The city has many structures built during the time of Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan Bahadur
A kilometre away from Kalaburagi railway station is Aiwan-e-Shahi, a magnificent stone structure built in early 19th Century. For political leaders and bureaucrats visiting the city, it’s the most preferred accommodation.
Kalaburagi has several such architectural remnants of the times of the Nizam rule, uniquely Indo-Islamic in style, and still in use. Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan Bahadur, the last monarch, who ruled the province between 1911 and 1948, stayed in Aiwan-e-Shahi when he visited the city and is today a government guest house. The Nizam used to travel in his own train from Hyderabad to reach the palace in Kalaburagi and a special railway track was laid up to the entrance of the complex for the purpose.
Like most buildings constructed during the Nizam’s rule, the Aiwan-e-Shahi portrays a rich and imposing architecture synthesising medieval and modern styles. It is constructed using local white stones, popularly known as Shahabad stones, abundantly available in the surrounding area. The front view of the palace was greatly inspired by Gothic style architecture.
Kalaburagi-based heritage collector and artiste Mohammed Ayazuddin Patel has copies of some rare photograph of Nizam. In one of them, he is the Nizam is seen playing tennis outside the Aiwan-e-Shahi palace complex. His train is also visible in the background. The picture was said to have been taken by Raja Deen Dayal, the official photographer at the Nizam’s court.
The Nizam, known as the architect of modern Hyderabad, left an impression on Kalaburagi too. The building now houses the tahsildar office, zilla panchayat and central library. The entrance arch gate of Vikas Bhavan, the mini Vidhana Soudha that has the district administrative complex and one of the entrances of Mahbub Gushan Garden in the heart of the city were built during his time. There are several private houses across the city that were built for the families of Deshpande, Deshmukh, Mali Patil, Police Patil, Jamadar, Mansafdar, Pattedar, Inamdar, Jagirdar, Kulkarni, Hawaldar – the official and administrative titles given by the Nizam.
“At least, the Aiwan-e-Shahi should be included in the protected monuments and converted into a museum to showcase the region’s cultural past,” says Rehaman Patel, Kalaburagi-based researcher and artiste. According to him, the Nizam had expanded public spaces such as parks, lakes, town hall, and gardens in the city engaging several engineers. Mahbub Sagar (now called Sharnbasweshwar lake) and Mahbub Gulshan Garden continued to be used by the public. The town hall is used by the Kalaburagi City Municipal Corporation as a conference hall.
The Filter Bed built for providing pure water to the residents continues to supply drinking water to parts of the city. The Mahbub Shahi Kapda Mill that produced high-quality cloth and supplied it not just to various cities across India, but to other countries as well, was in operation till the 1980s. The Nizam had also established Asif Gunj School and MPHS school, the oldest educational institutions of the city.
“In the early 1930s, he formed the Hyderabad Aero Club and built Begumpet Airport for his Deccan Airways, one of the earliest airlines in British India. He had the distinction of employing, perhaps, the world’s first woman commercial pilot, Captain Prema Mathur, during the late 1940s. The other airport built in Bidar in 1942 is now used by the Indian Air Force to train its pilots. The Nizam was also credited for renovating several monuments belong to Buddhists, Jains, Chalukyas, and Bahmanis. The renovation and excavation of the caves of Ajanta and Ellora was undertaken with the funds of the Nizam government and supervised by then archaeology director Ghulam Yazdani,” Mr. Rehaman said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Kumar Buradikatti / Kalaburagi – September 16th, 2019
Feroz Shah Tughlaq (Reign 1351 – 88), the third ruler of the Tughlaq Dynasty was embarked on a vigorous campaign of construction activity, consisting mainly of public buildings of utilitarian nature.
He made 1200 garden around Delhi and is credited with the erection of 200 towns, 40 mosque, 30 villages, 30 reserviors, 50 dams, 100 hospitals, 100 public baths and 150 bridges
In 1354 Feroze Shah Tughlaq built Feroz Shah Kotla or Firozabad, the fifth citadel of Delhi. His predecessors Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq (Reign: 1321 -25) and Muhammad bin Tughluq (Reign: 1324 – 51) has the credit of erecting the third and fourth citadel of Delhi.
Tughlaqbad, the third citadel of Delhi, along with Jahanpanah, the fourth citadel of Delhi were abandoned because of acute water shortage. This lead Feroze Shah Tughlaq to move further north and to construct its citadel along the west bank of Yamuna River.
Unlike Tuglaqabad, Feroz Shah Kotla lacked the defensive construction and after the collapse of the Tuglaq empire the Mongol invader Timur found it an easy target. In 1398 Timur gladly carried out all the riches of the citadel leaving behind the ruined rubble structures, which was again plundered and reused by Shahjahan (Reign AD 1627-57) for the construction of Shahjanabad, the seventh and last ancient citadel of Delhi.
Despite being plundered by several rulers in the past and with centuries of neglect Feroz Shah Kotla still houses several interesting ruins, although minimalistic in nature, they still reveal the former glory and splendor of the ancient citadel.
Today the ruins of Feroz Shah Kotla nestles between the cricket stadium, of the same name, and the Ring Road. Every Thursday thousand of visitors visit the ruins of the ancient citadel.
Strangely these visitors are not history or heritage enthusiasts but are devotees looking for the blessings of Djinns, who according to legend are residents of the ruins of Feroz Shah Kotla. No wonder Delhi has always been a “City of Djinns.“
Djinns live in the heart of Delhi: they are spirits tending to the faithful seeking help. On Thursdays, they are busy when thousands turn up with letters for them.
Every Thursday hordes of devotees, irrespective of religion, visit the ruins of Feroz Shah Kotla with photocopies of letters, citing there problems. They stick the letters on different strategic spots of the citadel and offer prayers to the Djinns.
Strangely the concept of letters to the Djinns has only been an recent concept in the ancient citadel, which dates back to the 14th century.
The first records of people coming to Firoz Shah Kotla in large numbers began shortly after the emergency of 1977.
It was only in 1977, a few months after the end of the Emergency, that we have the first record of people starting to come to Firoz Shah Kotla in large numbers. This seems significant, given how destructive the Emergency was for the Old City and how many poor and working class people were displaced from the Old City to resettlement colonies across the river
Anand Vivek Taneja, Anthropologist
Even on other days large groups of Muslim devotes visit Feroz Shah Kotla to offer their Namaz at the Jami Masjid, one of the few structures of the citadel that have remained, more or less, intact to this day.
Designed by Feroz Shah Tughlaq’s state architects Malik Ghazi Samana and Abdul Haq the citadel of Feroz Shah Kotla follows a rectangular plan with dimensions 800 m by 400 m, with the longer side along the north – south axis.
The entire citadel is encased within a high stone wall. Although the walls look solid but it lacks the massive bastions of Tuglaqabad. The entrance is through a small and simple gateway on the eastern side and a broad passageway leads to the scattered ruins of Feroz Shah Kotla or Ferozabad
Most of the buildings within the citadel are made of rubble masonry covered with heavy plaster and without any surface ornamentation.
The passages leads to series of scattered ruins, which was once part of the citadel’s garden.
It leads further to the Diwan – i – Am (hall of audience) and Diwan – i – Khas (hall of private audience).
A few pavilions and archways are all that remains today of the famed halls of audience of Feroz Shah Tughlaq. The Royal Palace located at the far end of the citadel lies in similar ruined condition.
The more intact and interesting structures of Feroz Shah Kotla are located on its northern side. Towering above the lawns is the massive Jami Masjid and towards its left is the stepped pyramidal structure, known as the Hawa Mahal or Kushk-i-Shikar. It is crowned with the Ashokan Pillar, also referred as the Minar-e-Zarreen.
Just in front of the stepped pyramidal structure is a baoli (stepwell).
Delhi is no stranger to Baolis and even a century ago more than a hundred of them existed in Delhi.
Today more than a dozen remains (Also see: Baolis of Delhi) but what makes the Feroz Shah Kotla baoli unique is its circular shape. It is the only circular baoli in Delhi. Sadly the baoli is kept under lock and key and the interiors are out of reach for the common tourist. But the baoli is best viewed from the differnt levels of the nearby stepped pyramid.
The Hawa Mahal is a three tired stepped pyramid with diminishing floors. Built with a central solid core and vaulted cells around it. Stairs at the comers lead to the uppermost terrace where the Ashokan pillar is planted.
The Ashokan Pillar was shifted from Topar in Ambala by Feroz Shah Tughlaq and placed atop the Hawa Mahal.
The 13 m high 27 ton pillar was shifted on a custom built 42 wheel carriage operated by 8400 men, which transported it to the banks of Yamuna River. From where it was transported by boat to Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi
Incidentally Delhi contains another Ashokan Pillar, which was also shifted by Feroz Shah Tughlaq and placed near his hunting lodge on Delhi’s North Ridge, also known as the Kamala Nehru Ridge. (Also see: Historical Trail along Delhi’s North Ridge)
The structure is open to public and one can take the stairs all the way to the base of the pillar. The pillar still maintains its shining police and the inscriptions in Prakrit are clearly visible.
According to popular belief Laat (pillar) Waale Baba, the chief of the Kotla djinns, dwells in the Ashokan Pillar, which is also referred to as the Minar-e-Zarreen. Every Thursdaay devotees ties up their wish letters on the railing surmounting the Ashokan Pillar.
The top story of the Hawa Mahal offers grand bird eye view of the circular baoli (stepwell) and also the Jami Masjid, which lies on its southern side.
South of the Hawa Mahal lies the gigantic mosqque of Feroz Shah Kotla, the Jami Masjid. Built of Delhi quartzite stone. During the time of its construction it was the largest mosque in India.
The mosque rests on a series of cells on the ground floor and is approachable by a long flight of stairs leading to a domed pavilion gateway on the northern side. The grand dome pavilion, which once stood at the centre of courtyard has long vanished.
Even Taimur, who plundered Feroz Shah Kotla, was so impressed with the mosque that he commissioned a similar one in his capital Samarkhand. Even Shah Jahan constructed a underground tunnel connecting the Jami Masjid to his newly constructed citadel of Shahjanabad. The tunnel still exist but is sealed for obvious reasons.
Strangely the Jami Masjid is still an active mosque and attracts thousand of devotees during the time of eid. Even on normal days large groups of local Muslims along with Muslim office staff from nearby offices drop in for there daily namaz.
Colourfull plastic tanks, along the eastern wall of the ancient mosque, serve as a makeshift ritual wash (wudu) area for the devotees, who drop in to offer namaz.
Just outside the citadel of Firozabad or Feroz Shah Kotla, on a road divider lies the notorious gateway of Khooni Darwaza.
In order to pursue her dream of bike riding, Mehdia Fathima took up the hobby after 20 years of managing career and family; plans to take a trip from Kanyakumari to Kashmir next.
Bengaluru :
Mehdia Fathima had been keeping herself busy with her life, career and children’s studies. But almost four years ago, she took a break from her mundane daily routine and started exploring her true self as a solo bike rider. “During my college days, I was interested in bike riding and learned to ride one from a friend. It took me almost 20 years to get back to my hobby. All this time, I didn’t get time to think about pursuing this. I had to build my career, look after my kids and family,” said Fathima.
Today, the 48-year-old solo biker has been on two trips – Golden Quadrilateral Ride and Indian Coastline Ride – covering around 15,500 km. “I always prefer two-wheeler to four-wheeler, thanks to the horrible traffic in Bengaluru,” she smiled, adding, “But my interest in bikes bloomed again when a colleague gave a chance to ride his bike three-and-a-half years ago. I bought a Bajaj Avenger 220 Cruise and started taking part in group rides with my colleagues and Avenger club. Once I participated in a group ride with another club and they were riding at a speed of almost 120 km/hour on highways, which made me feel uncomfortable. We have to consider others’ speed and comfort when we travel in a group. I desperately wanted me-time and that’s how I started solo rides.”
In her Golden Quadrilateral Ride, she rode across 16 Indian states in three weeks and took more than four weeks for Indian Coastline Ride. “My preparations for each trip start two months ahead of the trip. They are self-funded and done out of passion and hobby.” Fathima, who is a mother of two teenagers, also shared that she had to face a lot of criticism from others when she took the decision of riding solo. “Many asked what I want to prove at this age. My question is, why should a woman always have to prove herself for everything? We have to prove we are equal or better than men at the workplace, home, and so on,” she said. Not just gender stereotypes, she questions generalisations about women riders. “I always wear hijab. In fact, while riding, hijab gives more protection from dust and sun exposure. I don’t think solo driving is unsafe for women in the country. There are differences in the attitude of people in different places. But if you are a normal traveller and avoid night rides, I think our highways are safe for all riders,” she added.
Fathima, an IBM employee who lives in RT Nagar with her family – her husband works with an FMCG company – completed her last solo ride in January.
“During my coastline trip, I interacted with a lot of fishermen communities across the country and realised how privileged I am as a city dweller. I learned self-confidence, patience and tolerance towards other cultures and people. I wanted to give back some values to the bike riding community and started teaching bike riding free of cost,” said Fathima, who finished a course with her first batch and is planning to do another soon.
Her dreams don’t stop there.
“Kanyakumari to Kashmir is my next trip that I’m planning in December. I also want to upgrade my bike. Triumph Tiger 800 is my dream bike. Since bike riding has always been a male-dominated field, women rarely find good bikes as per their height and size. There should be more bikes produced for women.”
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Lesly Joseph / Express News Service / September 03rd, 2019
How two rulers with a common name left a rich history and culture for its people but one is more renowned than the other.
In the heart of Madhya Pradesh’s capital city, Bhopal, resides Taj-ul-Masajid which literally translates to the ‘crown of mosques’. The mosque was intended to be the largest mosque in the country and was based on the design of Delhi’s Jama Masjid. In a town called Woking in England stands a mosque called Shah Jahan.
The common denominator between these three mosques is the name Shah Jahan. The fifth Mughal emperor Shah Jahan built the Jama Masjid in Delhi and the third female ruler of Bhopal, Shah Jahan Begum built Taj-ul-Masajid of Bhopal. The Bhopal’s matriarch went a step ahead as she also funded the construction of England’s first Mosque in 1889.
In the 19th century when India was a British colony, the princely state of Bhopal had a string of female rulers for roughly 107 years. The city was founded in 1707 by Afghan ruler Dost Muhammad Khan. Surrounded by Rajputs in Rajasthan and Marathas in Maharashtra, Bhopal was a vulnerable state yet the female rulers with their loyal allegiance to the British rule survived the turbulent times.
The female dynasty of Bhopal started with the death of young Nawab Nazar Muhammad Khan. His 18-year-old wife Qudsia Begum decided that the legacy of her family shall continue and declared her 15-month-old daughter Sikandar as the rightful heir of the state. In 1819, Qudsia Begum became the first Muslim female who defied the veil and became the ruler of Bhopal. Her rule was legitimised by the British and the clergy.
Both Qudsia (1819-37) and Sikandar (1847-68) were known to be tough rulers who strengthened Bhopal’s military and trained themselves to fight. However, it was the third matriarch of Bhopal, Shah Jahan Begum who brought in the period of flourishing art and culture just like her male Mughal namesake.
Unlike Qudsia and Sikandar, Shah Jahan was not known for her tough training for battles. Shah Jahan followed the system of veil and was more interested in literature, poetry, and arts.
Interested in Urdu and Persian poetry, Shah Jahan Begum also offered state pensions to poets like Amir Minai, a contemporary of Mirza Ghalib.
Shah Jahan Begum ordered that a dictionary of select terms in Hindustani, Persian, Arabic, Sanskrit, English, and Turkish was compiled to facilitate translation of literature between these languages. A poet herself, Shah Jahan Begum also patronized a group of female poets. According to Siobhan Lambert-Hurley’s book Muslim women, Reform and PrincelyPatronage, these gifted women included “Hasanara Begam ‘Namkeen,’ author of a diwan and two prose publications, Munawwar Jahan Begam and Musharraf Jahan Begam, the daughters of Nawab Mustafa Khan ‘Shefta,’ and several others.”
In her book, Siobhan Lambert-Hurley also mentions, “Shah Jahan’s interest in this area was so great that she charged a male poet at her court, Abul Qasim ‘Muhtasham’, to devote himself to collecting an anthology of female poets writing in Persian. Entitled Akhtar-i-taban, it publicized the work of 81 poetesses when it was printed in Bhopal in 1881 in dedication to the ruling Begam.”
Her ambitions for grand architecture is evident from the fact that her daughter Sultan Begum in her biography mentioned that she has lost count of the number of palaces and buildings, her mother made. Some of the prominent buildings that still remain are Taj-ul-Masajid, Taj Mahal, Ali Manzil, and Benazir.
Unlike Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan’s Taj Mahal which is a tomb, Bhopal’s Taj Mahal was a palace for the Begum. Shah Jahan Begum also helped orientalist and scholar Dr Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner in constructing England’s first mosque which is also called the Shah Jahan mosque.
The similarities do not stop here. Just like the Mughal emperor built a planned city named Shahjahanabad, the Begum too built a neighbourhood with the same name. Hurley mentions in her book, “Shah Jahan was also responsible for building an entirely new neighbourhood of homes and offices within her capital that was predictably named Shahjahanabad. Unlike the version at Delhi, however, it was laid out on a uniform plan in-keeping with the latest ideas of town planning in Britain.”
Shah Jahan Begum of Bhopal encouraged female participation in education, religion, and culture. She was responsible for setting up institutions for female education, she reserved areas in mosques for veiled women to pray on special occasions, she also constructed a Pakka bazaar exclusively for women.
Shah Jahan Begum’s daughter Sultan Jahan Begum was the last Begum of Bhopal whose reign ended in 1926. The reign of female rulers in Bhopal broke stereotypes and brought in various reforms in the princely state. Even though women still continue to fight for their rights it should not be forgotten that the Begums did assert their authority in the 19th century and it can be done again.
source: http://www.thestatesman.com / The Statesman / Home> Features / by Aena Thakur, New Delhi / August 20th, 2019
Yusuf Shah Chak, the last independent Muslim Ruler of Kashmir Valley, is buried in Nalanda and his tomb is in disrepair and unprotected.
With the Centre revoking Article 370 which gave special status to J&K, the Kashmir Valley is once again in focus. But Yusuf Shah Chak. the last independent Muslim ruler of the Valley, has remained obscured and unknown for a long time.
Chak is buried in Nalanda and his tomb is in disrepair and unprotected.
Chak was exiled to Bihar by the Mughal emperor Akbar. The area where he had settled along with his family and relatives in Biswak village in Nalanda and also maintained a cavalry force of 500 horses, was later known as Kashmiri Chak. Though the exiled Kashmiri ruler died in Odisha in 1592, his body was brought to Bihar and has been lying buried along with the tombs of his wife, sons and other relatives at the graveyard at Biswak near Kashmiri Chak.
Though his Mazaar is encircled with boundary wall, the land outside this wall at the cemetery is open and has remained prone to encroachments in the past. Some concrete structures and thatched roof hutments too have come up around its periphery.
Earlier, some locals erected a boundary wall around his Mazaar, but the entire area of the cemetery outside this wall is open to encroachment.
Recently, Yasir Iqbal, a descendant of the Chak ruler’s relative, wrote a letter to the Minority Welfare Department, Bihar, drawing the attention towards the increasing threats of encroachments at the site of the cemetery .
He has made an appeal to take steps to stop encroachment and has also requested for the boundary wall at the cemetery. In the letter, Iqbal also made requests to preserve this piece of history and to take initiatives to tap tourism potential of the site.
“The minority welfare department has forwarded the request letter to the department concerned which is responsible for creating the boundary walls at graveyards and has directed to take actions as necessary,” SI Faisal, special secretary cum director, minority welfare department, said.
The site has a great tourism potential and it can be tapped. “But it’s the domain of the tourism department. They should take initiatives in this direction and should develop it,” he said.
Yasir Iqbal said many Kashmiris have been eager to come here to pay tribute to their last ruler. “Many intellectuals have also been coming here, but the place lack even basic infrastructure. Even the road to Kashmiri Chak village was developed in 1977 when Sheikh Abdulla, the prominent leader of Kashmir had arrived to witness Yusuf Shah’s tomb” he said. There is also no place at the village to stay. “You have to find the accommodation whether at Islampur or at Rajgir,” he said.
However, the biggest concern has been encroachment of the land. “The cemetery is spread over five acre land area at Biswak and over one acre land at Kashmiri Chak. But the tombs of Yusuf Shah, his wife and sons for decades remained unknown. There was almost a jungle around it and the tombs were hardly visible. Then we got it constructed a few years ago. But the area outside is still open and is being encroached inch by inch. Some concrete structures and thatched roof hutments have also come up on its border areas,” he said.
Yusuf Shah Chak ruled Kashmir from 1579 to 1586. In 1579 he was deceitfully imprisoned by the Mughal emperor Akbar, but was later released and was exiled to Biswak area of Bihar.
“He had a Mansabdaari of 500 horses. In fact, his love and knowledge of art and literature had impressed Mughal Badshaah and that became the reason for his release. He had married Habba Khatoon, the legendary poetess whose verses are still sung by the locals in Kashmir,” he said.
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> India> Cities> Patna / by Reena Sipan, Hindustan Times, Patna / August 07th, 2019
Around 50 residents of Kodagu’s Goodugadde village were stranded in their flooded homes on Friday morning.
Around 50 residents of Kodagu’s Goodugadde village were stranded in their flooded homes on Friday morning, hoping that help would come before the river Cauvery would take away their lives.
Luckily for Goodugadde’s residents, help came in the form of eight Good Samaritans, who ferried them to safe places through small iron-made coracles.
Mustafa, a 32-year-old activist from Kodagu, suspected that people were stranded in Goodugadde and other villages along the banks of the Cauvery river. Mustafa had heard from the local grapevine that many people had not left their homes despite a flood warning.
At around 6 am on Friday, Mustafa and his friends Ranjith Kumar, Afzal, Iliyas, Shafiq and four others from Siddapura, were anxious as the Dubbare Rafting Team was busy with rescue elsewhere.
Mustafa and his friends rushed to the Siddapura Police Station and requested the police to lend them the iron-made coracle lookalikes that the police had kept in the evidence room, which they had seized when they busted an illegal sand mining ring.
“We call it thappe in Kannada. They are circular, iron made vessels sand miners use to transport sand. It’s smaller than a coracle but bigger than the round vessels used to carry sand in construction sites. We wanted those so we could row it and look for stranded people,” Mustafa explains.
When the group reached Goodugadde, they found several senior citizens, children and middle aged people stranded in their flooded homes. Many were sitting on their rooftops, while some of them clung to trees, waiting for help.
“There were about 50 people. We began rescue at 7am and it went on till 11 am. We lost count of the number of trips we made to bring all of them to safety. They were sent to relief camps in Siddapura. By 12 pm, the Dubbare Rafting Team came to help us and we continued rescue operations in Baradi and Kakkattagadu villages,” Ranjith Kumar says.
Mustafa, Ranjith and the team of local rescuers claim that they are experienced swimmers and that they had volunteered during rescue operations in the floods that hit Kodagu in 2018.
“We have lived along the banks of river Cauvery all our lives. We have a very close relationship with the river and swimming is the first thing we learnt as children. We are expert swimmers and if our skill could be put to use to help people in need, then it’s our duty to help them. What is the point of being an expert at something and not helping those who could benefit from it?” Mustafa says.
Mustafa and his motley crew continue their rescue operations even now. “We will help as much as we can. Our people have seen too much damage due to rains and floods. Currently, we are going back and forth Goodugadde and recovering their belongings,” Mustafa adds.
source: http://www.thenewsminute.com / The News Minute / Home> Karnataka Floods / by Theja Ram / August 10th, 2019
62-year-old Taqiullah Khan has also performed Umrah an epic 126 times.
Indian national Taqiullah Khan performed Haj for the first time in 1994. The Bengaluru resident, now 62, has undertaken the journey 25 times in as many years ever since.
Khan is now back in Makkah to perform his 26th Haj.
Khan has also performed the lesser pilgrimage, Umrah, an epic 126 times!
For most Muslims, the holy journey is a once-in-a-lifetime experience due to the costs, difficulties and sacrifices involved. For Khan, it’s an annual affair, thanks to his tours and travels company.
“I have been coming here so many times that I know Makkah and Madina better than Bengaluru,” he quipped.
The first Haj
Interestingly, Khan’s mother had “predicted” that Haj would become an annual journey for him.
A year before he went for his first Haj, he had sent his parents for the journey in 1993.
“I requested that they pray for me to be able to visit the blessed land. When my mother came back, she told she had made this particular dua (supplication) so much that she believed I would perform Haj every year.”
Just like his mother predicted, Khan’s journey began in 1994. “I went as a Haji (pilgrim) like any other Muslim back then. I went back again the next year with my wife.”
He founded Tawakkul Tours and Travels in 1996 and applied for the Haj quota. He has been coming as a Haj guide ever since.
The father of three doesn’t necessarily have to come to the holy city along with the groups that his firm is responsible for. “For me, this is an honour from Allah and I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Most people consider themselves lucky if they are able to undertake the journey once in their lifetime. Allah has blessed me to perform Haj every year.”
Khan also leads at least five Umrah groups to the holy city every year.
He holds something called the Munazzam licence, which is granted to Haj organisers. “So you see, Allah has blessed me so much that this is actually my bread and butter, too.”
The Indian’s wife and two of their three children are Hajis as well.
The ‘missed’ Haj
Khan has just missed the Haj of 1999 since 1994. He had suffered a motorbike accident and his doctor asked him to avoid undertaking the arduous journey.
“But I have still performed Haj 25 times in 25 Gregorian years because I was lucky enough to get two pilgrimages in 1996.”
That year, Dhul Hijjah – the Islamic calendar month in which the journey is undertaken – came twice in 1996: January and December.
Preparations
Khan’s company gets a quota of 100 pilgrims every year. “This time, our quota increased by seven, Alhamdulillah.”
Khan said he starts preparing for the Haj season as soon the fasting month of Ramadan ends. “That’s when the government of India announces the Haj quotas.”
Khan’s biggest strength is his family. “They have been very supportive of my endeavours. Not once have they asked me to depute someone else to lead the groups since they, too, believe that this is an honour.”
Safety guaranteed
Khan is most impressed with the way the annual pilgrimage is organised.
“In the 25 years I have been leading Haj groups, not once have I heard a Haja (female pilgrim) complain about harassment. Not once has anyone complained about robberies or any serious crimes.
“It is amazing how the government manages to organise all this so efficiently year after year despite receiving in excess of two million pilgrims.”
Most memorable Haj
Though Khan maintained that each of his 25 pilgrimages was special, his first Haj in 1994 is the “most memorable”. “Haj season fell in the month of May. It was very hot then. But it remains the most special Haj for me. I remember every single aspect of that maiden trip. I enjoyed it.”
During the Haj of 1997, when a massive fire broke out in the tent city of Mina, Khan and his group of 60 Hajis were just 500 metres away from the tent in which a cylinder exploded. The tragedy had claimed over 200 lives.
“The police evacuated us and we managed to escape. We came back to the holy city. Thanks to the government’s efficiency, we were able to go back to Mina the very next day. That’s another Haj memory that will always remain with me.”
When asked how long he plans to continue the annual journey, pat comes the reply: “As long as my health permits, I don’t plan to give this up.”
1. Photo ban lifted: According to Takiullah Khan, photography was banned in the holy sanctuary till about a decade ago.
2. End of ‘rocket stretchers’: In the 90s, elderly or disabled pilgrims would be taken for circumambulation on a stretcher by four men, who would “speed through the crowds”. “It was a very dangerous practice and people would just move out of the way as they were afraid of getting hurt. Thank God, we have wheelchairs now,” said Khan.
3. Drinking Zamzam from the source: Till about five years ago, pilgrims could descend to the Zamzam well and drink the holy water from its source.
4. Just two ‘mataf’ areas: Masjid Al Haram has four Mataf (areas to circumambulate the Holy Kaabah) floors today. It used to be just two when Khan first went for Haj.
5. Ascending Mount Safa: Pilgrims could previously ascend the Mount Safa and look at the Holy Kaabah while praying. Today, it stands behind a glass enclosure.
source: http://www.khaleejtimes.com / Khaleej Times / Home> Region> Saudi Arabia / by Sahim Salim (reporting from Makkah) / August 08th, 2019
India’s first flight carrying Haj pilgrims took off from Hyderabad On 22nd October 1946. Earlier, pilgrims used to travel by a sea route for performing Haj.
According to the report published in Times of India , the first flight carried 18 Haj pilgrims. Two Deccan Airways Dakota aircrafts took off from the old airport of Hyderabad located at Begumpet in 1946 amid slogans “Allah-u-Akbar”. Khan Bahadur Nawab Ahmed Nawaz Jung was also traveling on that flight.
It may be noted that at that time, there was no flight from other Indian cities to Jeddah.
The name of the pilot who took off the first flight was Captain Cox and his junior was Munshi. The technical support was provided by Nasir, Radio Officer and Lord, Flight Engineer.
It may be mentioned that Deccan Airways was the leading airlines at that time. In 1948, the flights of Deccan Airways were discontinued due to uncertain political situation in erstwhile Hyderabad State. It was again started in 1949 after the Police Action.
source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> Hyderabad / posted by Sameer / August 08th, 2019
While Mughal rulers like Babar and Bahadur Shah Zafar have been buried on foreign soil, quite a few members of their clan rest at Humayun’s Tomb
Where do most Mughal kings, princes, and princesses sleep in Delhi? The answer lies in the vaults of Humayun’s Tomb, built with much devotion, by the emperor’s first wife, Haji Begum. Among those buried here are Hamida Bano Begum, the mother of Akbar; Dara Shikoh, Shah Jahan’s heir apparent; Aurangzeb’s once beloved son, Azam Shah; the dandy Jahandar Shah, and his slayer Farrukhsiyar; Ahmed Shah and Alamgir-II.
There are many more, of lesser note, some without inscriptions, gathered within the folds of the mausoleum of their ancestor Humayun. It’s a strange feeling of beds spread out on a summer night with the kind emperor sleeping in glory among many of those who waded to the throne through the blood of their relatives. The last rites of murdered princes were generally adhered to and they were laid to rest in the family graveyard. But there were exceptions like Dara Shikoh, who was denied the ritual funeral bath by his austere brother Aurangzeb.
In Mehrauli, the precincts of the shrine of Hazrat Qutubuddin Bakhtiar Kaki also form the burial ground of many Mughal and other princes. In Agra, Akbar’s tomb at Sikandra is the repository of the remains of a host of princes and princesses. In Calcutta, several descendants of Wajid Ali Shah, the last King of Oudh, lie buried, and in Rangoon, the family of Bahadur Shah Zafar has found a burial place denied to it in the land of its birth.
Babar’s tomb should have been the last resting place of all those descendants whose graves are found in Humayun’s mausoleum. But Babar chose to be buried in Kabul which ceased to be a part of the Mughal empire by the time most of his successors died.
Isn’t it an irony of fate that the first and last emperors could not be buried in India? While Babar loved Kabul, Bahadur Shah Zafar had no choice as the British wanted to stamp out his very memory by burying him in a nondescript grave in Rangoon, which was rediscovered by chance and formed the rallying point for Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s INA during World War-II.
Bahadur Shah Zafar died on 7 November, 1862 and was hastily buried by lantern light, with the British officer deputed to escort him from India and look after his stay in Rangoon, supervising the funeral. Zinat Mahal and the other ladies of the harem who had accompanied the king did not attend the last rites, but his young son, Jawan Bakht was present. No tombstone was erected to perpetuate the memory of the star-crossed monarch, but fate willed it otherwise and Bahadur Shah Zafar seems to have had the last laugh as his name and fame survive despite his oppressors’ ill-intentions.
The king’s mazar (shrine) has now become a place of pilgrimage in Myanmar, where the last emperor is worshipped as a Pir. While on the walls are inscribed some of his heart-rending ghazals, like the one bemoaning the misfortune of his not having found even two yards of land in his country of birth “Kitna hai badnaseeb Zafar dafan ke liye / Do gaz zamin bhi na mili ku-e-yaar mein”. But he has acquired enough space in the hearts of his compatriots alright.
Babar’s mausoleum is a modest one, which lay neglected for many years. But it is heartening to note that lately it has been renovated, having somehow escaped destruction during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan and then the turmoil of the Taliban period. Though demands have been made for bringing back Zafar’s remains to India, nobody has raised their voice for Babar’s reburial, not entirely because of the first Mughal emperor’s dying wish.
So Humayun’s Tomb remains the funeral parlour of the family of Babar. You go from vault to vault and nothing but inscribed stones confront you on which are enshrined a cloak-and-dagger mystery. Death, gruesome death, generally at the hands of an assassin hired by the next of kin, the ambitious prince determined to seize the throne.
Many were done to death by their brothers, uncles, nephews or treacherous wazirs. Some died of poison, administered through a favourite, but faithless, courtesan; others strangled in their sleep, yet others hacked with swords or stabbed through the heart or back. Children weren’t spared. You gaze at these tombstones with awe and pity. How many innocent lives destroyed for the sake of ambition! There is the silence of death all around, with the Grim Reaper gloating over his sickle of time with which he has laid low both those with name and those without fame. Only Clio, the muse of history, understands the secrets of these vaults and it is she who weeps in them through her tresses: Put on your shoes and tip-toe away.
The writer is a veteran chronicler of Delhi
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society> History & Culture> Down Memory Lane / by R.V. Smith / July 23rd, 2019
The Uttar Pradesh police on Friday said it had recovered a treasure trove of 698 “rare” Mughal-era silver coins dating back to the 16th and 17th century. A few of the coins are said to be from the eras of emperors Akbar and Aurangzeb.
The coins were found buried in a garden in Shimla, said a police officer from Moradabad district.
A DSP-rank officer from Moradabad Lallan Singh, the circle office of Highway area, said the coins were found by a Moradabad-based contractor named Ghulam Nabi while he was digging at a location in Shimla with three-four labourers.
The police came to know of the coins after Mr. Nabi and the labourers quarrelled among themselves over sharing the coins after they returned to the Mundhapandey area of Moradabad district, Mr. Singh said.
The coins weighed 7.9 kg, the officer said, adding that they had been sent to the Archaeological Survey of India.
“We struck silver!” U.P. police tweeted late on Friday as it released pictures of the recovery.
According to ASI, these are “rare 16th/17th century Mughal-era coins with legends in Persian and kalima in Arabic”, the police said.
The ASI is yet to issue a statement on the recovery or independently acknowledge their historical significance.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society> History & Culture / by Omar Rashid / Lucknow – July 27th, 2019