now check with this painting

Ibrahim Ibn Adham of Balkh Served by Angels
Probably by Mir Kalan Khan (active 1730-75)
From the Read Mughal Album
India, Mughal, Awadh,
circa 1760

“After a spiritual awakening, Ibrāhīm Ibn Adham (d. 798), an eighth-century ruler of Balkh, renounced his kingdom and wealth to become a wandering dervish. Part of his spiritual awakening happened one night when he heard people on the roof of his palace…Rūmī (1207–1273), a later Sufi mystic, also born in Balkh, recounted Ibrāhīm’s story in his six-volume poetic work, the Masnavī. Legend has it that Khiżr, the immortal guide of the Sufi, played a role and that Ibrāhīm, regarded as a spiritual ancestor of the Chishtī Sufi order, was fed by angels”
Read more: https://www.themorgan.org/collection/treasures-of-islamic-manuscript-painting/85#

The lion is a fitting metaphor: powerful, fierce, and dangerous when ruled by hunger or pride. But when tamed, that same power becomes a source of protection, dignity, and strength.

The path of the seeker is not to kill the lion, but to master it – to turn its strength toward service of the Divine.
As the Qur’an reminds us: “Indeed, the successful one is he who purifies his nafs.” (91:9)

#Sufism #Tasawwuf #Nafs #Tazkiya #SelfPurification #Mujahada #SpiritualJourney #InnerStruggle #LionWithin #EgoControl #TamingTheNafs #SufiWisdom #PathToGod #IslamicSpirituality #MysticPath #SufiQuotes #SoulDiscipline #HeartOverEgo #DivineLove #Ihsan

In the centre of the back wall of the Diwan-e Aam is a 21 feet wall with 318 panels that depict the famous Orpheus legend.
Orpheus was a Greek prophet, a legendary musician and poet who could charm all living things and even stones. In this panel he is shown playing the lute, while a lion, a leopard, a deer, a dog and a hare sit at his feet, listening in complete rapture. The occurrence of this panel as a backdrop to the Mughal throne is deliberate as it approximates the legendary throne of Solomon, the prophet king and ideal ruler on whom birds and beasts sat in peaceful attendance. [Ebba Koch]
Its 318 panels, said to be the work of European jeweller Austin de Bordeaux, with various exquisite carvings of birds and beasts made in inlay work are placed in a special marble recess that measures 7 yards x 2.5 yards. Its artistry is confounding for the human mind.
Beresford, in his book, The Delhi Guide, describes it before the 1857 Uprising and says it was an 8-feet panel with precious stones also embedded in it.
In September 1857, after the fall of Delhi, many treasures from the Red Fort were looted. This panel was one of them.
It was appropriated by Captain John Jones and sold by him to the British government for 500 pounds. They placed it in the South Kensington Museum.
Sir John Marshall reports in the Archaeological Survey Annual Report 1902–03 that it was hoped that the plaque would be restored in time for the Delhi Durbar (Lord Curzon’s Darbar of 1903), but it arrived too late to be in time for that. It wS installed shortly after the durbar.
He also adds that the panels ‘have now been replaced behind the throne, and many other panels have also been cleaned of the lac with which they were covered, and their mutilated surfaces re-polished.

Photo from the time that there was no plexiglass around it

Excerpt from: “Shahjahanabad: The Living City of Old Delhi”
#ShahjahanabadTheLivingCityofOldDelhi #redfort #shahjahan #mughalarchitecture #orpheus #1857

The wall paintings of Shri Guru Ram Rai Darbar Sahib in Dehradun are a remarkable blend of artistic styles and cultural influences, reflecting the historical and spiritual significance of the site. Located in the heart of Dehradun, this Sikh gurudwara, established in the 17th century by Guru Ram Rai, features murals that adorn its walls, domes, and ceilings, offering a visual narrative of the guru’s life, times, and the rich traditions of the region.
These murals are a fusion of Mughal, Kangra, and Rajasthani painting styles, infused with a distinct Garhwali flavor. They were primarily created by Tulsi Ram Mistri, the chief artisan of the Darbar, whose self-portrait can still be seen near the entrance gate.
#dehradun #ramrai #jhandabazar
#dehradun #jhandamela #gururamraidarbar #gururamrai #jhandabazar

We all know that the Muslim creed is based on the principle of Tauheed or One God.
How did this creed reflect in Islamic architecture?
You may have heard of the term sacred geometry: It is related to the oneness of God or tauheed.
In geometry, the point symbolizes the oneness of God by representing the concept that there are no parts other than the whole through the point. Just as the point has no extension in any direction, God is perceived as metaphysically absolute and infinite.
His motion generates space and breathes life into dimensions, reflecting the idea of unity and indivisibility. Therefore, the point serves as a metaphor for God’s singular existence and omnipotence in Islamic thought.
The study of geometry’s laws reveals cosmic relationships and the unity of creation, mirroring the divine mystery.

Rao Surjan Singh (r. 1554-1585) allied with the Mughals & served as governor of Varanasi and came in contact with Mughal painters. After him his son Rao Bhoj Singh succeeded him and he too spent time in the fort of Chunar like his father. It is here that they came in contact with painters of the Mughal atelier. Successors of Mir Saiyed Ali and Abdus Samad, the founders of the Mughal school of art, had finished a series of 36 ragamala in Chunar.
These were commissioned by the Hara rulers and became a template.
The Mughal style is apoarent in the Badal Mahal , with its red and gold murals. The Badal Palace as its name suggests is the top most level of the palace complex built by Rao Bhoj Singh.

When Rudyard Kipling saw the palace in in 1887 he wrote, “such a Palace [is] … the work of goblins rather than of men. It is built into and out of the hillside, in gigantic terrace on terrace, and dominates the whole of the city.”

The construction of the Bundi Fort was started Rao Surjan and his son Rao Bhoj Singh & built upon by successive rulers, each adding his own palace.

Bundi paintings, characterized by meticulous brushwork, are small in size. They are crafted with natural colors derived from minerals, vegetables, precious stones, silver, and gold.
The Cloud Palace, or Badal Mahal, within Garh Palace boasts some of southern Rajasthan’s finest paintings. Vibrantly colored depictions of Krishnas and Radhas encircle the vaulted dome, accompanied by murals portraying Krishna’s wedding procession led by Ganesh and Rama’s return from Sri Lanka to Ayodhya.
These were painted during Rao Ratan Singh’s reign but since he was most of the time posted in the Deccan during Shah Jahan’s reign, they were probably commissioned by his son Gopinath or one of his queens.
It betrays Mughal and Deccan influence.
There are five horizontal levels, with the lowest being ragamalas in 13 niches and vertical spaces.
Above that are paintings depicting hunting, polo games,elephant fights etc from the Rao’s life.
Above that are the painted areas and a pointed arch. The arches have murals from the life of Lord Krishna and Lord Rama.
There are large frescoes on the ceiling and it is central rasmandala which takes your breath away and you realise why it is called the Sistine Chapel of India.
The mural I want to focus on today is the Lord Krishna with Radha and the Parthasarthi is being driven by Lord Ganesh. They are escorted by angels.
The vibrant red of the background ( all natural colors) contrasts beautifully with Lord Krishna’s dark blue and Radha’s red lenhga.

In 1359, Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq stopped at a place called Zafarabad, on the river Ganges on his way to campaign against the Ilyas Shahi rulers of Lakhnauti in Bengal. Zafarabad was a strategic point on the road to Bengal and the Delhi Sultans had long been fighting with the rulers of Lakhnauti. This probably prompted the Sultan to think of building a new city for he was a prolific builder near Zafarabad. The new city was built on the River Gomtiand named it after his cousin and predecessor, Jauna Khan who had ruled as Sultan Mohammad bin Tughlaq.

In the confusion caused in the Delhi Sultanate by Timur’sinvasion, Malik Sarwar , a khwajasara  (eunuch) who had been appointed the governor of Jaunpur in1394 with the title of Malik-us Sharq or ruler of the east, declared independence. Thus was laid the foundation of the Sharqikingdom. When he died in 1399 he left a greatly expanded empire to his adopted son Malik Mubarak Qaranfal who ruled as Mubarak Shah.

Mubarak Shah’s reign was short lived and he was succeeded by his brother Ibrahim Shah under whom Jaunpur rose in such importance that it was known as Shiraz e Hind. Shiraz was renowned in the world as the cultural capital of Persia and was one of the most important and famous medieval cities in the world. Sultan SikanderLodi finally put an end to the Sharqi dynasty after he conquered it in 1479.

A unique style of art and architecture also developed in Jaunpur where the Sultans being patrons of learning and art attracted scholars and creative talent.

My maternal family belongs to Jaunpur district and I have visited our ancestral village a number of times but somehow never went on an architectural tour till very recently on a visit with my sister Farah Naqvi.

I was stuck by the huge rectangular pylon (gateway) set with arches through which one entered the aisles of the mosque as I visited the three main mosques in Jaunpur. Made of stone these had fine carvings and latticework they are the centerpiece of the mosque structure in the AtalaMasjid, Jama masjid and Lal Darwaza. Unlike the Delhi mosques of the same period there are no minarets. Another prominent feature of the mosques at Jaunpur were the arrangements for cloisters for women to pray there. In fact in the Jama Masjid in Zafarabad which is the oldest in the area, the person in charge responded to my query of whether I could pray there with, “What else are mosques for if not to pray and take Allah’s name.” Though I have never faced any problem of praying in mosques in the ones I have visited, there is often a discussion on social media of women not being allowed to pray in mosques.

After being awestruck by the majesty of Atala Masjid and Jama Masjid we visited the tranquil compound of LalDarwaza where a seminary functions.

I was tired but when my host and guide asked me if I wanted to visit Jhanjhiri mosque I was intrigued by the name and immediately agreed. Though Gulrez is a local he too had never visited it but knew the general direction it was in. We entered the area where it was and leaving our car, as the roads were narrow set off on foot. Farmland and trees hid the sight of any mosque but since the locals assured us it was there we gladly traipsed on the mud road. And I am so glad for as we came round the bend there it was! An exquisite stone screen after which it is named (jhanjhiri means screen) greeted us.
The mosque itself is on a high mound and not much remains apart from this screen.

Sultan Ibrahim Shah built it for a saint, Saiyed Sadr e JahanAjmali. According to the 1889 Archaeological Survey of India book, The Sharqi Architecture of Jaunpur, it was probably built y the same architect who built the Atalamasjid and must have been of surpassing beauty before Sultan Sikander Lodi who conquered Jaunpur destroyed many of jaunpur’s mosques and secular buildings.

Sikander Lodi broke parts of the walls of the mosque court and the stones used for other buildings and according to the survey conspicuously for the great bridge another famous Jaunpur landmark.

As the mosque was overhanging the Gomti River once upon a time, floods ravaged its walls and all that is left is the central façade with the exquisite screen flanked by carved voussoirs and its inscriptions. Unlike the other mosques where the pylon is rectangular and the arch set inside it, here the arch soars upwards without restrictions.

This architectural gem in the middle of fields is worth a visit for it symbolizes Sharqi architecture at its best.

“When I reached the bazaar via the Jama Masjid, I was presented with a strange sight. Corpses were piled like logs. This was the same place where the dervish had made the prophecy to me four months before the ghadar, saying there would be bloodshed at this spot.
I went ahead and saw more dead bodies. When I asked the people of the bazaar how this had happened, they said, ‘One party of the British army reached the steps of the Jama Masjid, and some people were looting the houses of the common folks. The British soldiers wanted to enter the Masjid. The Muslims gathered inside saw this and feared that they would now kill inside God’s house. They thought it would be better to go down and fight the soldiers. The Muslims came out of the Masjid Darwaza and down the steps. The British forces aimed their guns at them. The ones who survived kept moving forward and a terrible fight ensued.
‘A huge uproar arose in the city. People ran out of their houses with whatever they could lay their hands on—wooden sticks, rods from their beds, swords and so on. Some of the British party were killed—they are the ones whose bodies are lying here. The rest ran off to join their army.’
I went via the Dariba Kalan through the Khooni Darwaza to the front of the kotwali. I saw dead bodies piled up, lining the street from the Jama Masjid to the kotwali. There were many corpses at the point where I had been fired at in the morning. I saw a metal bag filled with gunpowder in front of the kotwali hauz.”
And ends with
“By evening, the rioters had spread all over the city, all the way to Hamid Ali Khan’s kothi. The British forces had set up cannons near the kothi, and this prevented them from moving further, since they didn’t even have a gun to protect themselves. The chaos lasted all evening, after which the tired people came back to their houses.
At midnight, the British soldiers started the slaughter. They entered houses and began killing those sleeping inside, climbing on to the roofs to get at those sleeping there too.
In the morning, people living near and in Kashmiri Darwaza, Badar-Roo Darwaza and Kabuli Darwaza, as well as those in the Subhan Phatak, started running towards our side of the city.”

Fall of Delhi
OTD 1857
Despite strict orders against individual looting, many of Delhi’s treasures filled the pockets of the troops who captured the city during the Uprising of 1857
The loot was supposed to have been handed over to official prize agents who would then auction it and divide the proceeds. As this print depicts, the agents and their soldiers had few scruples when it came to how they gathered the loot. Contemporaries estimated the auctioned Delhi treasure to be worth over half a million pounds.

Many have described Red fort and Shahjahanabad as the Garden of Eden and perhaps that is why like Adam, the last Mughal Emperor and his wife, Zeenat Mahal, were banished from its bosom for partaking of the forbidden fruit of freedom from the British company rule.
nikalna KHuld se aadam ka sunte aae hain lekin
bahut be-abru ho kar tere kuche se hum nikle

#Ghalib #bahadurshahzafar #mughalempire #uprising1857 #firstwarindianindependence #ShahjahanabadTheLivingCityofOldDelhi

On the night of 17th September, 1857 the emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar left the Red Fort using the khizri gate seen in this painting by boat. He knew the British were baying for his blood and wanted to prevent bloodshed of his children as he called the residents of Shahjahanabad
He went by boat to the dargah of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya and then later to Humayun’s tomb.‬

Last prayer of Bahadur Shah Zafar, before leaving Qila as recorded in Begumat ke Aansoo : “Khuda, Hindustan ke Hindu Mussalman mere bachhe hain. Inki hifazat karna mere amal ( karm) ki saza inhe Na mile angrezon ke haath ” in 1857 after fall of Delhi
Related by his daughter Kulsum Zamani Begum who saw him praying on his musalla the night he left it.
In Shahzadi ki Bipta

#cityofmyheart #bahadurshahzafar #mughal #uprising1857 #firstwarindianindependence #fallofdelhi #humayuntomb

‪Jahanabad tu kab is sitam ke qaabil tha‬

‪Magar kabho kisi ashiq ka ye nagar dil tha‬
‪ #Sauda #shahrAshob‬

The plaque put up by British on Mutiny memorial on the ridge says
20th Sept 1857: the city was evacuated by the enemy.
Indian Govt renamed it Ajitgarh and put up another plaque saying those who are referred to as enemy were Patriots who fought colonial rule

Akbar had an enquiring mind and that can be seen in his interactions with various priests, maulvis and monks in his ibadatkhana debates.
Here in a beautiful nim qalam representation of one such meeting, but seeing he is a dervish, its not in the ibadatkhana but the jungle, where he interrupts his shikar trip to meet the dervish.
The painter is Abdus Samad who came from Iran to Humayun’s court.
The Iranian influence can be seen in the horses with “corpulent bodies and slim heads”.
The tree substitutes for a throne for the young Akbar while the dervish is identified by his kashkol or beggar’s bowl.
Sufi saints had immense influence on the Mughal emperors and princes and we see in numerous paintings of their meetings with the saints.
Jahangir meeting Jadrup being very famous.
@Agakhan museum Toronto

]]> https://ranasafvi.com/akbar-and-the-dervish/feed/ 0 38955 https://ranasafvi.com/malika-e-kishwars-grave-in-pere-lachqise-cemetery-in-paris/ https://ranasafvi.com/malika-e-kishwars-grave-in-pere-lachqise-cemetery-in-paris/#respond Mon, 07 Aug 2023 08:26:30 +0000 https://ranasafvi.com/malika-e-kishwars-grave-in-pere-lachqise-cemetery-in-paris/

Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris is the home for eternal rest to an eclectic group of people. All religions and nationalities and ethnicities are buried here.
I visited many graves of celebrities here and will post about them in a few days. For today I am only posting about the redoubtable Malika e Aaliyah or Malika Kishwar mother of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Awadh on whose grave i went to recite a fatiha.
Most people say it’s difficult to find bit i went with heritage PhD scholar Laurent Glattli who researched and found that her grave is in the 85 division.

Directions:
For those who want to visit look at the map given at the entrance, walk accordingly use google maps & you will see a board saying 85 division.
A very oriental looking tomb with a Russian prince buried is on the corner. Turn right and a little ahead you will find the grave of Marcel Proust. Just beyond it sleeps Malika Kishwar.
The canopy on her tomb has fallen and there is just a square platform which stands out.
Pleaze recite a fatiha or whatever prays you want for the soul of this remarkable queen who went all the way to London to fight for her son’s right to the throne.

The Malika went to London saying that Victoria was “also a mother”; she would recognize the injustice to her son and restore his kingdom . However, initially Queen Victoria refused to grant her an audience and when she did, the Queen kother of Awadh realised that it was the Parliament that would make decisions.
The Uprising of 1857 made things worse and in 1858 she started her journey home via France hoping for French intervention.
Nothing prevailed and the brave queen died in Paris on 24th January 1858 to be buried here.
Her funeral was attended by the Ottoman Sultan’s representatives who also got a marble cenotaph built. Now only a platform remains.

Note: This post is about the grave not the queen. There is so much more to write about her which i will do later.

On October 6, 1650, the foundation stone was laid for a Jama Masjid by the emperor himself and it was built under the supervision of Sa’dullah Khan, the prime minister, and Fazil Khan, the khansaman or the head of the imperial household establishments.
It was built in six years at the cost of Rs 10 lakh by 6,000 workers. The cost didn’t include the price of the stones that were presented, according to Basheeruddin Ahmed in Waqeat e Dar-ul Hukumat Dehli, by various rajas and nawabs.
The mosque was set on a plinth of 30 feet; it is 261-foot long and 90-foot wide. Its three marble domes with black stripes are a landmark, an icon of the area if you will, and visible for miles around.

#jamamasjiddelhi #minaret #jamamasjid #mughalarchitecture #delhitrilogy

I had shared that the Jama Masjid, Delhi has relics attributed to the Prophet pbuh anf Hazrat Ali.
This is the Quran sharif attributed to Hazrat Ali.
As I had said in my video, scholars dispute it. There’s even a question mark over the one in Raza Library.
Marjin van Putten, scholar of early Quran mss says for the Raza library folio: “Palaeographically there is no doubt that it is NOT a seventh century manuscript (likelier late 8th/early 9th), so can’t be Ali’s.”

for this folio Marjin says “Very beautiful! Manuscripts in this style (Kufi D.I) stem from the middle of the 3rd century AH/9th century CE up until the early 4th/10th probably.” #earlyquran #koranKodex

This folio of the Quran sharif is said to have been written by Imam Hasan. In the Dargah Asar Sharif in Jama Masjid, Delhi.

Marjin. Van Putten, Scholar of early Quran manuscripts says “Gorgeous! I was not aware that there were complete Mushafs in this style. It’s quite early, but not quite early enough to have been written by Hasan.” #earlyQuranmanuscripts

All of us are familiar with the image of a rather corpulent Nawab Wajid Ali Shah wearing an angarkha in which his left nipple is showing, creating an impression of decadence.
On a visit to the Company paintings exhibition in National Museum, New Delhi I found this image of a young Wajid Ali Shah.
Sharp, dapper, looking like the ruler who wrote an administrative manual called the Dastur-i-Wajidi, which he used in the early years of his reign.

Mirza Kaisar Zaman Wajid Ali Shah was born on 30th July 1822 in Lucknow to Malika Kishwar Aara Begum the Chief Consort of Nawab Amjad Ali Shah. He was tutored in classical subjects by Maulana Imdad Hussain along with training in horseman ship and sword play. He was drawn to music and was not only a connoisseur but a great patron of music. He was well accomplished in poetry and wrote under the takhallus of Akhtar. A number of books authored by him still exist

Once he ascended the throne he organised the military, put his administrative reforms in place and much to the alarm of the angrez Bahadur every morning at dawn he’d inspect military parades, fining late comers.

The campaign against him ( putting it very simply though it was a complex affair) started. The very things that endeared him to his people were used to prove he was a debauch who had only time for song and dance.
“The Heir Apparent’s character holds no promise of good,” it was noted. His “temper is capricious and fickle, his days and nights are passed in the female apartments and he appears to have resigned himself to debauchery, dissipation and low pursuits”.

In 1856 he was removed by General Outram
“Why have I deserved this? What (crime) have I committed?”
As Manu S Pillai wrote in a Mint column
“There was no clear answer, but one hint lies in the fact that the East India Company owed him large amounts in debt. Why bother repaying a loan when liquidating your moneylender was a more comfortable option?”

His descendant Kamran Meerza writes: “Wajid Ali Shah was also the literary King of his age. He had even set up petition box to get the public opinion and to hear their problems. He was for 5 yrs peshkar of his father Amjad Ali Shah bahadur and used to solve the problems of the administration. His openness to reveal his personal life to the public in the form of his poetry and writings was the excuse for his dethronement.”

Trying to decolonise Wajid Ali Shah

Shah Raja Qattal is father of Banda Nawaz Hazrat Gesu daraz.

He is buried in Khuldabad near Aurangabad in Maharashtra. His tomb was made by Tana Shah, his disciple the last Qutb Shahi king of Golcunda.

Salih a contemporary historian writes in Amaal e Salih: “after reaching Akbarabadi’s, it [body of Mumtaz Mahal] was entrusted to earth In the heaven like tract of land situated to the south side of the abode of the caliphate overlooking the river Jamuna which had belonged to Raja Mansingh and to acquire it his Majesty the Caliph ranked had given an exchange a mansion loftier than the said mention to his grandson Raja Jai Singh”

This is a record from 1631. In the farman of 1633 there are four other havelis mentioned. It is not certain whether there was an exchange or 5 havelis were given in total.

These are photos from The Illumined Tomb by Begley and Desai.
They have examined & translated all contemporary records of Shah Jahan ‘s reign including farmans giving 4 havelis in lieu of Raja Man Singh’s ‘haveli’
Haveli means mansion
The last pg has the descriptions of the havelis

‪Here rests Bi Mamola and may she rest in peace. Her’s is one of the prettiest graves I’ve seen.‬
‪#TurkmanGate
#ShahTurkmanDarwaza
#grave #Delhidiaries #Delhi #ShahjahanabadTheLivingCity ‬

Thanks be to God, that by the blessing of the grace of the Sayyed, a protection of the knowledge (of God), Shah Bhik who is a perfect and holy teacher
In the reign of a king glorified like Alexander and dignified like Jamshed, the spreader of justice (named) Mohammad Shah, the champion of the faith and the King
Roshan ud Daula Zafar khan, the Lord of beneficience and bounty, built this golden mosque resembling heaven.
Such a mosque that its dignified open courtyard the sky sweeps every morning with the pencil of the sun’s rays.
It’s clear tank represents the stream of Paradise, whoever performed ablution with its water became pure of his sins.
The date of its foundation Rasai obtained from the invisible inspiration;” (It is a ) mosque like the mosque of Jerusalem where the light of God descends.” The year 1157.
This masjid is very beautiful and famous and so I will make its sketch.” (Given)

It is very easy to miss as its on tje first floor, the entrance is in a lane and it’s not visible from the road.

On 12th May 1857 the Indian sepoys who had come from Meerut took out a silver throne kept in one corner of the Diwan e khas and crowned Bahadur Shah Zafar the Badshah of Hindustan

All those who rebelled against East India company did so under his banner.

Mirza Mughal C I C
#MirzaMughal eldest surviving son of Bahadur Shah Zafar
Who took over as commander of rebel forces on 12th May 1857
was shot in coldblood by Major Hodson on 22Sept 1857 after failure of uprising
( Picture 1- Mirza Zuheerooddeen, alias Mirza Mooghul Bahadur, 2nd Son.
by Ghulam ‘Ali Khan)

one popular account is that
After the murder of Mirza Mughal Mirza Khizr Khan, and his grandson, Mirza Abu Bakr
Hodson got their heads cut off and presented them to the Badshah saying that “This is your (Nazr – gift), which had closed and to renew it you had taken part in the rebellion.” The Badshah looked on at his sons heads and with surprising composure said ”Thanks to Allah, the descendents of Timur always come in front of their fathers in this brave way”.
After that the bodies were hung out in front of the Police Station and the heads were hung on the Khuni Darwaza (Bloody Gate).
source: Khwaja Hasan Nizami

Picture 3- The Dargah of Sheikh Baqi Billah in Paharganj, Delhi also houses a lovely cemetery. Very well cared for and peaceful.
The Mughal princes shot in1857 by Hodson are also buried here

#1857 #uprising1857, #firstwarofindianindependence #mirzamughal #hodson

India is home to many amazing stepwells. I have visited many of them all over India.
Today a different stepwell- Helical- in the Pavagadh area of Gujarat.
This 16th century well has a 1.2m-wide staircase that spirals down along the wall of the well shaft, making it quite unusual in design among stepwells

#stepwell #gujarat #pavagadh #pavagadhhills
#stepwell #gujarat #pavagadh #pavagadhhills

Nawab Mustafa Ali Khan Shefta (1809-1869 AD), was a famous poet and critic. He was a contemporary of Mirza Ghalib.
Like the majority of Muslim nobility he was arrested by the British in connection with the Uprising of 1857. He had close ties with the Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar.
However, unlike the more unfortunate ones from Kucha Chelan, such as Imam Baksh Sehbai he escaped execution and was sentenced to seven years imprisonment and his estates were seized, only half of which were later restored on appeal.
Later, his son Nawab Ishaq Khan bought the prison and built their family home on it.

Shefta died in 1869 at his house in Kucha Chelaan in Delh and was buried at his family graveyard at Hazrat Nizamuddin.
He belonged to the famous Bangash family and was buried in their family graveyard which was very close to the Loharu graveyard.
He was a close friend of Mirza Ghalib who stood by him in his hour of need and it’s fitting that they sleep their eternal sleep near each other. Unfortunately, heavy construction in the twentieth century has resulted in many changes and since no headstone or marker indicates his grave, we don’t know which one it is.
Whenever i go to Chausath Khamba i just recite a fatiha for all the souls there.
As per my understanding the Bangash family graveyard is behind Chausath Khamba. That area has many graves.
Ghalib’s tomb is separated from the Chausath Khamba by a wall.

Excerpt from: “The Forgotten Cities of Delhi: Book Two in the Where Stones Speak trilogy” by Rana Safvi.

image 1&2 – unidentified graves in that area
image 3- Chausath Khamba
Image 4- Ghalib’s tomb

Makanpur Dargah, near Kanpur is the resting place of Shah Madar who came to India from Syria in reign of Firoz Shah Tughlaq.

His miracles and power are legendary. He practised breath control and is said to have lived for 12 years on one breath giving rise to the name Dum Madar.

His gaze was so powerful that it could burn people & he wore a veil.
Shah Madar’s followers were divided into 4 sub orders:
the most popular in the public eye are the deewangan faqirs.
The deewangan madari follow many practices similar to those followed by yogis.

The Madariya order got royal patronage starting with the Sharqi rulers. The present shrine was built by Sharqi Sultan ad added to later by Mughal & local rulers.

The Madariya order grew very powerful under Mughals.
Both Dara Shukoh &Aurangzeb are said to have visited the dargah as per the dargah records.
The ASI report of 1881 records Aurangzeb ‘s visit

the earliest freedom fighters ag the British EIC known as the Faqir-Sanyasi revolt were the Madariyas deewangan faqirs.
Leader Majnu Shah Malang along with the sanyasis gave the British a tough fight for 15yrs.
Today Majnu Shah Malang’s grave in Makanpur lies neglected.
As sad end of one of our earliest freedom fighters.

The deewangan madariyas are the wandering ascetic who are found in many a dargah.
They followed yogic practises and smeared ash on their bodies and had long matted hair. Now wear flowing robes

The other sub orders are more conservative in their religious practices, following shariah strictly and of them the khademma look after the dargah.

#SufiThursdays #Makanpur #madar #madariya

11th Rabi us Sani, the Islamic month, marks the gyarvin sharif or the urs of the famous Sufi saint, of Ghaus-ul-Azam – Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani, whose shrine is in Baghdad
It has always been an important date in South Asia and was was celebrated here in various ways.
In Delhi, a circular tower which measured 118 feet × 88 feet was built on a 12 feet high plinth. It had arched entrances in the lower portion with four burjis on each of the four sides and one in the centre.

There is no authentic proof of the name of the builder but as per legend, a nawab saheb who had great faith in Syed Abdul Qadir Jilani, Ghaus-ul-Azam, built it in 1354 CE.

In Sufi traditions, particularly in India, urs celebrations are held to commemorate the death anniversaries of sufi saints.
Mehndiya’n was for celebrating the urs of Syed Abdul Qadir Jilani. The custom was to make bamboo structures, cover it with bright coloured paper and light lamps on it. This was called menhdi.

This nawab saheb also used to take out a menhdi. When he became rich and in a position to do something for his saint, he got this built in the same shape as the bamboo menhdi. He would illuminate this building and give charity on the day of the ceremony. Nothing else is known about him, though.

This monument became famous as Kushk e Mehndiya’n. It was immortalized by the Daniells (William and Thomas) in watercolour and it is one of the most iconic paintings of medieval India. The Maulana Azad Medical College now stands on this location.

According to Bazm e Aakhir, The month of Rabi-us Sani is called Meeranji. On the eleventh day of this month, the day of the urs of Ghaus-ul-Azam, there is a celebration in the Qila. All kinds of fireworks, some in the shape of animals, are set off in the courtyard of the Diwan-e-Khas. A bamboo frame covered with shimmering red paper, called a mehndi, is placed in the Diwan-e-Khas. It is made for illuminating candles and lamps. The dastarkhwan is spread out and every type of food is laid on it. The Badshah lights the mehndi and consecrates the food in the name of Ghaus-ul-Azam.

When the fireworks display starts, the food is distributed.

In Search of The Divine :Living Histories of Sufism in India