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{{orphan|date=November 2008}}
{{Short description|Muslim shrine in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India}}
The '''Hazratbal Shrine''' (Kashmiri: حضرت بل, literally: Majestic Place), is a Muslim shrine in [[Srinagar]], [[Jammu and Kashmir]], [[Kashmir]]. It contains a relic believed by many Muslims of [[India]] to be a hair of the Islamic prophet [[Muhammad]]. The name of the shrine comes from the Arabic word Hazrat, meaning holy or majestic, and the Kashmiri word bal, meaning place.
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{Infobox religious building
| building_name        = Dargah Sharif
| native_name = {{Nastaliq|درگاہ شریف}}
|native_name_lang=ur| image                = HAZRATBAL SHRINE 01.JPG
| image_size            =
| alt                  =
| caption              =2010 photograph of the Hazratbal Shrine
| map_type              =India Jammu and Kashmir#India
| map_caption          =Location within Jammu and Kashmir##Location within India
| location              = [[Hazratbal]]
| coordinates          = {{Coord|34|7|45|N|74|50|32|E|display=inline,title|format=dms}}
| religious_affiliation = [[Islam]]
| rite                  =
| region                = [[Kashmir Valley]]
| territory            =[[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]]
| sector                =
| district              = [[Srinagar District]]
| cercle                =
| municipality          = [[Srinagar]]
| country              = [[India]]
| consecration_year    =
| status                =
| functional_status    = Active
| heritage_designation  =
| leadership            = Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Waqf Board
| patron                =
| website              =http://www.wakf.gov.in/jammukashmir/
| architecture          =
| architect            =
| architecture_type    = [[Islamic architecture]]
| architecture_style    = [[Islamic architecture|Classical]]
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| length                = {{convert|105|m|ft}}
| width                = {{convert|25|m|ft}}
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The shrine is on the left bank of the [[Dal Lake]], Srinagar and is considered to be Kashmir's holiest Muslim shrine. The Moi-e-Muqqadas (the sacred hair) of Mohammed is believed to be preserved here. The shrine is known by many names including Hazratbal, Assar-e-Sharief, Madinat-us-Sani, or simply Dargah Sharif.
The '''Hazratbal Shrine''' or '''Dargah Sharif''' is a [[Dargah|Muslim shrine]] located in [[Hazratbal]], [[Srinagar]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]], [[India]]. It contains a relic, the ''Moi-e-Muqqadas'', which is widely believed to be the [[hair]] of the main [[Prophets and messengers in Islam|Islamic prophet]], [[Muhammad]].<ref>"Moslems Riot Over Theft of Sacred Relic", ''Chicago Tribune'', 29 December 1963, p1</ref> The name of the shrine is a combination of the [[Persian language|Persian]] word ''Hazrat'' ({{Literal translation|respected}}) and the [[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]] word ''bal'' ({{Literal translation|place}}).


The shrine is situated on the northern bank of the [[Dal Lake]] in Srinagar, and is considered to be [[Kashmir]]'s holiest Muslim shrine.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E03E1DC1E31F934A3575BC0A962958260 | title=Kashmir Yield at Shrine |work=[[New York Times]] | date=7 August 1994 }} The shrine is known by many names including Hazratbal, Assar-e-Sharief, Madinat-us-Sani, or simply Dargah Sharif.</ref>


{{multistub|religion|Asia}}
==History and present status==
The shrine contains strands of what is believed by many [[Muslims]] to be the [[hair]] of the [[Prophets and messengers in Islam|Islamic prophet]] [[Muhammad]]. The relic was first brought to [[Kashmir]] by Syed Abdullah, a purported descendant of Muhammad who left [[Medina]] (in present-day [[Saudi Arabia]]) and settled in the [[South India|South Indian]] city of [[Bijapur]] in 1635, at a time when the Islamic [[Mughal Empire]] was rapidly expanding across India.[http://www.jktourism.jk.gov.in/List/ListDetails.aspx?52734E46697354352F5A43466636687234686936586433494E5A66586B376F4C356E5931746C47445051593D][https://www.smcsite.org/index.php?link=Hazratbal]


[[Category:Buildings and structures in India]]
Following Abdullah's death, his son Syed Hamid inherited the relic. The region was conquered by the Mughals shortly afterwards, and Hamid was stripped of his family estates. Finding himself unable to care for the relic, he sold it to Khwaja Nur-ud-Din Eshai, a wealthy [[Kashmiris|Kashmiri]] businessman.{{citation needed|date=July 2016}}
[[Category:Mosques]]
 
[[Category:Islam in India]]
However, when the [[Mughal emperors|Mughal emperor]] [[Aurangzeb]] was informed of the holy relic's existence and transfer, he had it seized and sent to the shrine of [[Sufism|Sufi]] mystic [[Mu'in al-Din Chishti]] in [[Ajmer]], and imprisoned Eshai in [[Delhi]]. Later, Aurangzeb decided to return the relic to Eshai and allow him to take it to Kashmir. However, Eshai had already died while imprisoned. By 1700, the relic had been transported to Kashmir, along with the body of Eshai. There, Inayat Begum, the daughter of Eshai, became the custodian of the relic and established the Hazratbal Shrine. Since then, her male descendants have been caretakers of the relic at the [[mosque]].<ref name="Decisive">{{cite book|author=Hari Narain Verma|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r_rOAAAAIAAJ&q=Hazratbal+hair+disappearance+episode|title=Decisive battles of India through the ages, Volume II|author2=Amrit Verma|publisher=GIP Books|year=1998|isbn=978-1-881155-04-1|page=124|access-date=2010-06-22}}</ref> 
[[Category:Srinagar]]
[[File:Hazratbal Shrine 2.jpg|thumb|Dome view of the shrine in February 2019]]
[[File:Dr_Manzoor_Ahmad_Banday.jpg|thumb|Dr. Manzoor Banday, head cleric of the Hazratbal Shrine, displaying the holy relic on the occasion of [[Mawlid]] in 2018]]
Begum's male descendants belong to what is known as the Banday family. {{As of|2019}}, three main members care for the holy relic:
Manzoor Ahmad Banday, Ishaq Banday and Mohiuddin Banday.{{cn|date=March 2021}} The relic is displayed for public view only on [[Islamic holidays|special Islamic occasions]], such as the birthdays of Muhammad and his 4 main companions ([[Abu Bakr]], [[Omar|Umar]], [[Uthman|Usman]] and [[Ali]]).
 
The caretakers of the shrine are known as ''Nishandehs''. The eldest male heirs of the previous Nishandeh continue the legacy of displaying the relic when their predecessor dies.
[[File:Dr_Manzoor_Banday_Head_Cleric.jpg|thumb|Dr. Manzoor Banday, head cleric of the Hazratbal Shrine, displaying the relic inside the [[mosque]] to the general public on the birthday of [[Abu Bakr]] in 2019]]
==1963 Moi-e-Muqqadas disappearance episode==
{{See also|Theft of the Holy Relic from the Hazratbal Shrine}}
The ''Moi-e-Muqqadas'', a relic widely believed by [[Muslims]] to be the [[hair]] of the Islamic prophet [[Muhammad]], was reported to have gone missing from the shrine on 27 December 1963. Following its disappearance, mass demonstrations were held all over the state, with hundreds of thousands of protesters out in the streets.{{cn|date=April 2019}} On 31 December, [[Prime Minister of India|Indian Prime Minister]] [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] made a broadcast to the nation on the disappearance of the sacred Muslim relic, and sent a team from the [[Central Bureau of Investigation]] into [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]] to probe the suspected theft.<ref name="Hanging By The Relic">{{cite web|title=Hanging By The Relic|url=http://www.kashmirlife.net/hanging-by-the-relic-issue18-vol06-61615/|accessdate=23 January 2017|publisher=Kashmir Life}}</ref>
 
The incident led to communal tensions and riots in the Indian state of [[West Bengal]] and [[East Pakistan]] (now [[Bangladesh]]), due to which [[India]] saw a refugee influx of around 200,000 people between December 1963 and February 1964.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Das|first=Mayurakshi|title=Title: Calcutta Cauldron: City-life during the January 1964 Riots|url=https://www.academia.edu/43473655/Title_Calcutta_Cauldron_City_life_during_the_January_1964_Riots|journal=Indian History Congress Proceedings|language=en}}</ref>
 
The relic was recovered by Indian authorities on 4 January 1964.<ref name="Decisive" /><ref>{{cite book|author=Neelam Francesca|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=70jQHIuAPLYC&q=Hazratbal+hair+disappearance+episode&pg=PA70|title=Secularism in the postcolonial Indian novel: national and cosmopolitan narratives in English|author2=Rashmi Srivastava|publisher=Routledge|year=2008|isbn=978-0-415-40295-8|series=Volume 17 of Routledge research in postcolonial literatures|page=70|access-date=2010-06-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Forgotten probes|url=http://m.greaterkashmir.com/news/opinion/story/236811.html|accessdate=23 January 2017|publisher=Greater Kashmir}}</ref>
 
==See also==
{{commons category|Hazratbal shrine}}
* [[Ziyarat Naqshband Sahab]]
* [[Hamza Makhdoom]]
* [[Khanqah-e-Moula]]
* [[Dastgeer Sahib]]
 
== References ==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Sufi shrines in India]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Srinagar]]
[[Category:Mosques in Jammu and Kashmir]]

Revision as of 07:21, 12 April 2021


Dargah Sharif
درگاہ شریف
Religion
AffiliationIslam
DistrictSrinagar District
RegionKashmir Valley
LeadershipJammu and Kashmir Muslim Waqf Board
StatusActive
Location
LocationHazratbal
MunicipalitySrinagar
CountryIndia
Location within Jammu and Kashmir
Hazratbal Shrine is located in India
Hazratbal Shrine
Location within India
TerritoryJammu and Kashmir
Coordinates34°7′45″N 74°50′32″E / 34.12917°N 74.84222°E / 34.12917; 74.84222
Architecture
TypeIslamic architecture
StyleClassical
Specifications
Length105 metres (344 ft)
Width25 metres (82 ft)
Dome1
Minaret1
Website
http://www.wakf.gov.in/jammukashmir/

The Hazratbal Shrine or Dargah Sharif is a Muslim shrine located in Hazratbal, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India. It contains a relic, the Moi-e-Muqqadas, which is widely believed to be the hair of the main Islamic prophet, Muhammad.[1] The name of the shrine is a combination of the Persian word Hazrat (lit. 'respected') and the Kashmiri word bal (lit. 'place').

The shrine is situated on the northern bank of the Dal Lake in Srinagar, and is considered to be Kashmir's holiest Muslim shrine.[2]

History and present status

The shrine contains strands of what is believed by many Muslims to be the hair of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The relic was first brought to Kashmir by Syed Abdullah, a purported descendant of Muhammad who left Medina (in present-day Saudi Arabia) and settled in the South Indian city of Bijapur in 1635, at a time when the Islamic Mughal Empire was rapidly expanding across India.[1][2]

Following Abdullah's death, his son Syed Hamid inherited the relic. The region was conquered by the Mughals shortly afterwards, and Hamid was stripped of his family estates. Finding himself unable to care for the relic, he sold it to Khwaja Nur-ud-Din Eshai, a wealthy Kashmiri businessman.[citation needed]

However, when the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb was informed of the holy relic's existence and transfer, he had it seized and sent to the shrine of Sufi mystic Mu'in al-Din Chishti in Ajmer, and imprisoned Eshai in Delhi. Later, Aurangzeb decided to return the relic to Eshai and allow him to take it to Kashmir. However, Eshai had already died while imprisoned. By 1700, the relic had been transported to Kashmir, along with the body of Eshai. There, Inayat Begum, the daughter of Eshai, became the custodian of the relic and established the Hazratbal Shrine. Since then, her male descendants have been caretakers of the relic at the mosque.[3]

Dome view of the shrine in February 2019
Dr. Manzoor Banday, head cleric of the Hazratbal Shrine, displaying the holy relic on the occasion of Mawlid in 2018

Begum's male descendants belong to what is known as the Banday family. As of 2019, three main members care for the holy relic: Manzoor Ahmad Banday, Ishaq Banday and Mohiuddin Banday.[citation needed] The relic is displayed for public view only on special Islamic occasions, such as the birthdays of Muhammad and his 4 main companions (Abu Bakr, Umar, Usman and Ali).

The caretakers of the shrine are known as Nishandehs. The eldest male heirs of the previous Nishandeh continue the legacy of displaying the relic when their predecessor dies.

Dr. Manzoor Banday, head cleric of the Hazratbal Shrine, displaying the relic inside the mosque to the general public on the birthday of Abu Bakr in 2019

1963 Moi-e-Muqqadas disappearance episode

The Moi-e-Muqqadas, a relic widely believed by Muslims to be the hair of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, was reported to have gone missing from the shrine on 27 December 1963. Following its disappearance, mass demonstrations were held all over the state, with hundreds of thousands of protesters out in the streets.[citation needed] On 31 December, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru made a broadcast to the nation on the disappearance of the sacred Muslim relic, and sent a team from the Central Bureau of Investigation into Jammu and Kashmir to probe the suspected theft.[4]

The incident led to communal tensions and riots in the Indian state of West Bengal and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), due to which India saw a refugee influx of around 200,000 people between December 1963 and February 1964.[5]

The relic was recovered by Indian authorities on 4 January 1964.[3][6][7]

See also

References

  1. "Moslems Riot Over Theft of Sacred Relic", Chicago Tribune, 29 December 1963, p1
  2. "Kashmir Yield at Shrine". New York Times. 7 August 1994. The shrine is known by many names including Hazratbal, Assar-e-Sharief, Madinat-us-Sani, or simply Dargah Sharif.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Hari Narain Verma; Amrit Verma (1998). Decisive battles of India through the ages, Volume II. GIP Books. p. 124. ISBN 978-1-881155-04-1. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
  4. "Hanging By The Relic". Kashmir Life. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  5. Das, Mayurakshi. "Title: Calcutta Cauldron: City-life during the January 1964 Riots". Indian History Congress Proceedings.
  6. Neelam Francesca; Rashmi Srivastava (2008). Secularism in the postcolonial Indian novel: national and cosmopolitan narratives in English. Volume 17 of Routledge research in postcolonial literatures. Routledge. p. 70. ISBN 978-0-415-40295-8. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
  7. "Forgotten probes". Greater Kashmir. Retrieved 23 January 2017.