Maula Ali Shrine-
Shadow of a Glorious Past
Qadam-E-Maula Ali in Hyderabad Shrine
By Prof.Mazhar Naqvi
The hilltop shrine of Maula
Ali in Hyderabad is an example of how the government apathy reduces magnificence
and popularity of a holy place. No doubt, the shrine still draws devotees in
good number every day but its present state can only be described as glimpse of
a glorious past. The glory of the shrine can be gauged from its description
given in ‘Tarikh-E-Asaf Jahi’ by Munshi Qadir Khan Bidari. He writes “During
the Urs the place (Dargah Maula Ali) was so crowded that wise and elderly
people were of the opinion that no place in Delhi or indeed anywhere else in
India had such a vast crowd on any occasion.” Another idea about the significance
of the shrine can be formed from a letter written by the British Resident at
the court of Hyderabad Nizam James Achilles Kirkpatrick to Calcutta in November
1800.He pens down “The annual Urs to Maula Ali is close at hand, and I propose
going there and staying in my tents in a few days, for the benefit of fresh air
and recreation”. Khwaja Ghulam Husain Khan in his work ‘Tareekh Gulzar-e-Asifiya’
has also dedicated a separate chapter on the shrine due to its importance and
popularity among people of all faiths. He mentions that sweetmeat and dry fruit sellers start
putting up their stalls near the shrine from 10th Rajab( 7th
Islamic month) onwards and a large number of people start proceeding to Koh-e-Sharif
to take part in the Urs of Maula Ali .
While the three
historical descriptions amply demonstrate the grand nature of celebrations at the
shrine and the royal patronage it enjoyed, the use of word Urs also makes Dargah
unique. The term is used with the celebrations that are organized at the
mausoleum of Sufis to mark their death anniversary or union with God. But Maula
Ali shrine does not have any mortal remains and it contains the imprint of the
right hand of Lion of Allah, Hazrat Ali. Legends attribute the erection of
shrine by the third Qutub Shahi ruler Ibrahim Shah in 1578. It is said that one
of his trusted eunuchs Yaqut saw Hazrat Ali sitting on a rock in his dream. The
next day, he set off for the hill and found to his surprise the impression of Maula
Ali's palm on a rock exactly at the spot he had seen in his dream. He had the
imprints carved out of the rock and installed it safely. Upon coming to know
about the miracle, Ibrahim Qutub Shah built a shrine at the place turned secure
temporarily by Yaqut for the safety of holy relic. Further additions were made to
Dargah by successive rulers who built a Mosque, Ashurkhana , Baradari
(pavilion),Naqqar Khana (place for beating drums) and over 500 steps leading to
the shrine from the base of hill top.Mahlaqa Bai , the great courtesan and
first female Sahib-E-Dewan poetess also added to the grandeur of shrine by
erecting impressive structures. It is widely believed that Yaqut had seen the
dream on 17th Rajab and its popularity grew within no time when a Qutub
Shahi princes renounced the world and became a caretaker of the shrine.
After the fall of Qutub
Shahi dynasty, the shrine witnessed a temporary decline but it regained its lost
glory after the establishment of Asaf Jahi kingdom as its rulers not only
patronized the shrine but also encouraged the participation of people in Urs in
large number for a period of 10 days. A line of lamps was lit on either side of
road all the way from Charminar to Koh- E- Ali during the Urs and entire population
used to literally migrate from Hyderabad to Koh-E-Ali about 20 kms from
Charminar.
The popularity reached
at its zenith when people claimed to have seen Maula wandering on the hill top
between 13th Rajab (the date of Maula’s birth) and 17th Rajab
,( The day of Yaqut’s dream).The Urs became a sort of national festival after a
miracle involving a Mongol from Hazara area of Afghanistan who was persuaded to
visit the shrine by the powerful Prime Minister of Hyderabad Mir Alam. Narrated
by Mir alam himself to many a people the story of miracle reveals that the Mongol
when invited to visit shrine expressed his inability on the pretext that he did
not find any reason to be there as he has already been to the original shrine
of Maula Ali at Najaf Ashraf. His host however persuaded him to mount the
bullock cart and took him to hill top. As Mongol tried to step down from the cart,
somehow his leg was trapped in between the support of the cart and sudden
movement of the bullocks turned wheel of the cart that cracked his bone.
The minister immediately
called for a surgeon but the Mongol refused any treatment and just shouted “ I
will never allow any surgeon to touch my leg. Just as he broke by leg upon this
hilltop, he will cure me as well. Praise be upon him. He preferred to remain
unattended but kept crying whole night out of sheer pain .he however kept
chanting Ya Maula ,Ya Maula .In the wee hours, he was overtaken by sleep and then he saw Maula Ali in his dream who
said” Get up and walk” after laying his
pious hand on the broken leg. The Mongol woke up from his slumber and felt no
pain and also did not find any trace of fracture after bending his leg several
times and walking on the hill top. He immediately offered thanks giving prayers
and recited Fatiha at the shrine. Then, he visited the shrine each Thursday so
long he remained at Hyderabad.
The rulers, nobles and
dignitaries donated generously for the upkeep of shrine and properties attached
to Dargah are estimated to be worth tens of thousands of crores being spread in
an area of over 250 acres in one of the costliest part of the twin cities of
Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Most of its property has been encroached upon and
there has been no effort on the part of the government to liberate the shrine’s
property .As a result, the shrine does not receive any income from its
properties. What it gets is contributions from pilgrims visiting the shrine. The
average annual collection of contributions is insufficient for its upkeep. The
State Wakf Board doles out a paltry Rs 60,000 annually for the whitewashing of
the place during Hazrat Ali’s birth anniversary celebrations. The term Urs is
no longer used. The replacement is as mysterious as its origin was. Logically
it appears that after the merger of Hyderabad with India, the shrine lost its
royal patronage and its continued neglect by successive government resulted in
the decline of its popularity. The celebrations that were once funded from the
royal treasury also suffered for want of lack of arrangements like availability
of drinking water for the devotees. Gradually, the shrine no longer remained
popular among people from all walks of life and only hardcore followers of Hazrat
Ali remained its regular visitors.
Much was expected after
the inclusion of shrine among the eleven heritage sites identified by HUDA
INTACH. But nothing worthwhile seems to have been done so far. What is more
tragic is the renovation of the tomb of Mahlaqa Bai with foreign aid? Had she
been alive, she would not have let the renovation of her tomb happen before the
restoration of the lost glory of her Maula’s shrine. But the government still
fails to acknowledge the exalted position of Hazrat Ali and organizes program
in the memory of one of his ordinary devotee. There is urgent need for
launching a campaign for increasing the income of the shrine by liberating its
properties from encroachers’.Then,the tourism department can be persuaded to
reestablish the celebrations during Rajab on the pattern of Nizami era.
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