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Charar-i-Sharief shrine to be ready by April 2001

Five years after the mausoleum of Sheikh Noor-ud-Din, patron saint of the valley, was destroyed in a fire, a new spacious shrine for the initiator of the popular Rishi order in Kashmir is almost ready.

If everything goes right, the inside woodwork will be complete by the annual urs of Alamdar-i-Kashmir (the flag-bearer of Kashmir) on October 25, Habibullah Mughal, secretary of the Jammu & Kashmir Muslim Auqaf Trust, said.

The shrine was razed in a fierce gun battle between terrorists and security forces that also saw the town of Charar-i-Sharief, built around the mausoleum, turn into a heap of rubble in May 1995.

The new building provides twice as much space as the old shrine, Mughal said. Thus, during shabkhani (nightlong prayers and the recitation of the Holy Quran) on the eve of the urs and the auspicious nights of shab-e-qadr and shab-e-baraat, double the number of devotees will be able to find space inside the shrine.

When a group of journalists visited the shrine complex recently, work was on in full swing. Carpenters were busy doing the interior woodwork. The ceiling of the shrine is being made of the traditional 'khatamband' design that is exquisite, though costly and time-consuming.

As many as 20 carpenters, including some Sikhs from Punjab, are working daily to complete the job. The khatamband work, however, has been assigned completely to Kashmiri professionals.

The traditional Kashmiri architecture of 'ziarat' with a pagoda-shaped top has been retained in the new structure, but the shrine has been constructed in brick and cement, a departure from the old wooden structure that was susceptible to fires.

An estimated Rs 30 million is being spent on the construction, says Mughal, adding that Rs 16.6 million have already been spent. The central government is paying Rs 15 million while the rest is being borne by the MAT.

The reconstruction, which was taken up on October 18, 1996, nine days after Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah took office, is expected to be complete by April 2001. Abdullah is also the chairman of the MAT.

The chief architect of the shrine, Munir Ahmad Khan, visited central Asia and Iran to study Muslim architecture. Later, the MAT floated different designs seeking public opinion. At least two designs were published in local newspapers asking people to make a choice.

Apart from this reconstruction project, the state administration is implementing an ambitious rehabilitation and development programme for the entire town of Charar-i-Sharief.

Budgam District Development Commissioner Rohit Kansal told journalists that as part of this project, the area between the shrine and the larger pond would be landscaped. The lanes in the area would also get a facelift, thereby improving the overall ambience near the shrine.

The mausoleum of Alamdar-i-Kashmir is a highly revered shrine to which devotees throng on the annual urs of the fourteenth century saint. The original shrine was constructed by Zain-ul-Abideen who ruled Kashmir between 1420 and 1470 AD.

The shrine suffered partial or complete damage due to fire during the Chak and Mughal rule in Kashmir. The Afghan governor of Kashmir, Atta Mohammad Khan (1808-1810), rebuilt the shrine while Prime Minister Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad (1953-63) made extensions to the building and levelled the uneven land around it.

Apart from Sheikh Noor-ud-Din, his most illustrious disciple, Nasar Baba, is also buried in the shrine.

Meanwhile, the MAT has finalised the master plan for reconstruction of the Khanqah adjacent to the shrine, which was also gutted in the 1995 fire. The reconstruction is estimated to cost Rs 50 million.

UNI

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