Qadam Rasul and Dargha in Odisha

QADAM RASUL AND DARGHA: THE PLACES OF HINDU AND MUSLIM CULTURAL SYNTHESIS IN MEDIEVAL ORISSA
== Qadam Rasul and Dargah, founded in the fourteenth century, were the repositories of spiritual power and popular adulation during the reigns of Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb, and continued to be major pilgrimage centres in the nineteenth century when the relic's blessed run-off water was dispensed to the faithful. Orissa was no exception to it when the Qadam Rasul and Pir culture impacted heavily on the religious life of Hindus and Muslims of Orissa during that period.Consequently, many sacred shrines were set up in diffrent parts of Orissa, which later on became the places of pilgrimage.Moreover, people visited these sacred places with great adoration. The perfect example is Qadam-i-Rasool of Cuttack, a shrine of importance revered by both the communities of present day is a very significant contribution of the Muslims. According to the inscription found therein it was constructed in 1715 A.D. by Shujauddin Khan with the specific purpose of sheltering sacred relic of the prophet.1 The footprint of the prophet engraved in a circular stone is placed in the centre of the monument. ==

== The sacred relic, footprint of the prophet had a chequered and romantic career. It is recorded that when Kalapahar was busy in his conquest of Orissa, one Haji Sayyid Allimullah, the president of Dacca and a close relation of Syed Hashim of Mashar in Persia brought the Qadam-i- Rasool from Najaf in Saudi Arabia with the signature of the then Sherif of Mecca, authenticating the genuineness of the relic.2 This relic was at first enshrined at a village called Kakuriapada in the Sungra pargana of the Cuttack district.3 This village was named Rasulpur in honour of having temporarily sheltered the relic of the prophet. This name was incorporated in all government records. Later on the Qadam-i-Rasool was brought to Cuttack and kept at Jobraghat on the bank of the Mahanadi in a thatched house in the year 1099 Amli. The Nawab appointed Syed Mahiuddin as the darogha and also set up a separate department under one Hashmand Khan whose duty was to look after the maintenance and necessary repairs of the shrine.4 ==

== Another example is Qadam-i-Rasool at Balasore, an important monument was erected by the order of the Emperor Aurangzeb. It is sanctified with the tombs of some illustrious Muslim saints. There is a stone containing a footprint, said to be that of Muhammad the prophet. Persian inscription attached to the structure indicates that the ground, which contains the prophet’s footprints, deserves the adoration of the sages for ages.5 ==

== The shrines of Qadam-i-Rasool are places of reverence where both the Hindu and Muslim communities visit. These are not places of prayer for which invariably there exists an adjacent mosque. People visit the shrines to pay their homage, similar to that when a Hindu visits a temple. The sentiments are identical. Both Hindus and Muslims visit these shrines. For a Hindu they represent not much of a religious place but more as an obescience to a great man’s relic. But the fact remains that both communities congregate at the centre with a spirit of accommodation and reverence. They also exert a synthesizing influence. ==

== Orissa was a place, where many Muslim Pirs settled and devoted themselves to religious activities. They showed their miracles and super natural powers. These activities attracted people from both the Hindu and Muslim communities. There are a quite large number of tombs throughout Orissa, which bears testimony to high adoration, they commanded in those days and even now.6 ==

== The shrine of Pir Muquadam Jahania Jahangast, a Muslim saint, is found at Astarang, in the district of Puri  .7A tradition relates that in the sixteenth century the saint with his disciples came to India from Baghdad. He visited many places of Orissa and finally settled down at the place. In his place of stay, the tomb had been erected. Both the Hindus and Muslims pay reverence to this shrine. Similarly, Kaipadar in Khurda district, contains the tomb of Bokhari Sahib who was an eighteenth century Muslim saint.8According to a local tradition he was a close friend of one Hindu hermit, both of whom preached their respective religious beliefs with a spirit of synthesis and harmony. Pilgrims, both the Hindus and Muslims visit the tomb to obtain fulfilment of their wishes. One such shrine is in Suhanpur village of Puri district. It is interesting to note that the worshipper of this shrine is a Hindu. He does the Fatiha which is being taken by both Hindus and Hindus. ==

== The shrine of great importance is Dargha Takht-i-Sulaiman, situated on the mountain top of Alti hills at a height of 2500 feet in the mouza Charinangal of Cuttack. It is a plain stone building with a single room topped by a dome. In front of the Dargha, there is a raised platform, designed for the reception of darvishes and pilgrims. This Dargha was constructed in the year 1132 Amli or 1724 A.D. by deputy Governor of Orissa, Shujauddin Muhammad Khan.9From the settlement records it is noticed that 16 batis of land were donated for various services of wakf by Shujauddin Muhammad Khan and Murshid Quli I and Raja Januji Bhonsle at later period. It was arranged that the produce of the four batis out of the entire grant would be spent for sweeping and cleaning of Dargha and the rest for Sirini, Fatiha, Sanja, Cheragh and for looking after the Musafir’s maintenance and the repairs of the Dargha.10 ==

== Another place namely Pipili, on the state highway to Puri, about 19 kms from Bhubaneswar has several Muslim monuments revered by both Hindus and Muslims. The important among them are the five Pirasthans believed to have been constructed during the reign of Aurangzeb.11 Similarly, there is another shrine in Balasore town as ‘Asthana Sharif Hazrat Bhujaa Khia Pir’.12The grave of a medieval Muslim saint has enshrined there. According to tradition, this Pir used to sit beneath a tree, where the shrine stands at present. He was very fond of Bhujaa (a type of puffed rice) and people used to bring a lot. He always distributed it among the children. Therefore, both the Hindus and Muslims visited him for the bless of a job, for a child or for anything. When the wish is granted by the Pir, they offer Bhujaa. Apart from other days, every Thursday the Bhujaa Khia Pir or the puffed rice eating saint is specially remembered by those whose wishes he fulfills. Such deep religious harmony and synthesis practised by both communities is rarely to be found in other parts of India. ==

== Regarding the faith of the Hindus in the Muslim Pirs, we get an interesting instance from the autobiography of Fakir Mohan Senapati (A.D 1843-1918), a famous writer of Orissa.13 The original name of Fakir Mohan was Braja Mohan. His parents died when he was only a child. Therefore, Braja Mohan was under the care of his grand mother. At the age of seven or eight he fell seriously ill and was on the verge of death. His grand mother was praying to all Gods and Goddesses, begging for the life of her grandson. At last she took shelter near the two Pirs of Balasore for the life of Braja Mohan. She prayed that in case of her grandson will be cured by the two Pirs, she will convert him as the ‘Fakir’ or servant of Pirs. In order to please the Pirs she even changed the name of her grandson from Braja Mohan to Fakir Mohan. After this, Fakir Mohan was cured and his life was saved. To keep her promise made before the Pirs, Fakir Mohan was being made a ‘Fakir’ every year for eight days in the time of Muharram. During these eight days, dressed as ‘Fakir’, Fakir Mohan used to beg from door to door. In the evening the sale amount of the begged rice was spent for the Sirini (Fatiha) of the two Pirs.14This account of Fakir Mohan Senapati’s life is an example of the impact of Muslim holymen on the Hindus. The Hindu reverence to Fakirs is a sentiment embedded in their faith. A person renouncing the world practising non-attachment to material world, devoting life in search of the absolute is regarded very high. He, therefore, commands unqualified respect. He is a Sanyasi. A Pir is a Islamic version of a Sanyasi and qualified to receive such respects. ==

== Other shrines namely Pahilwan Baba Pirasthan at Bhadrak, Rustam Ali Baba Pirasthan and Hazari Baba Pirasthan at Basudevpur15, Pirasthan inside the Barabati fort, shrine at cantonment Road and Pirasthan at Sungara village are of great veneration. People of both communities pay visit, offer sweet and light incense sticks to the great Muslim saints with a view to receive blessings and their wishes to be fulfilled. ==

== It is to be noted that the most important synthesizing influences were exerted by the Pirasthans. The Pirs or the saints were who took their messages to all corners of the regions instilling the values of harmony, equality and brotherhood among the masses, which has universal appeal and acceptance. They did not specifically propagate a faith. Their target groups were the masses, poor, illiterate and simple. The medium was the vernacular. Often the Pirs were preaching in conjunction with the Hindu saints or were heavily found borrowing the Hindu idea. No doubt they were Muslims but their spiritual experiences went beyond the mundane. They were able to attract people from all walks of life. These were not specifically places of worship but the popular belief maintains that the mystic presence of the Pirs or the saints is still extant, where they seek blessings and fulfilment of their wishes. ==

Abstract of the Research paper titled “ Qadam Rasul and Dargha: The places of Hindu and Muslim cultural synthesis in Medieval Orissa.”
== Qadam Rasul and Dargah, founded in the fourteenth century, were the repositories of spiritual power and popular adulation during the reigns of Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb, and continued to be major pilgrimage centres in the nineteenth century when the relic's blessed run-off water was dispensed to the faithful. Orissa was no exception to it when the Qadam Rasul and Pir culture impacted heavily on the religious life of Hindus and Muslims of Orissa during that period.Consequently, many sacred shrines were set up in diffrent parts of Orissa, which later on became the places of pilgrimage.Moreover, people visited these sacred places with great adoration. The perfect example is Qadam-i-Rasool of Cuttack, a shrine of importance revered by both the communities of present day is a very significant contribution of the Muslims. According to the inscription found therein it was constructed in 1715 A.D. by Shujauddin Khan with the specific purpose of sheltering sacred relic of the prophet. The footprint of the prophet engraved in a circular stone is placed in the centre of the monument. ==

== The shrines of Qadam-i-Rasool are places of reverence where both the Hindu and Muslim communities visit. These are not places of prayer for which invariably there exists an adjacent mosque. People visit the shrines to pay their homage, similar to that when a Hindu visits a temple. The sentiments are identical. Both Hindus and Muslims visit these shrines. For a Hindu they represent not much of a religious place but more as an obescience to a great man’s relic. But the fact remains that both communities congregate at the centre with a spirit of accommodation and reverence. They also exert a synthesizing influence. ==

== Orissa was a place, where many Muslim Pirs settled and devoted themselves to religious activities. They showed their miracles and super natural powers. These activities attracted people from both the Hindu and Muslim communities. There are a quite large number of tombs throughout Orissa, which bears testimony to high adoration, they commanded in those days and even now. ==

== It is to be noted that the most important synthesizing influences were exerted by the Pirasthans. The Pirs or the saints were who took their messages to all corners of the regions instilling the values of harmony, equality and brotherhood among the masses, which has universal appeal and acceptance. They did not specifically propagate a faith. Their target groups were the masses, poor, illiterate and simple. The medium was the vernacular. Often the Pirs were preaching in conjunction with the Hindu saints or were heavily found borrowing the Hindu idea. No doubt they were Muslims but their spiritual experiences went beyond the mundane. They were able to attract people from all walks of life. These were not specifically places of worship but the popular belief maintains that the mystic presence of the Pirs or the saints is still extant, where they seek blessings and fulfilment of their wishes. ==