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Srinagar, Oct 19 (IANS) The annual ‘Urs’ of Kashmir’s patron Sufi saint Sheikh Nooruddin Wali began on Sunday in Charar-e-Sharif town of Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam district.
The saint is the founder of the Rishi tradition in Kashmir which transcends religious barriers. Known as “Shaikh-ul-Alam” (Spiritual Guide of the World) and “Alamdar-e-Kashmir” (flag bearer of Kashmir) by local Muslims, the saint is known as ‘Nund Rishi’ by local Hindus.
His mystical verses are read and recited even today because of their eternal wisdom and enlightenment.
“Aan Poshi Teli Yaali Van Poshi” (Food is subordinate to the forests and will remain so only as long as the forests remain) is one of them.
Sheikh Nuruddin was born in 1377 and died in 1438. The famous king of Kashmir, ‘Budshah’, attended the saint’s funeral procession and last prayers, which has been recorded as the largest funeral procession in the history of Kashmir.
He was buried in the city of Charar-i-Sharif, where a grand mausoleum has been built around his tomb. The historic old temple of Charar-e-Sharif was destroyed in a devastating fire in 1995, when Mast Gul, a Pakistani terrorist commander, escaped after hiding inside the city for more than a month.
Security forces said Mast Gul set fire to the temple to compensate for his escape from the city.
Apart from the shrine of the Sufi saint, about two-thirds of Charar city was destroyed in that fire. A grand shrine has been rebuilt at Charar-e-Sharif, where every year thousands of devotees come on ‘Urs’ to offer prayers at the shrine of the saint and seek blessings of Allah.
This saint is known to travel throughout the valley to preach peace and piety. He established a network of followers of the nascent Rishi sect, whose core values were simplicity, equality and non-violence.
In his role as the patron saint of the valley, he is credited with making non-violence and religious harmony “fundamental characteristics” of Kashmiri society.
His poetry holds a very important place in the ethos of Kashmir, and he is remembered as a bridge between the Shaivism and Sufi heritage of Kashmir.
He outlived his fellow saint-poet Lal Ded, known as Lalleshwari, and tradition holds that his verses and examples had a deep influence on him.
The largest following of this Sufi saint is in the rural areas, and for this reason, the saint’s annual Urs is celebrated every year after the harvest season is over in Kashmir.
–IANS
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