The Locale of Inclusivity

The Sufi shrines spread across Kashmir are not only revered because of being the final abode of the Reshis, but also as epitome of inclusivity and pluralistic values. These places are filled with spiritual vibes, thus building the atmosphere of co-existence, harmony and oneness of mankind! The occasional festivity around these sacred shrines always attracts crowds of devotees from all over the globe reflecting a strong inherent, cultural & spiritual connection amongst the followers of Reshi order, founded by Nund Reshi.

Nund Reshi’s legacy was carried by his disciples, the prominent one being Hazrat Zain u Din Reshi (RA) revered all over the country & across continents. Annually the shrine of Hazrat Zain-ud-Din Reshi celebrates two day traditional Zool festival, which begins with Shab Khawani, on the first day followed by the Zool festival next day.

Aishmuqam township, at a distance of 76 kilometers south of Srinagar, is situated midway on the highway connecting Anantnag and Pahalgam. All that Aishmuqam boasts of is the shrine of Zain-ud-Din Wali, perched atop a hillock, visible from all directions. located inside a deep, narrow cave. Several relics related and relevant to this shrine are kept outside the cave, the important one being the holy mace. A diversion from KP road and a few minutes drive takes to the foothill where a flight of all-stone stairs leads to the shrine; also a motorable access via Iram Colony & Ainoo has been developed by the Govt. with personal monitoring by the then planning Minister Tariq Hamid Qara.

Aziz Kashmiri, a writer, quotes the medieval Reshi Naama of Ghulam Mustafa Shah, ancestor of the Shahs of Aishmuqam, who says that Zain-ud-Din Reshi was a highly revered folk hero. Son of Jaisingh, the Hindu Rajput ruler of Rukan, a principality near Bandarkot in Kishtwar, he was given the name of Zia Singh or Zaina Singh at birth. His father got killed by enemies when Zaina was a small kid and was later brought up by his mother.

Legend has it that Zia Singh once fell grievously ill, his disappointed mother heard that Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Wali of Kashmir is in Kishtwar and took Zian to him as a lost resort. Miraculously, Sheikh treated him with his spiritual prowess an asked the mother-son duo to visit Charer-e-Sharief. Days passed and Zian’s mother forgot the promise until Zain again fell seriously ill. This reminded her of promise made to Sheikh and she immediately packed for Kashmir. Here, she met Sheikh Noor-ud-Din at Bamzu village in presence of Baba Bamuddin. The Sheikh renamed the lad as Zain-ud-Din, brought him to Reshi order and left in the care of Baba Bamudin Reshi. In the new company, Zaina acquired such an exalted spiritual status that once Hazrat Noor-ud-Din Noorani remarked, “My Zaina was stream of water of life (Amrit). He served God so much that he has gone ahead of his teacher. O, God! Grant me such blessing too”.

After achieving the elevated spiritual status Baba Zain-ud-Din was instructed to settle in the cave of Aishmuqam which was inhabited by large number of serpents and scorpions. Baba spent many years in stern meditation surviving only on dry wild walnut kernels.

Baba Zainuddin Reshi made Aishmuqam a major centre of propagation of Sufi Islam and maintained a free kitchen (langar) for the poor which earned him the title of Sakhi-the generous, before his death in 1440/41 CE. He had ordered his disciples to go out again for ablutions at the time of funeral prayers. After returning the disciples were shocked not to see the body of Baba in the coffin. He was given a symbolic burial in Rozabal Aishmuqam where the 24 graves of his closest disciples lay aside his symbolic “grave”.

The Aishmuqam Shrine Complex built in Kashmiri traditional architecture by Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin has been improved and redesigned by different governments thereafter. The local Intizamia Committee in recent times successfully got GoI funding & WAKAF Board & Tourism Department assistance to beatify the shrine premises & its surrounding under “PRASAD” scheme.

Aishmuqam township known for its natural beauty and location is said to have been capital for Raja Aishoosh Shah (Rishi Naama). It has a historical, spiritual & touristic importance and can be promoted at domestic and international level. The famous cave is the ideal place to be promoted as heritage site.

Different regimes have been putting their efforts to add facilities & update infrastructure for the convenience of the pilgrims & devotees who throng this shrine round the year. One Qawali shooting of a Bollywood flick, Salman Khan starrer “Bajrangi Bhajan”, was also shot here promoting it across the domestic & international tourism markets.

Economically, half of the population of this township depends, directly or indirectly, on the pilgrim tourism. However, major chunk of offerings (nazr-o-niyaz) goes to Muslim Waqf Board, which took over the management of the shrine few decades back

Although the town of Aishmuqam has been loaded with basic infrastructure for the convenience of people & pilgrims but this huge town & its surrounding dozens of villages & Gujjar Pattis still are yearning to get basic health facility like SDH, higher education & technical education avenues like Degree College, Polytechnic College or a nursing College. Mobile connectivity & an alternate exclusive road project from Rang bridge to Ziayarat Shareef via Wajoora can be a dream project for which the incumbent District Administration has already submitted a proposal to GoI (courtesy D.C Anantnag). A Sufi Centre will be a big contribution to promote the globally appealing Sufism based on the preachings & practices of the revered Sufis of Kashmir.

Aishmuqam can be an ideal venue for Sufi Festivals which have been confined to Srinagar only. The Cultural Academy and Department of Tourism can promote Aishmuqam by organising national level Sufi festivals at this place. This can bring Aishmuqam on the heritage map attracting direct and indirect economic and social benefits for the people of this area. The futuristic potential can be utilised by conceiving & creating a Shiva-Sufi circuit, connecting Martand Sun temple, the heritage site of Aishmuqam Sufi Shrine & the hills of Sheeshnag. This circuit can be globally promoted after lacing it with world class infrastructure.

Mr. Shahnawaz is Operations Head at SKICC & has been actively involved in creating spaces for interfaith hormony through different means. He is an IVLP alumnus and a member of Global Peace Network.