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    Ottoman tent in Princess Czartoryski Museum in Krakow, Poland

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    The Neptune fountain in Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

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      Dervesh and Lion

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      Mathura and Gandhara school of Art

      Mathura and Gandhara school of Art

      My favorite artworks from European Museums

      My favorite artworks from European Museums

      Gandhara Art in Humboldt Forum: Life of Lord Buddha

      Gandhara Art in Humboldt Forum: Life of Lord Buddha

      Jewish Heroes Square in Krakow, Poland

      Jewish Heroes Square in Krakow, Poland

      Block no. 4 in Auschwitz concentration camp

      Block no. 4 in Auschwitz concentration camp

      Ottoman tent in Princess Czartoryski Museum in Krakow, Poland

      Ottoman tent in Princess Czartoryski Museum in Krakow, Poland

      The Steam Engine Building, Potsdam, Germany

      The Steam Engine Building, Potsdam, Germany

      Assyrian human-headed winged bull from Nimrud; 9th cent. BCE; Pergamon Museum, Berlin

      Assyrian human-headed winged bull from Nimrud; 9th cent. BCE; Pergamon Museum, Berlin

      Catacombs in St Peter’s Abbey Salzburg, Austria

      Catacombs in St Peter’s Abbey Salzburg, Austria

      St Nicholas Church in #Leipzeg, #Germany

      St Nicholas Church in #Leipzeg, #Germany

      Gloriette, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna,Austria

      Gloriette, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna,Austria

      Matthias Church on Buda Castle Hill, Budapest

      Matthias Church on Buda Castle Hill, Budapest

      The Neptune fountain in Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

      The Neptune fountain in Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

      The Dohany Street synagogue in Budapest

      St Peter’s Abbey Church in Salzburg, Austria

      St Peter’s Abbey Church in Salzburg, Austria

      The Residence Fountain in Salzburg: Oundof Music

      The Residence Fountain in Salzburg: Oundof Music

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      Akhund Shah Masjid, Srinagar

      inMedieval Indian History, My Travels
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      A prince was in search of a Sufi master to help him on his mystical journey into the world of tassawuf (mysticism). He finally found one in Mian Mir (1550-1635), the Qadriya saint, someone who had impressed his grandfather Emperor Jahangir. The young prince, Dara Shukoh (1615-1659), came in touch with Mian Mir, but before he could become his disciple the saint passed away.

      In 1639, the young prince set off on a journey to Kashmir, where Mian Mir’s successor Shah Muhammad, popularly known as Mullah Shah Badakshi or Akhund Shah, lived. Mullah Shah was known for his secular approach and that must have influenced Dara. Though earlier Mullah Shah only spent summers in Kashmir after Mian Mir’s death, he settled in Srinagar, residing in a small cell in the mountain famous as Hari Parbat or Koh-e-Maran. His meditation was in darkness.

      It was here that Dara visited him one night. Professor Fatima Zehra Bilgrami writes in History of the Qadiri Order in India that when Mullah Shah saw the prince he asked for a lamp to be lit and recited the following verse:

      Nai Chiragheist Darin Khana-i Virana-i Ma

      Roshan az Aatish-i Ishq-i Tu-Shudah Khana-i Ma

      (In this desolate cell of ours we do not have a candle

      As the fire of your Love illuminates our abode.)

      Dara requested Mullah Shah that “they want to come to his halqa (circle), and they helped him in all possible ways and built a khanqah and a house for him,” writes Prof. Bilgrami. His sister Princess Jahanara Begum, who was following him, also became Mullah Shah’s disciple.

      Dara built a mosque known today as Akhund Shah’s masjid on a scarp in Hari Parbat. I recently visited this once-famed mosque, now in a partially ruinous condition. From Makhdoom Sahib’s dargah on a higher spot on Hari Parbat, I could see the remnants of a few petals of the lotus finial, which is supposed to be the only one on a mosque in Kashmir. Fortunately, I could see that repairs are currently under way by the Archaeological Survey of India.

      It’s in a large rectangular enclosure with a tank for ablutions, surrounded by apartments for devotees and servants. The mosque itself is a simple and elegant building of grey granite slabs over brickwork, much of which is now exposed. On the entrance of the mosque, I found these lines which have been translated by Ajmal Siddiqi from Persian.

      Waman dakhalahu kaana aamina whoever enters it shall be safe

      (These lines are from the Koran for Ka’ba in Mecca)

      The second line reads:

      wallahu mufattihul abwaab

      (Allah is the opener of doors)

       

      While Mullah Shah remained safe from the wrath of Aurangzeb and died a natural death in 1661 in Lahore, Dara was executed by Aurangzeb after the latter won the war of succession.

      This mosque must have been quite a huge complex, as seen from the ruins of the cells for devotees and visitors, the remnants of the hammam, and the stones. But in its time it must have been beautiful with two fountains: Chashma-i-Shahiyah and Chashma-i-Sahibiyah. The latter was named by Mullah Shah in honour of Jahanara, the Begum Sahiba of the Mughal court.

       

      More can be read in The Hind (AUGUST 06, 2017)

      https://www.thehindu.com/society/history-and-culture/a-prince-a-saint-and-a-fairy-palace/article19436041.ece

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      Come, explore and fall in love the Beauties of Delhi (Dilli ki Ranaiya’n) and the World with me, Rana Safvi

      I have a masters in medieval history from the prestigious Centre for Advanced Studies, Dept. of History, AMU. A firm believer in our Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb, I am passionate about gaining and sharing knowledge and these days I am doing it via the social media platform.

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