As a Kashmiri Pandit two of the most impressionable places since my early childhood have been the temple of Kheer Bhawani at Tulla Mulla, Distt. Ganderbal and the Dargah Sharif on the left bank of the hall mark of Srinagar city, the Dal Lake. It is popularly called the Hazratbal shrine which in Kashmiri means Hazrat (Holy) and Bal (Place). Undoubtedly it is one of the holiest pilgrimage places for the Muslims of the whole subcontinent. It contains a relic, Moi-e-Muqqadas, the blessed hair of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). It is also called Assar-e sharif and Madinat-us-Sani. This mosque is an epitome of love and devotion of the Muslims for the Prophet (peace be upon him).
History:
This shrine was initially established by Inayat Begum, the daughter of Khwaja Nur-ud-Din Eshai, the custodian of the holy relic. The first building of this shrine, initially called Ishrat Jehan was built in the 17th century by Sadiq Khan, the Mughal subedar during emperor Shah Jahan’s reign. Later in 1634 it was converted into a prayer hall by the emperor.
The all-important holy relic was first brought to Kashmir by Syed Abdullah Madani, supposed to be a descendant of the prophet who left Medina for the city of Bijapur now in the Karnataka state. Its present name is Vijayapura. This was the time when Mughal empire was rapidly expanding in India. Following Syed Abdullah’s passing away the relic was inherited by Syed Hameed, his son. As Mughals took over the region, Hameed was stripped off all his family inheritances as well as the estates. Finding himself unable to take care of the holy relic, he handed it over to a rich Kashmiri businessman Khwaja Nur-ud-Din-Eshai. This was the time when Emperor Aurangzeb was the ruler and he got the holy relic seized and sent it to the shrine of the Sufi mystic Mu’in al Din Chishti of Ajmer Dargah. Meanwhile Eshai was imprisoned so that he could not have any claim on the relic.
As the legend goes, Aurangzeb had a strange dream and saw Prophet Muhammad with four of his caliphs: Abu Bakr, Umar, Usman and Ali appearing in front of him. The Prophet ordered the emperor to immediately send the holy Moi-e-Muqaddas to Kashmir. At this the emperor asked for the release of Eshai and the holy relic to be handed back to him. Unfortunately, Khwaja Nur-ud-Din had expired in the prison. In 1700 the relic was transported to Kashmir along with the deceased’s body. Thus, Inayat Begum, his daughter became the custodian of the holy relic and thus came the establishment of the Hazratbal shrine. Since then, the male descendants of her became the caretakers of the relic at the mosque. They belong to the family of Banday’s: Ishaq, Manzoor Ahmad and Mohiuddin as of 2019. The relic is displayed on special important Islamic days such as the birthdays of the Prophet Muhammad and his four companions. The head cleric of the shrine displays the relic mounted in a silver and glass container attached with green tapestry and decorated ornaments. The caretaker of the shrine is known as nishandeh and the eldest male heirs continue this legacy.
The renovation of the mosque to its present shape with a marble dome was started in 1968 and took eleven years to complete, finishing it in 1979. It was done under the aegis of Auqaf Trust Kashmir, headed by the first prime minister of Jammu and Kashmir Sheikh M Abdullah. The building has a distinct Persian influence and is the only domed mosque in Kashmir while the rest have a pagoda-style roof. Its beauty and the surroundings have been depicted in several Bollywood movies like Fanna, Haider and Mission Kashmir.
The tragedy of missing Holy Relic in 1963:
On 27TH December 1963, news broke out that the holy relic was stolen from the shrine. A large congregation of more than 50,000 people with black flags demonstrated in front of the shrine. The then SP Srinagar told that he believed that the theft happened around 2 am when the custodians of the shrine were sleeping. The government of the day went into a panic mode, the chief Minister Khwaja Shamsuddin reached the shrine and announced a monetary award to anybody providing information. A curfew was imposed in the city. Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru rushed the head of CBI, Mr B N Malik to Kashmir. He also addressed to the people of Kashmir to maintain calm. A Sacred Relic Committee under the presidentship of Mirwaiz Maulvi Farooq was set up. Sadar e Riyasat Karan Singh organized prayers at Hindu Temples. Politicians like office bearers of the National Conference in 1964, Bakshi Ghulam Mohammed and his brother Bakshi Abdul Majeed were beaten up and their cars burnt when they were trying to pacify the crowds. Not only that, the cinema halls owned by Bakshi Majeed were burnt. It was also charged that political bosses of that time had stolen the relic so they could later come to power by taking credit for restoring it.
Meanwhile Pakistan radio utilized this opportunity to provoke people of Kashmir that India was trying to humiliate them by organizing these acts. The release of the first prime minister Jenab Sheikh M Abdullah who was in prison was sought by the agitators. In this situation, the accession of J&K with India was being seriously challenged. In-fact the protesting public had by now coined a new slogan: Yeh mulk hamara hai Iska faisla hum karenge [This is our country; we shall decide its future]. The Indian government was not only concerned about the implications that the theft of the relic had brought about in Kashmir, but also the more serious repercussions it could have in the Muslim world.
The incident triggered riots and ethnic cleansing of Hindus in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Hundreds of thousands of Hindu refugees poured into India between December 1963 and February 1964 as a result of the violence. It also led to retaliation and killing of Muslims in Calcutta, West Bengal. Thousands of Christian tribals were also evicted later from East Pakistan and arrived in India as refugees.
Recovery of the Holy Relic:
Eight days after the theft on the 4th of January the relic was recovered. It was put to due inspections and a process of identification by a team led by Meerak Shah Kashani when it was declared to be genuine. Meerak Shah who had seen it many times in the past vouched for it being genuine. Post identification a Holy Deedar was organized on 6th of February 1964, coinciding with the anniversary of the martyrdom of the 4th Caliph of Islam, Ali bin Abu Talib.
Such was the importance of this recovery in the history of post-independence India that Pandit Nehru told the CBI chief Mr Malik that “You have saved Kashmir for India”. The identity of the culprits, however, has not been publicly disclosed leading to lot of speculations and gossip. However, the then home minister of India Mr Gulzari Lal Nanda made an announcement in the Parliament that three persons were arrested for the theft. They were Abdul Rahim Bandey, Abdul Rasheed and Kadir Butt. The home minister said that Kadir had affiliations with Pakistan.
The religious importance of this mosque is immense and devotees coming here attach a special significance to this visit. After visiting and praying at the shrine they along with their families spend time in the market surrounding the mosque. This market surrounding Hazratbal Shrine has evolved over generations. Against the backdrop of the white-marbled revered shrine, the marketplace unfolds with an array of stalls offering traditional Kashmiri handicrafts, Intricate Pashmina shawls, vibrant papier-machie products, clothes and aromatic spices which creates a vibrant atmosphere. There are several shops selling cooked black beans with spices (“masale” in Kashmiri) and also sweet meet sellers with their well-known Parathas.
As a rule, whenever I go to Kheer Bhawani temple a few times in a year on my return, I invariably come back through Dargah Sharif and spend some time there. It gives my mind complete tranquillity, peace, feeling of bondage between the two religions and an intense desire to serve my people.
Prof Upendra Kaul , Founder Director, Gauri Kaul Foundation