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The medieval splendour of Bijapur

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Vijayapura (formerly) Bijapur, KARNATAKA :

The myriad monuments of Bijapur, such as the Gol Gumbaz, the Jami Masjid, the Malik-e-Maidan and the Ibrahim Rauza, continue to evoke the grandeur of its past as the capital city of a sultanate that held sway for two centuries.

The Ibrahim Rauza contains the tomb of Ibrahim Adil Shah II (r. 1580-1627). The tomb and the mosque in the complex were built by Malik Sandal, the celebrated Abyssinian architect in the Adil Shahi Sultanate of Bijapur.

DURING the reigns of Ibrahim Adil Shah II (r. 1580-1627) and Mohammed Adil Shah (r. 1627-1656) over the Deccan Sultanate of Bijapur, there lived an architect of Abyssinian origin called Malik Sandal who, some historians aver, learnt his trade in Turkey before being lured to the lands of the Deccan. Among the many splendorous monuments that this architect designed is the Ibrahim Rauza, the tomb of Ibrahim Adil Shah II, which the architectural historian Helen Philon describes “as the most beautiful and splendid of all Adil Shahi funerary monuments”. Malik Sandal used the services of a guild of builders whom he trained, called the imaratwale (builders).

Almost four centuries after Malik Sandal’s time, a descendant of this guild of builders continues to live in the city of Bijapur (now Vijayapura). While he has abandoned the profession of his ancestors, Abdul Gani Imaratwale often wanders into monuments that his forebears must have built, laying one basaltic block over another. His wanderings are not nostalgic strolls but serious forays of a historian of the medieval Sultanate of Bijapur who teaches at the Anjuman Degree College in Vijayapura. Seeking a deeper understanding of the history of Bijapur, Imaratwale often finds himself staring for hours at something as obscure as the fish motifs that adorn many of the monuments in this grand city. Bijapur in its heyday, rivalled and, at times, surpassed its Mughal contemporaries such as Delhi, Agra and Lahore in magnificence.

Imaratwale, who has published several books on various aspects of medieval Bijapur, has now brought out his latest edited volume, Studies in Bijapur Sultanate . His co-editor in this work is Maqsood Afzal Jagirdar, who is the direct descendant of Afzal Khan (d. 1659), a powerful generalissimo of the Adil Shahis. Thus, the two editors of the volume, apart from being scholars, have primordial familial links with the history of the Adil Shahi Sultanate of Bijapur.

Studies in Bijapur Sultanate consists of 43 academic papers, of which 17 are from an academic seminar that took place in 1983 in Bijapur when Imaratwale was a young historian, while the remainder are the outputs of modern research. In the latter section, the majority of the papers are authored by Imaratwale, followed by Jagirdar. The work of a few more scholars complete the volume.

The inclusion of unpublished papers from the seminar of 1983 is an academic scoop of sorts as they add tremendously to our understanding of the history of this epoch. Scholars from New Delhi, Hyderabad, Pune, Kolhapur, Bangalore (now Bengaluru) and Mysore (now Mysuru) had made the journey to Bijapur to participate in this pathbreaking seminar. On the second day of the seminar, they were taken around Bijapur in horse-drawn tongas to see the Gol Gumbaz, Jama Masjid, the massive cannon called the Malik-e-Maidan and the Ibrahim Rauza. Many of these historians, who had spent most of their academic lives researching the Deccan and south India, have since passed away, making this exercise of publishing their papers even more precious.

The Bijapur Sultanate was founded in 1489 by the Persian migrant Yusuf Adil Khan (known as Shah in later histories) (r. 1489-1510), who was a protege of the Bahmani Prime Minister Mahmud Gawan. At the time, the almost 150-year-old Bahmani Sultanate that stretched across the northern Deccan was in its death throes because of internecine differences among the native and foreign components in its nobility. The execution of Mahmud Gawan in 1481 at the behest of Mohammed Shah III (r. 1463-1482), the last notable king of the Bahmani throne who ruled from Bidar, catalysed the breakneck speed at which this empire unravelled as governors of different provinces gradually assumed independent power.

Over the next two decades, the boundaries of the northern Deccan would have to be redrawn to account for the birth of five new principalities, or Sultanates, of the Deccan that emerged from the implosion of the Bahmani Empire. The Deccan Sultanates that emerged were Bijapur (the Adil Shahi Sultanate), Golconda (the Qutb Shahi Sultanate), Ahmednagar (the Nizam Shahi Sultanate), Bidar (the Barid Shahi Sultanate) and Berar (the Imad Shahi Sultanate). Of these five, the three Sultanates of Bijapur, Golconda and Ahmednagar survived as robust and strong states into the 17th century when the imperial ambitions of the Mughals snuffed them out forever. The last great Mughal, Aurangzeb (r. 1658-1707), personally led campaigns to the Deccan, vanquishing Bijapur and Golconda in 1686 and 1687 respectively, ending the era of the Deccan Sultanates. Thus, historians like S.K. Aruni argue that the Deccan Sultanates formidably “resisted the north Indian imperialism” of the Mughals. Nine Sultans ruled the Adil Shahi Sultanate of Bijapur over the two centuries of its independent existence between 1489 and 1686. They ruled over a linguistically diverse land from their headquarters of Bijapur that lay at the nebulous meeting point of the Kannada- and Marathi-speaking lands. Their reign would later extend into the Tamil-speaking areas of the deep south as well. Like the other Deccan Sultanates of Ahmednagar and Golconda, which were ruled by ardent Shiites (as opposed to the Sunni Mughals), Bijapur, too, had a Shiite orientation that manifested in its close relationship with the Shiite Safavid dynasty of Persia.

Here, it is important to mention that even though Yusuf Adil Shah was the first Muslim king in India to declare himself as Shiite, his descendants often vacillated between Shiism and the Sunni creed. These rulers also never imposed their Shiite creed on their fellow Muslims, which is vindicated by the fact that Shiites continue to remain a negligible minority among modern Muslims even in the city of Vijayapura. Sufi saints such as Sayyed Hashim Husaini Alvi (the full name of Hazrat Hashimpeer) were also patronised by the ruling clique.

Like the Bahmanis before them, the Sultans of Bijapur ruled over a variety of people. Among the nobility itself, the factional schism between the Afaqis (or the foreign component which Imaratwale prefers to call Gharibuddiyar ) and the Dakhnis (or the native component) that had been the bane of the Bahmani court continued to fester in the Bijapur court as well. There were also Habshis or the Abyssinians who were an important faction in the court as well. Among its non-Muslim population, the Bijapur rulers formed a tight patron-client relationship with the Maratha nobility, with at least one prominent historian of the medieval Deccan, P.M. Joshi, comparing this relationship to the one that existed between the Mughals and the Rajputs in Hindustan or north India.

Imaratwale lists some of the prominent Maratha families that served the Adil Shahis militarily. These include the “Nimbalkars of Phaltan, Ghatges of Maun, Manes of Muswar, Ghorpades of Mudhol, Dafles of Jath, Sawants of Wari, etc.”. Marathi-speaking brahmins also served Bijapur in its civil administrative work. This relationship dates back to the founder of the dynasty, Yusuf Adil Shah, who married a Maratha noblewoman, and before him to the Bahmanis who had built a close relationship with the Marathas.

Bijapur was often involved in wars with the empire of Vijayanagara, its powerful neighbour in the south. In direct confrontations such as the battles that took place in 1510 and 1520, Vijayanagara (that was ruled by Krishnadevaraya [r. 1510-1529] at the time) was able to trump Bijapur. In the chequerboard of the medieval Deccan, victories or losses were never permanent, which meant that Bijapur would often ally with Vijayanagara over the next few decades in conflicts with its sibling Sultanates, until a final breach in this fluctuating relationship led to the Battle of Talikota in 1565. Four (of the five) Deccan Sultanates, including Bijapur, set aside their squabbles to briefly ally in this ultimate battle, which sounded the death knell for Vijayanagara. Historians have argued that the confederation of Sultanates, while having the smaller army, gained an immense advantage because of their advances in artillery pioneered by engineers such as Fatehullah Shirazi who lived in Bijapur during the reign of Ali Adil Shah I (r. 1558-1579). Bijapur benefited tremendously from this battle as it paved the path for the southern expansion of its territory across the Tungabhadra river as they were able to defeat a number of vassals of Vijayanagara over the next century.

Moment of glory

The victory at Talikota also led to the commencement of a golden period for Bijapur which saw a flurry of construction as Hindu artisans from the defeated capital of Vijayanagara sought new patrons. Bijapur entered its moment of glory with the ascension of Ibrahim Adil Shah II in 1580, who ruled for almost 50 years and is considered the greatest Adil Shahi Sultan. Part of his reign coincided with the reign of the greatest Mughal king, Akbar (r. 1556-1605), and aspects of Ibrahim Adil Shah II’s personality were similar to those of Akbar as the Bijapur ruler also had an eclectic outlook and, some argue, tried to establish a syncretic religious creed on the lines of Din-i-Ilahi .

In fact, Ibrahim Adil Shah II was addressed as “Jagat Guru”, for, as an aesthete steeped in musical and literary pursuits, he was a devotee of Goddess Saraswati. In some of the farmans (royal edicts) issued during his rule, he is referred to as Az Puja Shri Saraswati . Ibrahim Adil Shah II’s own composition, the Kitab-e-Nauras , contains lavish praise of Saraswati. Ibrahim Adil Shah II was also more comfortable in Marathi, a consequence of the ruling dynasty’s close links with Maratha nobility and the status that the language had as the lingua franca, than with Persian, which he spoke with some difficulty. He also patronised poets in his court, including Mulla Zuhuri, who wrote: “If they make the elixir of mirth and pleasure/They make it from the holy dust of Bijapur”.

A Mughal envoy, Asad Baig, who visited Bijapur during the reign of Ibrahim Adil Shah II, describes it thus: “In one street [of the bazaar in Bijapur] were thousands of people drinking; and dancers, lovers and pleasure seekers assembled. None quarrelled or disputed with one another and this state of things was perpetual. Perhaps no other place in the world could present a more wonderful spectacle to the eye of the traveller.” On his return to the court of Akbar, he took along with him fabulous gifts, including tobacco and Chanchal, the favourite elephant of the Sultan, who was “accustomed to drinking two mans [one man is equal to 37.324 kilograms] of wine daily”.

Mohammed Adil Shah (r. 1627-1656) also displayed some of his father’s penchant for art, music and literature, apart from being a wise ruler. It is his remains that are interred in the Gol Gumbaz, the awe-inspiring mausoleum that has one of the largest free-standing domes in the world.

At its peak in the first half of the 17th century, the boundaries of the Bijapur Sultanate touched both the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. In the West, Bijapur traded with Persia, Arabia, East Africa and Europe through its entrepots of Chaul, Dabhol, Bhatkal and Goa (which it lost to the Portuguese in 1510). Leaving the eastern Deccan in the hands of its neighbour, the Sultanate of Golconda, Bijapur’s tentacle of power extended south and south-east across Bangalore, Mysore, Tanjore and Madurai. This vast swathe meant that it was the second largest kingdom in India at the time after the Mughal Empire. The territory of the Sultanate encompassed regions in the modern Indian States of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Evan as Bijapur reached the apogee of its power, its clashes with the Mughals who had become its northern neighbour after gobbling up the Sultanate of Ahmednagar, and increasingly fractious wrangling with the Marathas who had coalesced under Shivaji’s leadership, restricted its power. The early rise of Shivaji, who became the first Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire reigning between 1674 and 1680, can be indirectly attributed to the Adil Shahis. His father Shahji was one of the chief generals of the Bijapur army during the reign of Mohammed Adil Shah and Ali Adil Shah II (r. 1656-1672) and was even granted a string of titles and the jagir (landholding) of Bangalore for his services.

The decline of the Bijapur Sultanate set in after the ascension of Ali Adil Shah II, who was unable to complete the building of his own tomb (the incomplete structure is erroneously called Barakaman and was possibly conceived to be larger than the Gol Gumbaz), and continued under Sikandar Adil Shah (r. 1672-1686) who, after a year-long siege of Bijapur, was captured by Mughal forces in 1686 ending the saga of the Adil Shahis.

The Adil Shahis’ liberal religious policies, their broad outlook towards their subjects of various ethnicities, their patronage of art and literature also ensured that their reign engendered a unique Deccani culture in their territories, vestiges of which continue to linger on in modern Karnataka and Maharashtra. Their legacy in language can be seen in Dakhni Urdu, which continues to be spoken by Deccani and south Indian Muslims even to this day. In the implementation of justice, the “Adil Shahi kings preferred Hindu law for Hindu subjects and the Muslims were governed by Shariah .” The farmans of the Adil Shahis were in Persian but often appended by a translation in Marathi or Kannada. The historian and archaeologist Dr A. Sundara has demonstrated that the Deccani architectural style of the Adil Shahis even had an impact on temple architecture.

Imaratwale makes the important point that “Hindus enjoyed socio-religious freedom” during the Adil Shahi period. Many of the Persian histories written during the Adil Shahi period mention how the Hindu population celebrated festivals such as Ugadi, Holi, Deepavali and Dasara, and the rulers financially supported “annual fairs and the maintenance of religious places such as temples and mathas ”. The contemporary Persian histories that Imaratwale relies upon are valuable sources of Bijapur history. Chief among these is Tarikh-e-Farishtah of Muhammad Qasim Hindu Shah Astrabadi, who wrote this history under the patronage of Ibrahim Adil Shah II.

While modern Vijayapura, also the district headquarters, is a nondescript city, its myriad monuments continue to evoke the grandeur of its past. Both religious structures, be they tombs or mosques, and secular structures, such as forts, tanks, palaces, markets and gardens, still vie for the attention of the modern-day tourist. The detritus of majestic structures that survives in its suburbs and neighbouring towns and villages such as Afzalpur, Tikota, Kumatagi, Ainapur, Aliabad and Nauraspur, also beckon discerning visitors.

Abdul Gani Imaratwale can be contacted at dr.imaratwale@gmail.com

source: http://www.frontline.thehindu.com / Frontline / Home> Arts & Culture> Heritage / by Vikhar Ahmed Sayeed / July 09th, 2021

Safe walls of Bijapur’s past

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Vijayapura (formerly) Bijapur, KARNATAKA :

A secure inn for gem traders during the Adil Shahi era, Nawab Mustafa Khan Sarai houses prisoners today.

The interiors of the Nawab Mustafa Khan Sarai now known as Dargah Jail Photo | Express

Vijayapura :

Several historical remnants dot the landscape of Vijayapura, reflecting Bijapur’s glorious past. While Gol Gumbaz and Ibrahim Roza are some shining examples of Deccan Indo-Islamic architecture, there is another imposing structure of that bygone era, which is still alive and in use today.

With its formidable heightened walls built with large black stone over five acres of land; a narrow arched-entrance, flanked by small rooms for guards; and a grand courtyard, surrounded by rooms for accommodation, a large kitchen, and bathrooms, Nawab Mustafa Khan Sarai served as the most secure place of stay and rest for travellers and traders in precious gems for over four decades.

Nawab Mustafa Khan Sarai, translated as Nawab Mustafa Khan Inn, continues as a secure place of boarding even today, the only difference being that it’s no longer an inn. Located around 4 km from the central bus stand in Vijayapura city, this splendid monument houses hundreds of prisoners, since being converted into a jail during the British Raj.

Dargah Jail

Popularly known as Dargah Jail, owing to its proximity to the shrine (Dargah) of Sufi saint Hazrat Khwaja Ameen Chishti, the monument is a reminder of the architectural marvels sanctioned by the Adil Shahi dynasty that ruled the South-Western part of India during 1490-1686 CE. Specifically, the Bijapur Central Prison, which is historically Nawab Mustafa Khan Sarai, was built by Nawab Mustafa Khan in 1636 CE. Khan was appointed Commander-in-Chief during the reign of Sultan Mohammed Adil Shah, and proved himself to be an astute administrator.

Elucidating the need for such an inn or boarding house, historians cite the wealth and prestige of the Sultanate of Bijapur in the 17th century that called for such structures to be built.

“Since Bijapur had gained immense prosperity during the Adil Shahi period, hundreds of domestic and international travellers and traders started visiting it. At that time, a new suburb called Shahapur was commissioned, which had all modern facilities of the time. Since travellers traded in precious stones from across the globe, they needed a safe and secure place to stay in Bijapur. Considering the need, Mustafa Khan got the inn built in 1636 CE near Vijayapura city, which was located close to Shahapur then,” explains Dr Abdul Gani Imaratwale.

A painting Nawab Mustafa Khan

The veteran historian, who has written several books on Bijapur’s history, said the inn’s tall walls were designed to prevent intruders from entering the premises, protecting the resident traders and their priceless wares.

“To instil a sense of security among traders and travellers, Khan also got a verse of the Quran inscribed on a wall of the monument. The verse means – ‘Allah is assuring all those who have entered heaven they need not to be scared or carry any fear as they are now safe and secure because they are in the custody of Allah’. This verse is meant to reassure visitors that they are in a very safe and secure place,” Dr Imaratwale elaborates.

Further, he says the sultan had appointed guards, whose job was to keep the precious items of the traders in their custody and maintain a complete record. The visitors were charged some fee for the service.

Inn becomes prison

The inn continued to function for several years until the end of the Adil Shahi dynasty, and then it was captured by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in 1686 CE. Soon after, the traders stopped arriving, and the once bustling structure fell to ruin and disrepair, and remained deserted for another two centuries.

In 1885, the British, under whose control Bijapur was at that time as part of the Bombay Presidency, decided to convert the Sarai into a prison. Historical records suggest that the British wanted to build a prison, but first wished to explore the possibility of converting any monument into one, with some minor changes. The colonial authorities found the inn suitable, and decided to go ahead with turning it into a jail, allocating Rs 20,000. “The British found the monument best-suited for a prison, because of the high walls surrounding it. Also, it had rooms that could be converted into barracks for inmates,” Dr Imaratwale informs.

Today, the jail has 10 barracks, with each having a capacity to house around 40 inmates. There are around 500 prisoners (male and female, and convicts and undertrials) lodged here. In due course, more amenities have been added for the inmates. Security features such as CCTV cameras too have been installed.

In 1983, the jail was converted into a District Central Prison, where convicts began to be incarcerated. But over time, the authorities found the prison proving to be small to accommodate an increasing number of prisoners, prompting the government to construct a new high-tech jail on the city’s outskirts. Officials said that work on the new building is under way. Soon, the present jail will be shifted to a new facility. Till then, Dargah Jail will remain one of the oldest prisons in the country.

A symbol of piety

Besides constructing a ‘sarai’ or inn for travellers, Nawab Mustafa Khan also got a large mosque built in the central part of old Bijapur city. Located on Bari Kamaan (large arch) Road, the mosque is said to be built in 1639 CE, and later became popular as Nawab Masjid. It is still used regularly for prayers. Though a masjid committee is taking care of the Masjid, since it is listed as a ‘protected monument’ by the Archaeological Survey of India as it is an edifice of historical importance. Historians view the Masjid as a unique monument, constructed using only large stone slabs. Another striking feature is that it has no pillars, entirely standing on huge stone walls. The design of the inner arch, where the Imam leads the namaz, is said to have been derived from the historical Jama Masjid. The inner area can accommodate at least 200 worshippers, while an equal number of people can offer prayers in the outer area. The mosque also has a tank for ablution, which used to be full of water round the year in past, since it was connected via underground pipes to the Begum Talab, almost 3 km away.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Firoz Rozindar / July 21st, 2024

Writer Banu Mushtaq Inaugurates Dasara Festival In Mysuru

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KARNATAKA :

BanuMushtaq was accompanied by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, several ministers in the state cabinet, among others.

Banu Mushtaq inaugurated the Mysuru Dasara festival.

Mysuru :

The famous Mysuru Dasara festival commenced in the city and palaces on Monday with religious and traditional fervour, with International Booker Prize-winning writer Banu Mushtaq inaugurating the festivities.

Banu Mushtaq inaugurated the festivities during the auspicious “Vrushchika Lagna” by showering flowers on the idol of goddess Chamundeshwari, the presiding deity of Mysuru and its royals, amid chanting of Vedic hymns by priests, at the premises of Chamundeshwari temple atop the Chamundi Hills here.

Celebrated as ‘Nada Habba’ (state festival), the 11-day Dasara or ‘Sharan Navaratri’ festivities are expected to be a grand affair this year, showcasing Karnataka’s rich culture and traditions, coupled with reminiscence of royal pomp and glory.

In the inaugural event, Banu Mushtaq was accompanied by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, several ministers in the state cabinet, among others.

Earlier, Banu Mushtaq, along with Chief Minister and other dignitaries, visited the Chamundeshwari temple and offered prayers to the goddess, referred to as the “Naada Devate” (state deity), ahead of the inaugural. 

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

source: http://www.ndtv.com / NDTV / Home> News> India News / by Press Trust of India / September 22nd, 2025

How a 71-year-old Muslim villager’s “hoarding” of everyday objects won a coveted spot at the V&A Museum in London

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Kelepara Village (near Hoogly), WEST BENGAL :

Ohida Khandekar’s Dream Your Museum, an installation and film about her uncle’s collection won the V&A’s Jameel Prize for contemporary art and design inspired by Islamic traditions.

Selim Khandakar with his grand-niece and the trunks housing his collection. | Photo Credit: Anand Kumar Ekboty

Selim Khandakar, 71, has always dreamt of making a museum in his village for the 12,000-plus objects he has collected over 50 years. A small portion of that collection has now reached one of the best museums in the world — the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) in London — thanks to his artist niece, Ohida Khandakar. 

Ohida, 31, has turned her uncle’s lifelong obsession into an installation and film — Dream Your Museum — which won the V&A’s prestigious Jameel Prize for contemporary art and design inspired by Islamic traditions. The work is not just a tribute to what seems to be her uncle’s calling; it also challenges colonial museum structures and asks whether ordinary, personal objects deserve a place in museums. Can museums be flexible and inclusive spaces, showcasing the narratives of minority communities and customs? Are private collections the exclusive privilege of the rich?

The installation and film, ‘Dream Your Museum’, at the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) in London.

Selim worked as a doctor’s compounder in Kolkata and started collecting random objects from the year 1970. A stamp exhibition piqued his interest first, prompting him to start collecting them. He also came across an exhibition of vintage objects from Mallik Bari, one of Kolkata’s heritage homes. “It was a record of what objects were used in the ancient times and how lives were led,” Selim tells me over a Zoom call from his home in Kelepara, a village near Hooghly, West Bengal. “It inspired me to start collecting whatever felt like a record of the common person’s life and times. From bus tickets to stamps to refills of pens, I wouldn’t throw anything away.” 

An assortment of rare and mundane items makes up Selim’s collection. Old clocks, inscribed ceramics, vintage records and music players, letters dating back to Partition, perfume bottles, crystal rocks, hand fans, stamps, handbills, ink pots, cameras, train tickets, receipts, even matriculation answer sheets from the 70s!

Selim Khandakar surrounded by the objects he has collected over the years. | Photo Credit: Anand Kumar Ekboty

Gramophones to baby clothes

Much of Selim’s collection is housed in tin trunks and scattered across his home in Kelepara. It sometimes becomes a ‘travelling museum’ for people in the village to explore and interact with the objects as Selim takes them around. There is curiosity, awe, some ridicule, some laughter, and from those who understand history and record keeping, even encouragement.

Ohida’s film captures Selim walking through village fields with his trunk, stopping by the river to rinse some crystal stones, and holding them up to the sun. “Where did you find these, nanu?” asks Maria, his grand-niece, who appears in the film. “In the graveyard,” Selim replies.

Selim Khandakar walking through village fields with his trunk. | Photo Credit: Anand Kumar Ekboty

Ohida, who studied art at the Government College of Art & Craft, Kolkata, and Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, says it is sometimes hard to understand what keeps her uncle going. Is it hoarding, as his exasperated family has often believed? She and Selim don’t think so. Instead, he thinks his collection, much like Dream Your Museum, is about storytelling. “Collecting is my way of showing people from my village a glimpse of things from around the world,” Selim notes. “Like rare coins dating back to the Mughal period or vintage perfume bottles from around the world. Often people here do not get a chance to go to cities to see such things. That’s what has always kept me going.”

Selim Khandakar’s house that was destroyed after a cyclone.. | Photo Credit: Anand Kumar Ekboty

Once displayed in his modest mud house, now destroyed after a cyclone, Selim’s possessions came close to being discarded by his family until Ohida decided to document it digitally. She reacquainted herself with both her uncle and his collection when stuck at home during the pandemic. To her artist’s eye, it is a compelling one, given its range — from gramophones to baby clothes from the 80s. “It even has a bunch of fingernails [Selim’s own] in a box. It reminds me of Marcel Duchamp’s Dadaist Fountain exhibit [1917], where he displayed an upside-down urinal. Such objects challenge conventional notions of what belongs in a museum. These items, including a broken plate passed down through generations, show the power of storytelling through objects.”

Selim laughs when asked about the fingernails. “I had once visited an exhibition where I saw art made with fingernails and thought I would do the same with mine. It made me curious, so I kept them.”

What makes a museum?

Curiosity has been the driving force behind Selim’s obsession and this is what Ohida celebrates in her work. Maria accompanies Selim throughout the film, asking him curious questions about the objects in his collection, an attempt to peek into his mind. Ohida started filming Dream Your Museum as an entry for the 2022 Berlin Biennale, where it was received well, eventually landing her the V&A award.

Filmmaker Ohida Khandakar

Growing up in Kelepara, Ohida hadn’t stepped inside a museum until she came to study art in Kolkata. “I had achieved my dream of studying art and moving beyond a village where many women still had no voice and were married off early. It made me wonder — was there a limit to our dreams? Was there a limit to the dreams of my uncle, a rural, aged Muslim man?”

With the funds from the award, Ohida is now hoping to create a museum for her uncle’s collection and a cultural space in the village. “We need accessible museums that work as alternative spaces for the narratives of rural minority communities; as safe spaces for women without opportunities; to engage those who might not typically visit traditional museums due to a lack of knowledge, distance or financial constraints.”

In Dream Your Museum, her camera gently films Selim among his collections in his crumbling ancestral home. He expresses frustration at having no permanent place even after 50 years to showcase his prized collection. “I’ll now make a museum on the moon,” he declares.

The writer is a freelance journalist and the co-author of ‘Rethink Ageing’ (2022).

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Art / by Reshmi Chakraborty / April 20th, 2025

Sarkhej Roza: A cultural and architectural gem, an oasis of calm

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Ahmedabad, GUJARAT :

Built in the 15th century, Sarkhej Roza on the outskirts of Ahmedabad holds many different worlds within its vast expanse.

The site comprises a mosque, tombs as well as mausoleums, palaces, pavilions, and noble houses (Express/Bhupendra Rana)

As the sun begins setting behind the domes, the rays filter through the stone filigree splashing a gold hue in the vast compound. The devout makes their way to the vast mosque for the evening prayers; in another corner, a seeker sits in the enclosure housing a tomb, lost in a world of her own. Under the baradari, a weary traveller takes a nap; at the dried-up reservoir beyond the mosque, children play a game of cricket.

Built in the 15th century, Sarkhej Roza on the outskirts of Ahmedabad holds many different worlds within its vast expanse. The monument complex stands as a testament to Gujarat’s rich cultural and architectural heritage.

The site comprises a mosque, tombs of sheikhs, sultans, and the royal family, as well as mausoleums, palaces, pavilions, and noble houses. At its heart lies the famous Ahmed-Sar Tank, a man-made lake excavated in the 15th century by Sultan Mehmud Begada, the great-grandson of Sultan Ahmed Shah, who founded Ahmedabad in 1411.

A protected monument, Sarkhej Roza falls under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the Sarkhej Roza Committee. Built in a village of indigo dyers and weavers, the monument, said to have been built by Ahmed Shah’s successor and son, Muhammad Shah II, became the repose of the mid-15th century Saint Shaikh Ahmad Ganj Baksh Khattu, one of the four Ahmads who laid the foundation of Ahmedabad in 1411 AD. Following his death in 1446 AD, Sultan Muhammad Shah II commissioned an exquisite tomb and mosque in his memory, which were later completed by his son and successor, Sultan Qutbuddin Ahmad Shah II, between 1451 and 1458 AD. Over time, Sarkhej Roza became a favoured retreat for Gujarat’s sultans and eventually evolved into a Sufi town with the addition of palaces, gardens, pavilions, royal tombs, grand gateways, and a vast artificial lake spanning 17 acres.

Historians and architectural experts consider Sarkhej Roza a unique and unparalleled collection of historical buildings. Its Indo-Saracenic architecture seamlessly blends elements of Hindu, Jain, and Islamic design, creating a masterpiece.

Among the mausoleums of Agra and Gujarat, Sarkhej Roza is believed to be the largest architectural complex of its kind. The site holds deep spiritual significance for both Hindus and Muslims, attracting visitors from all walks of life.

The intricate jali work on the outer and inner walls showcases beautiful geometric patterns, while the exquisite craftsmanship in brass, silver, and enamel enhances its aesthetic appeal. Sultan Mahmud Begada, known for his bravery and vision, decorated the structure in such a way that many believe it contributed to Ahmedabad’s recognition as a Unesco World Heritage City, although it is some 10 km from the walled city that got the tag in 2017.

Beyond its architectural splendour, Sarkhej Roza is home to priceless historical artefacts, including coins from the Sultanate period of Gujarat. The monument also houses incomplete yet beautifully handwritten copies of the Quran, a manuscript of Hidaya, and a printed Quran with Persian and Urdu translations. Additionally, an old handwritten copy of the Quran, completed in 1649 in the elegant Naskh script, remains one of the site’s treasured possessions.

Over the years, Sarkhej Roza has hosted several prominent events and dignitaries. On World Heritage Day (November 18, 2010), the complex welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was then Gujarat chief minister.

Last month, during a Sufi event in New Delhi, PM Modi recalled how he had restored Sarkhej Roza when he was the Gujarat CM. “When I was the CM, a lot of work was done on its (Sarkhej Roza) restoration and very few people would know that there was a time when Krishna Utsav was celebrated with great pomp and show in Sarkhej Roza…,” Modi said.

Other notable visitors include the Iran embassy’s Khawaja Piri (August 8, 2006), Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan (January 26, 2014), and poet-lyricist Javed Akhtar (December 2, 2010).

A few scenes of Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Raees (2016) were also shot here.

Subamiya Akberali Kadri, a retired national union leader in the banking industry, has been visiting the dargah at Sarkhej Roza since 1974. He said, “Over the years, I have actively participated in various events. One memorable occasion was when a Sufi disciple from the Rumi Sufi Academy in San Francisco performed a Sufi dance. That day, I delivered a speech on Sufism.”

During the holy month of Ramzan, Sarkhej Roza transforms into a vibrant hub of community gathering with people assembling here for evening prayers and iftar, sharing meals as a gesture of unity and harmony.

Bhavna Ramrakhiani, founder of Sarkhej Roza Crafts and Saanjhi Virasat, a community promoting diversity and heritage, said, “People are not permitted to live inside the monument except during the last 10 days of Ramzan when devotees stay inside the mosque for prayers.”

On other days, Sarkhej Roza remains a favoured destination for school trips, vacations, picnics, and family outings – and an occasional seeker looking for solace.

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> News> India / by Sande Gona (an intern with The Indian Express, Ahmedabad / with inputs from ENS, New Delhi / Ahmedabad, April 19th, 2025.

Village in Tiruvarur gets a ‘Taj Mahal’ tomb as tribute to late mother

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Travel & Tourism, Uniquely Indian Muslim HISTORICAL RECORDS - Sufi Shrines, Dargahs, Tombs, Mughal Mausoleums (wef. December 07th, 2024), Women/Girls(since May26-2021), , , , , , ,

Tiruvarur Village / Chennai, TAMIL NADU :

Chennai-based businessman pays homage to his deceased mother with Mughal-style funerary complex in Tiruvarur village.

A view of the marble mausoleum resembling Agra’s Taj Mahal built at Ammaiyappan in Tiruvarur. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

A near-replica of Agra’s Taj Mahal has been making news this week, as reports about the marble mausoleum built in Ammaiyappan village, Tiruvarur, by a son for his mother who passed away in 2020, have been going viral online.

“My four sisters and I were very young when we lost our father, a hardware merchant in Chennai. Our mother Jailani Biwi, who was just 36 then, brought us up single-handedly, and stayed by our side through thick and thin. After her demise at the age of 68 years in December 2020, we felt her presence should be an enduring one. So with my family’s consent, I decided to build this mausoleum for her on a one-acre plot in Ammaiyappan,” Amruddin Sheikh Dawood, told The Hindu .

Constructed over two years, the complex houses a mosque and madrassa (school for religious instruction), besides the grave of the deceased on 8,000 sq ft, and was built at a budget of nearly ₹5 crore.

Intricately carved trellis panels and water tanks are part of the edifice, bringing an exotic look to the structure in this rural setting.

Mr. Dawood, who is a rice merchant based out of Chennai, said that the resemblance to Taj Mahal was almost incidental. “We simply wanted a building that used elements of Mughal architecture, but the designer we consulted in Tiruchi suggested that our idea was very similar to that used in the famed monument, so we just went ahead,” he said.

“Since Taj Mahal was the inspiration, we felt that white Indian marble rather than granite, would be ideal. We sourced 80 tonnes of marble from Rajasthani quarries,” Mr. Dawood said.

North Indian artisans worked alongside local labourers to complete the building, which was formally inaugurated last week to visitors of all faiths.

Countering critics about the scope and budget of his dream project, Mr. Dawood said that the building was a symbol of the family’s love for their matriarch. “A mother’s affection is priceless, and in our family, she was the one who held us together all her life. This mausoleum is a humble gesture to show our respect for her, and also to inspire others to cherish their parents,” he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> India> Tamil Nadu / by Nahla Nainar / June 13th, 2023

India’s Top Muslim Business Tycoons: Shaping the Nation’s Global Prestige

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Inventions, Innovations (wef. Nov 30th, 2021), Leaders, NRI's / PIO's, Science & Technology, Travel & Tourism, World Opinion, , , , , , , , , , ,

INDIA :

From technology to hospitality, Muslim businessmen are raising India’s stature on the global stage

New Delhi :

In the ever-evolving world of business, several prominent figures are not just shaping the Indian economy but also placing the country on the global map. Among them, six Muslim businessmen stand out, with their remarkable ventures spanning across various sectors, such as technology, healthcare, retail, and hospitality. These influential entrepreneurs are enhancing India’s image worldwide, further solidifying its position in the global business arena.

Azim Premji – The Tech Magnate Azim Premji, often regarded as the richest Muslim businessman in India, has played a pivotal role in the growth of India’s technology sector. As the chairman of Wipro, one of the country’s largest IT companies, Premji’s leadership has helped the company expand its reach across various international markets. His contributions extend beyond the business world as well. “India’s rise in the global tech landscape is closely tied to Wipro’s innovation and excellence,” said Premji. Through Wipro, Premji has established himself as a philanthropist, with substantial donations to charitable causes.

Meraj Manal – The Herbal Business Visionary Meraj Manal, the driving force behind the success of ‘Himalaya,’ India’s prominent herbal company, is known for his dedication to promoting natural wellness. His business expertise has helped Himalaya expand into a globally recognised brand, selling products in over 90 countries. Manal attributes his success to innovation and a commitment to quality. “We’re not just selling products; we’re selling a way of life,” he shared. His continued success has played an essential role in reinforcing the global appeal of Indian herbal and natural products.

Rafiq Malik – Footwear Industry Leader Rafiq Malik, founder and owner of ‘Metro,’ one of India’s leading footwear brands, has seen significant international growth. His entrepreneurial vision has positioned Metro as a key player in the retail space, both in India and abroad. Under his leadership, Metro has expanded its footprint, contributing to the growing demand for Indian brands in global markets. “Metro is about more than just shoes; it’s about delivering quality and style to every customer,” said Malik.

Yusuf Ali – Hospitality and Retail Mogul Yusuf Ali, owner of ‘Lulu,’ one of the largest retail chains and shopping malls in many world countries and in India, has firmly placed his mark in the retail and hospitality sectors. With Lulu Mall’s presence in multiple countries, his business is recognised globally. From large-scale shopping centres to luxury hotels, Yusuf Ali’s diverse portfolio is a testament to his entrepreneurial prowess. “Our mission is to provide an unparalleled shopping experience for our customers, no matter where they are,” Yusuf Ali explained.

Other Notable Names
While Premji, Manal, Malik, and Yusuf Ali are among the most prominent, several other Muslim businessmen are also contributing significantly to India’s economic growth. Their ventures span multiple industries, from healthcare to infrastructure, highlighting the diversity and dynamism of Muslim entrepreneurs in India.

These businessmen not only continue to lead successful ventures but also serve as role models for the younger generation, proving that entrepreneurship knows no bounds. Through their business acumen, these individuals are ensuring that India continues to grow as an economic powerhouse on the global stage.

source: http://www.clarionindia.net / Clarion India / Home> Editors Pick> India / by Team Clarion / December 07th, 2025

Who First Put Aloo In Biryani?

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Royal Families, PreIndependence -Descendants (wef. Jan 02nd,2022), Travel & Tourism, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), , ,

Kolkata, WEST BENGAL :

That culinary addition is attributed to Chef Manzilat Fatima’s great-great grandfather Wajid Ali Shah, the Nawab of Awadh.

Chef Manzilat Fatima, April 22, 2024. (image courtesy: Umang Sharma)

Manzilat’s great-grandfather did

On most evenings, Manzilat Fatima’s rooftop restaurant in South Kolkata, aptly named Manzilat’s, is packed with food connoisseurs waiting to taste the incredible dishes she prepares for them. But there is another reason foodies climb four flights of stairs to her quaint little eatery.

An engraving of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah. Pic Courtesy/ Wikimedia Commmons

What Manzilat does, is nothing short of remarkable.  Not only does she tantalize the tastebuds of food lovers with exceptional dishes such as Chicken Lazeez Shami Kebab, Lakhnavi Murgh Biryani, or the famed Lakhnawi Mutton Yakhni Pulav – but she also evocatively creates a bridge between the present and the royal past of Wajid Ali Shah, the last Nawab of Awadh.

Manzilat Fatima is the great-great granddaughter of the Nawab who made his home in Kolkata after the British East India Company annexed his kingdom.  He gave the culinary world the famed aloo in Biryani.

A descendant of Awadh

“I am a direct descendent of Wajid Ali Shah and Begum Hazrat Mahal ,” Manzilat reveals.

After the annexation, her great, great grandmother Begum Hazrat Mahal who took charge of Awadh, put her son Birjis Qadr on the throne in 1857. Birjis Qudr was the son of Jaan e Alam Wajid Ali Shah and Begum Hazrat Mahal.

Manzilat is the daughter of Dr. Kaukub Qudr Meerza, the grandson of Birjis Qudr, she explains.

Like her pantry, stocked with delectable food, Manzilat is a storehouse of stories and fascinating history.

A conspiracy at play

According to Manzilat, despite having no inheritance, Birjs was still the legal heir of Wajid Ali Shah and Begum Hazrat Mahal.

“Birjs Qadr had a son Mehr Qadr who was my grandfather,” adds Manzilat. “He did not have any siblings growing up. He did have a family, but they were assassinated in cold blood on August 14, 1893.”

Manzilat says that the British invited Mehr Quadr from Kathmandu to Calcutta under a false pretext. “The other descendants of the Awadh royal family wanted to snuff out the last crown king, even though there was nothing to inherit by then.”

There was a deeper conspiracy at play.

A dish of Awadhi biryani (image courtesy: Manzilat Fatima restaurant)

A poisoned dinner

“In order to snuff out this branch they cooked up a conspiracy along with the British and invited him and his family over for dinner where they laced the food with poison. In that tragedy, he, along with a son and daughter as well as his guards and dogs were murdered.”

Only Mehr Quadr’s wife, Mehtab Ara Begum, survived. She was pregnant with Manzilat’s grandfather and did not attend the dinner. “Had she gone for the dinner, the entire course of history would perhaps have been different,” says Manzilat.

Her grandmother, Mehtab Ara Begum, survived along with an unborn child – Manzilat’s father- and a daughter who was four years old at that time. The little girl grew up and married, but died childless. But the lineage of Wajid Ali Shah continued through Mehr Qadr and Manzilat’s father Kaukub Qudr Meerza.

“My lineage shaped me into a very loyal Indian,” she says. “We grew up hearing stories of valor of Begum Hazrat Mahal and Birjs Qadr and how, after 1857, (she) chose to live free in Kathmandu, Nepal. Our history helped us be grounded and honest. We learned the art of sacrifice.”

From lawyer to chef

Growing up, Manzilat heard stories about the tragedy and the conspiracy that destroyed her family – from their time in Lucknow until Birjs Qadr’s assassination, and how her grandfather was protected and grew up very sheltered because of the constant threat to his life.

Being a chef was not always the game plan. Manzilat studied at Aligarh Public School and graduated with an English (Hons) degree from Women’s College, Aligarh Muslim University. She enrolled at Calcutta University for her Master’s in English and a few years after her marriage, even completed a five-year LL.B course in 2002.

Chef Manzilat Fatima (image courtesy: (Umang Sharma)

Manzilat opened the doors to her kitchen to food lovers from all over the world. As the smoke rises from her tender Mutton Awadhi Galwtii Kebab, or tear-drop-shaped condensation rolls down her chilled Khus ka sherbet, or even as patrons savor the pillowy soft aloo in their biryani, Manzilat knows that she has not only served some delectable dishes but offered her guests a panoramic view into the world of her ancestors and what they stood for – the mighty Wajid Ali Shah, the indomitable Begum Hazrat Mahal. 

In the fragrant aroma of her kitchen, Manzilat Fatima is the custodian of the legacy of the last Nawab of Awadh. Her guests experience more than just culinary delights; they immerse themselves in a narrative of courage, tradition, and the enduring spirit of Awadh.

source: http://www.indiacurrents.org / India Currents / Home> Food> India> Lifestyle / by Umang Sharma / April 26th, 2024

India’s new UNESCO site museum reveals Mughal emperor’s life, legacy

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, Museums, Libraries (wef. April 16th, 2022), Royal Families, PreIndependence -Descendants (wef. Jan 02nd,2022), Travel & Tourism, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

NEW DELHI :

  • Humayun World Heritage Site Museum in New Delhi opened for visitors on Tuesday
  • Latest addition to 16th-century tomb complex ‘brings alive 700 years of heritage’

Visitors look at artifacts at the Humayun World Heritage Site Museum — the newest addition in Humayun’s Tomb complex — in New Delhi on July 29, 2024. (AN Photo)

https://arab.news/4zpjh

New Delhi :

The second Mughal emperor Humayun was widely known as an avid reader fond of journeys, architecture, and storytelling. Almost half a millennium after his death, a new museum in the heart of New Delhi highlights his role in shaping India’s cultural heritage.


Opened for visitors on Tuesday, the Humayun World Heritage Site Museum is the newest addition in Humayun’s Tomb complex — a landmark 300-acre area in New Delhi’s Nizamuddin that features dozens of historical monuments and includes Sunder Nursery, a 16th-century heritage park.


The advent of the Mughal dynasty, which ruled the Indian subcontinent between the 16th and 19th centuries, marked the global revival of Islamic architecture, with works that until today are examples of the highest quality and refinement.


Originally from Central Asia, the Mughals carried cultural elements borrowed from Arabs, Persians and Ottomans. As they settled in India, they fused these with the various local styles found in their new domains.


Humayun was the son and successor of Babur, founder of the dynasty, and ruled the empire from 1530 to 1540 and again from 1555 until his death the following year.


The new museum, established by the Agha Khan Trust for Culture and the Archaeological Survey of India, traces Humayun and his descendants’ lives, as well as the 700-year-old history of the whole Nizamuddin locality and its influence on Indian culture.


“There are hundreds of stories to be told, which the stones don’t speak,” Ratish Nanda, conservation architect and projects director at the AKTC, told Arab News. “The idea is to bring alive 700 years of heritage.”


The museum is located in Humayun’s Tomb, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the first of the grand mausoleums that became synonymous with Mughal architectural innovations and, three generations later, culminated in the construction of India’s most iconic monument, the Taj Mahal.
About 7 million tourists from across India and abroad visit the complex every year.


“The idea is that people who now visit the World Heritage Site come with a deep understanding of the site,” Nanda said.


“We’ve been able to … combine architectural elements with incredible manuscripts, miniature paintings, calligraphy, textiles, coins, metalware, architectural elements — one is two one scale — with lots of films and digital technology, and models and so on.”


Spanning five galleries, the underground museum has over 500 artefacts sourced from the collections of the National Museum in New Delhi, ASI and AKTC.


“It captures the 700 years of history that is associated with the region of Nizamuddin and the World Heritage site of Humayun’s Tomb …This museum really captures the history,” said Ujwala Menon, AKTC conservation architect.


“The principal gallery talks about Humayun. There’s very little known about this emperor, and one of the things with this museum is to really address that … Then we have a second section of this gallery which talks about the personalities that are associated with Nizamuddin.”


Among the famed figures featured in the second gallery are Nizamuddin Auliya and Amir Khusro.
Auliya was an 13th-century Indian Sunni Muslim scholar, Sufi saint of the Chishti Order, and is one of the most famous Sufis from the Indian subcontinent. His shrine and tomb are located near Humayun’s complex.


Khusro was a 13th-century poet and scholar who remains an iconic figure in the culture of the subcontinent.


Both Auliya and Khusro lived during the period of the Delhi Sultanate, which Humayun’s father conquered, leading to its succession by the Mughal empire. The museum shows how the empire did not come to its bloom in a cultural vacuum, but drew from and incorporated the culture of its predecessors.


“There was this idea of pluralism that existed during the Mughal period,” Menon said.
“And this (museum) really captures all of that.”

source: http://www.arabnews.com / Arab News / Home> World / by Sanjay Kumar / July 31st, 2024

Badsha Peer, King of Africa: Seeking India’s Deccan in South African Tales of Indenture

Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, NRI's / PIO's, Travel & Tourism, World Opinion,

SOUTHERN INDIA / SOUTH AFRICA :

By Nikhil Mandalaparthy. Nikhil is a journalist, community activist, and consultant focused on religious pluralism and social justice in South Asia and North America. He is the curator of Voices of Bhakti, a digital archive that showcases translations of South Asian poetry and art on religion, caste, and gender. He recently served as Deputy Executive Director of Hindus for Human Rights and is currently conducting research as a 2024-25 Luce Scholar.

Editor’s Note: This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting.

___________________________________

kitne pyare hai yeh badshah jis pe hum marte hain
yeh haqeeqat hai tasawwur mein unka deedar karte hain
unka roza hai beshaq maqaam-e-madad
hum ghareeb ki taqdeer ko acche mein badal dete hain

How loving is this Badsha whom we “die” for
The truth is: in our imagination, it’s him we see
Without a doubt, his tomb is the destination for help;
He changes our unfortunate destinies to good.

– Iqbal Sarrang (2002) 
(Translated by Goolam Vahed, with edits

_______________________________

Mazaar of Badsha Peer, Durban, South Africa / Source: Author

In the historic Brook Street cemetery in Durban, South Africa, a gleaming white and gold structure towers over dozens of tombstones. This is the mazaar (tomb) of Sufi saint Badsha Peer. Thousands of miles from his birthplace in southern India, he is said to have found his final resting place here in 1894.

Inside the shrine, an inscription declares that this is “The MAQAAM (Resting Place) Of The King Of Africa – HAZRATH SHAYKH AHMED BADSHA PEER (RA)”.

Visiting Badsha Peer’s shrine challenged much of what I was told about South African Indian identity and history. In my conversations with South African Indians, I was told that most Muslims in the community were Gujarati or Konkani, and that most South Indians were Hindu or Christian. But here I was, at the shrine of a Muslim saint who was also South Indian. I was intrigued—and confused.

Digging deeper, I found that the story of this “King of Africa,” Badsha Peer, is a tale of multiple migrations, across the Deccan, South India, and beyond. His story involves Konkani Muslims and Hyderabadi Sufi teachers traveling to colonial Bombay, and Tamil and Telugu indentured workers making the long and treacherous journey from Madras to South Africa.

Tracing the story of Badsha Peer—and Soofie Saheb, the man who popularized his memory—shines light on how Indian religious, linguistic, and regional identities were transformed in the Deccan and South Africa, during the colonial period and through indenture and migration.

Locating Badsha Peer in History

Pinning down the historical Badsha Peer is difficult. Goolam Vahed, a scholar of South African Indian and Muslim history, describes the saint as having a “sketchy biographical profile and unclear genealogy”.

Ashwin Desai and Goolam Vahed write of a Sheikh Ahmed who arrived from Chittoor (modern-day Andhra Pradesh) or Arni in North Arcot district (modern-day Tamil Nadu) on the first ship from India, the SS Truro, which arrived on November 16, 1860. On the other hand, Nile Green, a historian of Indian Ocean Muslim networks, points to a Sheik Ahmed from Machilipatnam (modern-day Andhra Pradesh) who arrived a month later, in December 1860, on the Lord George Bentinc. 

Either way, according to oral tradition and popular anecdotes, Badsha Peer is remembered as arriving with the first indentured laborers from India. A man of great spiritual power, he is popular for the miracles he performed on the colonial sugarcane plantations, such as accomplishing his tasks in the fields while simultaneously meditating all day.

According to Nile Green, South African oral traditions declare that he was “released early from his indenture due to ‘insanity’”, which was later given a Sufi interpretation as “spiritual rapture (jazb).” Following his release, he is said to have lived the rest of his life as a faqir (mendicant) around the Grey Street mosque until his death in 1894.

Muslims like Badsha Peer made up about 10 percent of the approximately 152,000 Indians who were brought to South Africa as indentured workers; over 80 percent were Hindu. Around 44 percent of indentured Muslims departed from Madras, and among these workers, over 60 percent came from four areas: Arcot (31 percent), Malabar (14 percent), Madras (11 percent), and Mysore (7 percent).

Indentured Muslims, like Hindus, largely came from marginalized castes. In his shrine, Badsha Peer’s caste is simply listed as “Muslim” and “Mohamedan”, which is how around half of indentured Muslims named their caste according to immigration records.

However, Desai and Vahed mention Badsha Peer’s caste as julaha (weaver). He may have been from the Dudekula community , a Telugu-speaking Muslim caste associated with weaving and cotton cleaning. 

Soofie Saheb and His “Overpowering Influence”

Shrine of Badsha Peer, Durban, South Africa / Source: Author

The reason that Badsha Peer is remembered today is due to the efforts of a non-indentured Indian migrant. This pivotal figure is Shah Ghulam Muhammad (d. 1911), popularly remembered in South Africa as “Soofie Saheb.”

Soofie Saheb was born into a Konkani Muslim family in the town of Ibrahimpatan in Ratnagiri district. The family held a high social status on account of its claim to descend from Abu Bakr, the first caliph of Islam. After studying in Kalyan, he departed for Bombay. Nile Green situates his move within “a much larger migration of Konkani Muslims to the city that had taken place over the previous decades”. 

In the early 1890s, Soofie Saheb became a disciple of Habib ‘Ali Shah (d. 1906), a Sufi teacher of the Chishti order. Habib ‘Ali Shah himself was a migrant from Hyderabad who developed a following primarily among Konkani Muslims in Bombay, particularly workers around the Mazgaon dockyard. In 1895, Soofie Saheb was instructed by his teacher to go to South Africa to spread the message of the Chishti order to the indentured Indian population. 

Soon after arriving in Durban in 1895, Soofie Saheb “encountered a situation of close proximity and mixing between Muslims and the large majority of Hindu laborers,” as anthropologist Thomas Blom Hansen writes . Faced with the fact that “Muslims participated widely in Hindu rituals and festivals”, Soofie Saheb began to promote a more “proper” Islamic identity for indentured Muslims. Similar efforts would soon take place among the Hindu community as well, led by Arya Samaj missionaries like Bhai Parmanand and Swami Shankaranand.

One of the first actions of Soofie Saheb in South Africa was to build a shrine over Badsha Peer’s grave, which he is said to have identified through a dream or vision. Shortly afterwards, in April 1896, he purchased a plot of land on the banks of the Umgeni river, upon which he built a complex that included a mosque, khanqah, madrasa, and Muslim cemetery.

Interestingly, the legal documentation for this purchase was prepared by a young Gujarati lawyer who had arrived in South Africa just a few years prior: Mohandas K. Gandhi. Vahed writes that “Between 1898 and his death in 1911 Soofie Saheb built 11 mosques, madrasas and cemeteries all over Natal.”

Reimagining South Asian Languages and Religions in South Africa

A book published by Soofie Saheb’s madrasa in 1970 includes this quote by a Hindu observer: “there were many Tamil-speaking Muslims who, but for the recitals of the Koran, were by tradition and culture typically South Indian. Soofie Saheb’s mystic personality had an overpowering influence on the Muslim community widely scattered.” (emphasis mine)

This framing positions South Indian and Muslim identities as mutually exclusive, with the suggestion that shifting towards a more explicitly Muslim identity necessitated shifting away from South Indian culture. The framing also implicitly links South Indian and Hindu identities together.

What was the nature of Soofie Saheb’s “overpowering influence” among indentured Muslims in South Africa? As Nile Green has noted, Soofie Saheb promoted the Urdu language as core to Muslim identity, even though few indentured Muslims spoke the language.

Green argues that Soofie Saheb was simply following “specific currents of linguistic change in his own Konkani community in India, in which the use of Urdu spread significantly during the early twentieth century, partly as a result of migration” from the Konkan coast to Bombay. Similar developments had taken place elsewhere in the Deccan, such as the rise of Urdu in Hyderabad State in the 1880s as the prestige language of education and social status. 

Soofie Saheb’s efforts made Badsha Peer the most revered Sufi saint in South Africa. At the same time, he promoted a cosmopolitan, Urdu-centric Muslim identity that likely would have been unfamiliar to Badsha Peer himself, as a Telugu- or Tamil-speaking indentured Muslim.

These shifts were perhaps aided by the fact that in decades following Soofie Saheb’s death in 1911, many South Indian associations in South Africa adopted explicitly Hindu orientations.

For example, a year after the Andhra Maha Sabha of South Africa was formed in 1931, the organization became an affiliate of the South African Hindu Maha Sabha. The Andhra Maha Sabha’s logo is a Telugu-script Om, and the organization’s headquarters in the Indian township of Chatsworth includes an elaborate Venkateswara temple, which was built in 1983.

Thus, on one side, Telugu cultural associations in South Africa defined Telugu and Hindu identities as synonymous, while Muslim leaders like Soofie Saheb consolidated an Urdu-oriented Muslim identity.

South Asian Legacies: Shared Devotion at Badsha Peer’s Shrine

Interior of the Shrine for Badsha Peer / Source: Author

Although Badsha Peer is remembered as coming from Andhra Pradesh or Tamil Nadu, Soofie Saheb’s emphasis on an Urdu-centric Muslim identity means there is little to no visible South Indian influence in the rituals and practices associated with his shrine today.

And yet, despite Soofie Saheb’s activities to consolidate a distinct Muslim identity among indentured Indians, Badsha Peer’s shrine became a site for prayer, pilgrimage, and worship for Indians across regional and religious identities. In a way, his shrine provided a conduit for older South Asian practices of multi-religious devotion, such as reverence for Sufi mazaars and dargahs. 

From the earliest years of the shrine, non-Muslim devotees played a role—Goolam Vahed notes that in 1917, “A corrugated iron structure was erected by a Hindu, Bhaga, around the dome” of the shrine. In 2002, one of the qawwali groups performing at the saint’s urs (death anniversary) was led by a Hindu singer. 

Community archivist Selvan Naidoo, director of the 1860 Heritage Centre, recalls that “In my early childhood days, such was the power of this place that my staunch Tamil mother would often take us there to pray at this great place of indentured reverence.”

This reverence for Badsha Peer continues to this day. Mark Naicker, an interfaith activist in Durban from a Catholic family, shared with me that “sometimes you hear Hindus also go to Badsha Peer … when people have a baby, they would go to that shrine” to seek blessings.

It has been over 160 years since Badsha Peer and the first indentured Indians set foot on South African shores. He is a unique figure in South African Indian history. Unlike most indentured Indians, he was Muslim. Unlike most Indian Muslims in South Africa, he was from southern India. And unlike nearly any other indentured Indian Muslim in South Africa, he is revered as a saint whose power is manifest even to this day. 

Badsha Peer’s story, intertwined with that of Soofie Saheb, provides us with a glimpse into how Indian identities were transformed and reconfigured in South Africa. “Muslim” and “South Indian” identities took increasingly divergent paths. And yet, despite these shifts, his memory lives on, drawing devotees from across religious and regional backgrounds who seek the blessings of this “King of Africa.”

source: http://www.maidaanam.com / Maidaanam / Home / by Nikhil Mandalaparthy / June 17th, 2024