Dargah Haji Ali

Known for its special location on an islet in Southern Mumbai, Dargah Haji Ali is a must-visit for all Muslims visiting India. Dedicated to Muslim Saint Pir Hazrat Haji Ali Shah Bukhari, the shrine is visited by thousands of pilgrims irrespective of their religions. According to a record, more than 40,000 pilgrims visit this shrine to offer Chaddar and sincere prayers. During URS (Death anniversary of the saint) and Eid-E-Milad-un-Nabi, special Islamic rituals are performed here. Hazrat Haji Ali Saint is known to have given up all his worldly possessions and went to Mecca. His selfless acts toward the people made him a highly revered personality. It is also believed that he asked his followers to cast his body in a coffin in the Arabian Sea when he dies. Soon after his demise, his followers did as they were asked. However, it is said that the coffin is stuck on the piles of rocks, and this is where his Dargah stands today.

History

Sayyed Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari, a 15th-century Sufi Saint, was a rich businessman from Uzbekistan, who relinquished his materialistic wealth, before undertaking the spiritual tour to Mecca. A story doing rounds is that Haji Ali felt troubled after making the earth spew the spilled oil back to a poor lady and left for India to spend his remnant life teaching and spreading Islam in India.
In honor of his death wish to bury his body, where it surfaces after dropping his shroud (kafan) in the Sea, his followers built his tomb in Worli Bay in the middle of the Arabian Sea, where it resurfaced. The early Dargah along with the mosque was built in the year 1431.
After the Haji Ali Dargah Trust took over the management in 1916, the structure underwent a series of renovations and new additions. A three-story sanatorium was commissioned in the complex in 1980, along with an entrance gate. 1964 saw a lot of redecorations and reinstallations carried out on the Mosque and Dargah. The pathway that connects to the Masjid got re-laid in 1990. The memorial thus came to occupy 5000 sq. m. after all the restorations.

Architecture

Spread over in an area of 4,500 sq. meters, with 85 feet height, this magnificent Dargah in Mumbai is built using ‘Makrana’ marble, the same marble used in the Taj Mahal structure. The shrine houses two monuments, including a mosque and the tomb of Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari. The tomb is covered with silver frames from all sides, and the entire construction is encircled by eight pillars of marble. The structural design of this famous Dargah in Mumbai reflects the styles and designs of Indo-Islamic and Mughal architecture. Owing to its unique and striking locations, the road to the mosque gets submerged in the water during high tide, making it inaccessible.

The main hall inside the Haji Ali Dargah is bordered on three sides by three halls, including South, West, and East. While the west hall is reserved for women, men are allowed to pray in the east hall. The marble ceiling of the central hall is decorated with mirror work and inscribed with 99 different names of Allah. Also, the walls and ceilings of the main hall have verses from Quran Sharief, engraved on them. The mosque also houses a three-story sanatorium and a dedicated Qawwal Khana. The Haji Ali Masjid is connected with a seashore and a 700-yard-long walkway. There are no railings on either side of the pavement, so the visitors feel thrilled as the waves from the sea strike against the walkway. At night, the sight of the mosque brightens up in the distance with nothing but the magnificent Arabian Sea all around it, creating a heavenly view. It appears to be floating on the water with no relation to the mainland.