Abstract
Sufism, the essence of which is selflessness and actualization of the verity is pragmatically connected with the formative period of Islam. This paper seeks to examine the Sufi milieu and its amalgamated everyday practices. The lessons of mysticism and mystics have become the real motive of the everyday life activities of people. The proximity of people to such shrines is not only a vindication but also an exhibition of their promises. This relationship has been discussed in the ethnographic study of the famous khanqah of Sayed Ghulam Ali Shah Mashadi, popularly known as Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah of Shahdara Sharief, located in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory at the fringe of Northwest India. The everyday life experiences of people including those of the pilgrims, the religious functionaries, the shopkeepers, the local workers, and everyone associated with the khanqah of Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah have been examined in detail. The paper focuses on the meanings that people give to their activities which structure their social reality and existence on the principles of Sufism. This shrine of Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah is identified as a hub of acculturation where people from different regions, faith, and families visit and share their sacred time and space. The spirituality in invoking howl (a long loud emotional utterance), the rendering of naats (praise), and the poetry in the local language, the architecture of the shrine, and the spiritual relationship with ecology as an actual existence of human kinship and solidarity create a truly Sufi ambience.
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Notes
- 1.
Dervish Syed Farooq, is a famous Peer in the northern portion of Kashmir valley, who helps the Mureed (disciples) and devotees by giving them taveez (amulet) with Arabic script, sometimes verses of holy Quran written on paper while using black or green ink, and offering it to those who need it, in a double folded form.
- 2.
A khanqah is a building designed specifically for gatherings of a Sufi brotherhood or tariqa and is a place for spiritual retreat and character reformation.
- 3.
When I used to wake up early morning around 5:00 am I always accompanied the visitors or pilgrims with whom I had slept in the free Sleeping Hall. From one side few young boys used to clamor; “stand up it is not the time to sleep, it is time to offer namaz”. From another side muezzin recited Aazan. Once it was crowded inside the ‘Sleeping Hall’ and suddenly I saw one person getting hit on the wall and was laying down with his head bleeding. After a few seconds, another person came and was trying to help him. After two to three hours I saw this person outside the garden near the evergreen orange tree as well as the person who helped him. I started talking to them. They narrated that; he was living a normal life until he tried to do some ‘supernatural’ practice. He had purchased some books and got interested in the magical stuff. However, after one and half years he started getting sick day by day, and now he could not remain conscious for more than one and a half hours a day. He practiced the supernatural art without consulting a proper guide or a teacher which subsequently led to his current state. Doctors have declared him psychologically unsound (Friday 5:00, 09/11/2018).
- 4.
History of Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah (http://babaghulamshah.com/).
- 5.
Management: Property of Ziarat Sharda Sharief (http://babaghulamshah.com/management.html).
- 6.
See the official site of Dept. of Tourism, Govt. of J&K: www.jktourism.jk.gov.in.
- 7.
There is a difference between ‘Tomb’ and ‘Khanqah’; a tomb is an inner portion where the Sufi saint has been buried or the place that is under concealment. This place is considered sacred and in Jammu and Kashmir is locally known as roza or martyr. Khanqah means the overall premises of the Sufi saint including another portion build of walls where the pilgrims make a round of the roza or the actual tomb. This khanqah in the local language both in the Kashmir valley and at Shahdara is known as ziyarat which means pilgrimage.
- 8.
This mason named ‘Hayat Baksh’ was physically unable to work, but Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah showed another miracle while he deputed him to work for the construction of the ‘roza’ or tomb of the Khanqah. As per the narrator, Hayat Baksh replied; “I am physically not well, so how can I work?” Then Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah came into ‘Jalal’ awfulness (aura) and ordered him to stand up, he tried once and could stand. After that, the mason worked hard and constructed the tomb of Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah during his life.
- 9.
Bulawa means ‘calling’. In the premises of the shrine, one pilgrim narrated that in this khanqah ‘Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah’ does not call all the people. He further said that there are a few people here who are spiritually called by ‘Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah’. He told that once inside the roza tomb, ‘Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah’ came into a dream of a person who was from ‘Punch’ and told him to come here and wash the roza or the tomb. This story he told was narrated by his grandfather and he (Grandfather) was in turn told by his grandfather. However, there may be differences in this concept of ‘bulawa’; one ‘bulawa’ may be for those who are spiritually connected with ‘Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah’ and the other ‘bulawa’ maybe for those who are anxious in their life, and suddenly decide to visit this khanqah.
- 10.
Wazaif (spiritual brooding/duty) is like a task (written lines) given to some person who believes in their spiritual power if recited repeatedly as per the given order and schedule.
- 11.
For more details see Singh (2000). Islamic Heritage of Kashmir.
- 12.
In Jammu, several mazaars or tombs of saints and Sufis can be found inside the city and easily visible. These Sufi saints are famous as Peer Baba. I have observed that both the Hindus and Muslims visit these sites of ‘Peer Baba’ every Thursday. At every Peer Baba tomb, there is a traditional lamp (chirag or diya) on the upper side of the tomb (North) lit for all twenty-four hours. People pour oil inside these pots of traditional lamps and collect some oil as a relic and use it for different kinds of bodily problems. However, in the Kashmir valley, the architecture of tombs of these Sufis and saints is quite different from Jammu. In Kashmir valley the tombs are constructed in an Iranian style of architecture popularly known as ‘roza’, they look like gauze where one may swaddle bangles and pieces of cloths that people consider the best way of making beseech over the Sufi khanqah. Therefore, what is in Kashmir may be found in Shahdara, because Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah came from Mashad, Iran carrying a similar architecture.
- 13.
History of Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah. See: https://babaghulamshah.com/history/html.
- 14.
Wazwan is a famous Kashmiri food. This food is prepared especially on marriage occasions in Kashmir valley. The whole wazwan consists of more than 20 varieties of meat, some varieties are made of vegetables also.
- 15.
‘Syed Mian Bashir’ lived in Kashmir Valley, the exact place is ‘Lar’ of Ganderbal district and he is famous in Rajouri district, where people call him ‘Syed Mian Bashir Larvi’. He is a spiritual Darvesh or Peer, and a large number of people from Rajouri visit his khanqah. He belonged to the Pahari community and spoke the Pahari dialect. Therefore, people living in the hilly areas considered ‘Syed Mian Bashir Larvi’ and his generation as the successor of this khanqah of Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah.
- 16.
‘Agar Khan’ was the son of ‘Rani Mahali’, the Queen. She got him because of the blessings of Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah. At that time ‘Raja Karamullah Khan’ was the king of Rajouri. His age was around 90 years and ‘Rani Mahali’ was around 80 years old. Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah told them; “you will be sanctified with four sons, among them one will be the next king and his name will be Agar Khan”. Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah in advance advised him that he must be a moral king, otherwise, he would be desperately chastised. Correspondingly, Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah informed ‘Rani Mahali’ that; “tonight in Agra, inside the forest, a pair of tigers are going for mating, I have wished to Allah for that baby, and you will be blessed with one son after nine months, you will find an appearance of a tiger on the arm of your son, you have to choose the name of your son by starting with Agra”. That is why they choose his name as ‘Agar Khan’.
- 17.
Christianity and Islam have been found interrelated with each other in certain ways. One Mr. Braganza from Madhya Pradesh had a discussion with me about the difference between Islam and Christianity. He works in the Army and commented that this place is like an armchair in which one can take ease. He further said that he knows that this is a religious place, but he considers it a secular habitat because he did not find any kind of practice enforcing religious rituals. He also said; ‘whenever I come here, I always pay my respects to Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah in my way without adhering to the principles of Islam but no one interjects in what I do with my visiting hours in this place’. (Saturday, 3:00, 19/10/2018).
- 18.
In early times these Sufi saints used to teach Quran near the adjacent room of their khanqah. On the first day, they taught about Iman-e-Mujmal and Iman-e-Mufisal to those children or adults who every morning visited their (Sufi) khanqah. This was introduced by Sufi saint ‘Mir Syed Ali Hamdani’ in Kashmir and then learned by the other people in neighboring places. In the whole of Jammu and Kashmir, the concepts of dargah and madrasa were introduced by those Sufi and saints who first came to the valley.
- 19.
In Kashmir, it is called wanjigash. It opens up inner eyes. When you are enlightened you can visualize the hidden that cannot be perceived otherwise. This was the vision of Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah who ordained Gulab Singh, a Dogra soldier to be the King. Maharaja Gulab Singh became the ruler of Kashmir in 1846 and ruled till 1857. The Dogra dynasty ruled Kashmir from 1846–1947 (Thursday Morning 7:00, 1/11/2018 while listening to a pilgrim from the Kashmir Valley).
- 20.
This incident was narrated by the accountant of the khanqah and corroborated by other pilgrims from nearby areas who come here frequently.
- 21.
Chilla is a specific period of examination for a novice. It is a distance that one travels before entering into the domain of mysticism. The period extends from 40 days to 40 years. In this period, a person has to conform to stringent examination. He is to acquire austerity, simplicity, and piety. During this period, he is to remain neat, clean, and tidy. He is required to kill his ego. In Islam, there are various categories of water, Zamzam, nectar, and Kousar water. Man is cleaned by water when born, water is the essence of life. It is used for ablution for five prayers. The last bath to the dead body is also given by this water (On Friday 2:42 pm.02/11/2018 discussion with a ‘Peer’ about spiritualism, after attending a funeral prayer of a local resident).
- 22.
Ahl-E-Sunnat-Wal-Jamat literally means those who follow the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet Mohammad PBUH. It is predicted in his teachings that Muslims in the extreme would be divided into 72 groups, such as (i) Baralwi, (ii) Ahle-hadees, (iii) Jamati-Islamia, (iv) Tablighi-Jamat, etc., but it would be complicated to identify which group is the right one. However, this Ahl-e-Sunnat-Wal-Jamat is one of the groups, in a local language known as ‘Itaqadies’ or believers who recognize themselves as the right one and believe in the physical as well as the spiritual presence or existence of these Sufi saints.
- 23.
Islam has a specific calendar. The first year instigates in 622 A.D. with the Hegira, when Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and the first Muslims took flight from Mecca to Medina. Throughout this book, the dates used are given as Islamic/Christian/modern Calendar.
- 24.
- 25.
See: https://www.bgsbu.ac.in/.
- 26.
Ibid.
- 27.
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Hussain, P.A. (2021). Sufism and the Khanqah of Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah in Shahdara Sharief: An Ethnographic Fathom. In: Chauhan, A. (eds) Understanding Culture and Society in India. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-1598-6_3
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