints buried there but it has a large following from all communities.

The most notable after Naugazi is the dargah of Prophet Shees. Considered one of the holiest shrines in town, some people believe the saint to be the son of Prophet Adam. There is a spot called the Ganesh Kund, on the southern side of the grave, where devotees take a dip. There appears to be no contradiction of faiths here.

Another important dargah is of Badi Bua located at a railway crossing between Ayodhya and Faizabad. This is one of the few dargahs of women in the area. Badi Bua was the sister of Hazrat Khwaja Nasiruddin Chiragh-e-Dehli, the spiritual successor of the Hazrat Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya, the Chishti Sufi of Delhi. Part from these there are much more dargahs of sufis around the city, which shows a sense of togetherness and brotherhood in the eyes of all.
Ajodhya’s heritage is multi-cultural and multi-religious, and this has to be recognized and preserved. It is here that the given examples successfully show that these dargahs are playing a key role in bringing people together. This is also the ultimate aim of Sufism.
(The author is a research scholar in the field of Cultural Geography in Jamia Millia Islamia University)

1 comment:

  1. Zakia ji
    salam
    i am glad to write this arcticle you tried to devote your attention towards the heart touching issues as well, we do not need to shed tears for Masjid and Mandir only there are thousands of other issue beyond babri Masjid and Ram mandir.... Let's supreme court decide ...we have take our hands up now..
    with the pray of your sucess.

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