Safoora Hilal
Czrar-i-Shareef, a Sufi Khanqah and a mosque situated in the town of the same name in Budgam district, is one of the oldest Khanqahs of the Kashmir valley dedicated to the Kashmiri Sufi Saint Sheikh Noor u Din Noorani, popular as ‘Alamdar e Kasmir’ or ‘Sheikh ul Alam’ or ‘Nund Reshi.’ Before Sheikh Ul Alam (RA) came to this place, it was called ‘chear wan.’ Wan is a Kashmiri word that means forest.
When the Sufi saint came here, he enquired from the locals the name of the village, to which they said, ” Czaar.” Nund Reshi (RA) replied to them, “Walsa Paani Yeti Pyaarr” (Oh dear self! let me rest here). Post this, Nund Reshi (RA) stayed here and traveled across the place to worship Allah. After his burial, this piece of land is now named Charar-e- Sharief.
Alamdar e Kashmir’s early life
Nund Reshi (RA) was born in a poor family in the year 1377 A.D, in the village Quimoh area of Kulgam. His father Sheikh Salar belonged to a martial clan of Kishtwar. His mother’s name was Sadra Bibi (Sadre Mouj). Before Nund Reshi (RA) was born, Sadre Mouj had a dream, wherein she heard someone declaring that she will give birth to a great saint who will eventually bless the entire Kashmir valley.
It is said that ‘Lalla Arifa’ (Lal Ded) used to visit his mother during her pregnancy and took care of her. When Sadre Moji gave birth to the sufi saint, for the first three days he did not drink his mother’s milk. Lal Ded then fed him on her breasts, saying “Yeli Ni Zyani Mandchokh Chani Kyasi Chukh Mandchan.” (You never hesitated coming to this world then why do you hesitate in taking the milk?)
Nund Reshi was hardly two years old when his father passed away. His upbringing was now the sole concern of his widowed mother. It is said that at the age of four, Sadre Mouj sent Nund Reshi to a preacher of the village to learn the holy Quran, at Quimoh. The molvi sahab ( teacher) instructed him the first order of alphabets. He repeated the letters ( الف and ب ), and he stopped there. He did not go beyond learning the basics of conventional contents of learning.
While trying to read the Holy Quran, he would get lost in deep notions and dwell on a single word ( الف) for hours together. He asked his teacher to tell him the meaning of those alphabets. The teacher was surprised over this and asked him to read it over and over as it is. Nund Reshi declined to read anything more after this. He insisted upon his teacher to tell him the real meaning of the letters. This angered the teacher, after which he declared, “I will not teach you anymore.”
Nund Reshi taught himself the meanings: الف- للا کُنے چ ُھ تَے اول ہ پؠٹھ ٲخر زوال ن ہ تس ب- گو محمدصلى الله عليه وسلم رسواللل ٘متس ٔمژ شفاعت ک ر اُ قیا Alif (Alpha) means Allah and he is single in nature. From the beginning to the end, he alone shall survive.
Bei (beta) is explained in the sense of Mohammad (P.B.U.H) the messenger of Allah. He is the intercessor on the day of reckoning.
The teacher found himself wonder struck. Those around him observed that as the boy grew in years, he showed signs of extra ordinary behavior. Seeing this, the teacher begged pardon of Allah and kissed Nund Reshi’s forehead and asked him to leave such a simple school. Nund Reshi returned home after a short while. Sadra Moje thought that her son had returned from the school too soon. The next day, she took Nund Reshi along and went to his teacher. She enquired about her child’s behavior. The teacher told her that this child did not need any worldly instructions or traditional learning. And that he has been bestowed upon by the inspired knowledge. She took her back home.
Nund Reshi would interlude into deep meditation and at times go into ecstasy and have strange visions. When his mother observed these things, she grew anxious with fear and thought that Nund Reshi would turn his back upon the world. So she got him married against his will. He was married to Zai Ded, who hailed from Dadasara, Tral. Nund Reshi became father of a son (Haider) and a daughter (Zooni).
Sadra Moje wanted to see her son settled in domestic life. The mother took her beloved son to Wover Nad in Quimoh in order to teach him some skill like craft at a weaver’s work shop. She said to Nund Reshi that he had to learn some craft work in order to provide for the family, so his wife and both the kids can live in ease and comfort. He accepted his mother’s decision. He also wished for the same sort of earning, made through honesty, and prohibition of unlawful means of livelihood.
Sadra Moje said to a weaving master that she expected the best for her son’s learning, he in turn, assured to her that he would teach Nund Reshi with kindness. He welcomed Nund Reshi and encouraged him. After Sadra Moje left, Nund Reshi found the weaver empty of enlightenment. He asked him certain questions. As per Baba Mohammad Khalil (Weaver), Nund Reshi observed all the machinery of weaving minutely. Nund Reshi found out that the weaver was dishonest in dealings. He would eat up the bits of wool cuttings. Nund Reshi warned him against usurping the rights of people.
On his refusal, the weaver vomitted bits of wool material, unwarrantedly. It was all due to virtue of Nund Reshi. On seeing this extraordinary coup, the master weaver directed Nund Reshi’s mother that the child had no worldly interest and she should keep him home.
Nund Reshi felt disgusted with the ways of the world. He lost interest in life as normally lived. One day so happened that while his wife and children were sleeping by his side, he managed to decamp from his home. He went to a hill and lodged in a cave therein. He now embarked on his own course of rumination.
For days and nights, he would remain absorbed in deep meditation. He immersed himself completely to intense practices, the rites and prayers. His mind focused on Allah all the while. Sometime later, his anxious mother took along his wife and children, to implore him to return home. Nund Reshi declined, saying that he had chosen a better way.
Sadre Moji pleaded and requested him of to perform his duties to the family. She reminded him of her milk and finally frightened him by asking to return the milk that he had sucked from her as a baby. At this, the Sufi Saint asked her to fetch a big pitcher, and so she did. He, then, bashed a rock with his staff and milk gushed out from it like a spring.
Upon this, Nund Reshi told his mother, “Now as much milk as you like”. She was wonder struck on seeing this. However, she failed to convince Nund Reshi to return home. His wife Zai Ded supplicated him with tearful eyes, but nothing worked. When his wife insisted, he laid baboon thorns on the floor of the cave and rested upon them, asking his wife to do the same. She left her children on floor and they were found dead the following morning.
On the death of the children, Zai Ded also surrendered the world and became a hermitess. His mother Sadre Moji, wife Zai Ded and his son Hyder and the daughter Zooni are buried at Quimoh. He practiced severe meditation in a cave for 12 years and lived on vegetation from the woods. For sometime, he would travel, and then went to live in isolation at Vichar Naag. Later, he traveled about whole Kashmir, reached Ropvan and lastly came to Charar-i-Sharief on the request of Hazrat Sangram Dar, a wealthy, famous and rich land holder.
He managed to become the pioneer of Nund Reshi from Roupvan merely after spending an year’s time.
Nund Reshi spent seven years in Sangram Dar’s land holdings. He would go to Roupvan from here, but the permanent station was the same Dach Har (Vineyard) in Charar-i-Sharief.
Sangram Dar served the Holy saint by all means, material as well as immaterial. Nund Reshi, during his course of time, matured into a saint of great spiritual attainments. He had now become a powerful mirror that reflected the divine radiance. Sheikh Noor-ud-din communicated the spiritual truths in a powerful poetic language which found its way right into the hearts of Kashmiris.
He was determined to mend the society. He spread the teachings of Islam to common people through their mother tongue so that they could understand the religion of Islam.
Sheikh Noor-ud-Din (RA) left this world at the age of 63, in the reign of sultan Zain ul Abedin. After the sad demise of Sheikh, historical books say, that his coffin flew some distance and got laid at the site exactly where the Khanqah is located. This is where the great Muslim Sufi Saint has been laid to rest. The land belonged to Sangram Dar. This is also where Nund Reshi offered his Friday Namaz. After his death, Sangram Dar the friend and the follower of Nund Reshi built a mosque here.
It is believed that 9 lakh people gathered at the Khanqah of Charar-i-Sharief with in two days of his death in 1438 AD. The king Sultan Zain-ul-Abedin also took part in his funeral procession. Later, in 1446, the eighth sultan of the valley laid the foundation stone of the Charar-i-Sharief at the burial site.
The Khanqah of great Sufi Saint Hazrat Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Noorani (RA) was built in 1460 to pay homage to Nund Reshi.
The Khanqah of Charar-i-Sharief has been destroyed twice. The first time, its surroundings suffered ruination when a battle took place between the Indian Army and the Pakistani Army. Bettered by two fires, the Khanqah was partially damaged. Later, Yakub Shah Chak repaired the damaged parts. In 1808, it was reconstructed by an Afghan Governor, Atta Mohammad Khan. Nund Reshi was the first Kashmiri saint who was given official recognition when Atta Mohammad Khan issued coins in his name.
The Khanqah compound was engineered in a square shaped wooden structure when Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad served as the Prime Minister of the state. The Khanqah was also a depository of several religious heirloom’s, including an Arabian Dress, believed to be that of Hazrat Fatima, a daughter of the Prophet Mohammad (saw), two cups Nund Reshi drank milk in, one holy poker gifted to Nund Reshi by Mir Syed Ali Hamdani (RA) and wooden shoes of saint.
In early December, 1994, Mast Gul now a part of anti Pakistan Tehreek e taliban Pakistan arrived at the Khanqah. Mast Gul told people and assured them that they would return to their hideout in the forests. At the peak of winter, he also told people he would leave the town after Eid ul Fitr. And that was the day, the Khanqah and the whole of charar e Shareef was destroyed.
On May 11, 1995, on the day of Eid ul Fitr, a gunfight broke out between the Indian forces and 150 militants including Mast Gul, the square shaped Khanqah built of wooden structure caught fire and was heavily damaged. A fire resulting from the violent encounter burnt down the place, wherein more than 1100 houses, 200 shops were burnt, making 1460 families homeless. A lot of other government property and lives were destroyed as a result of the devastation.
Under Farooq Abdullah’s regime, a new Khanqah was built at a cost of ₹ 3 Crore by Oct. 7, 2001. Khanqah’s Khatamband ceiling was assigned to kashmiri professionals.
The new structure was the main Khaqah’s replica, retaining a pagoda shaped top. Each and every wall has beautiful wood carving and some shruks (poems) are also written on the walls. As a result of vicious armed battles, the Khanqah of Charar-i-Sharief has suffered a lot. It has been destroyed more than twice after being tumbled down, but the value and essence of the place is not imperil. It has religious significance in the cultural heritage of Kashmir and is considered one of the holiest place of Kashmiri Muslims and other religions equally.
Charar Kangri
Kangri is used by people across Kashmir valley as a counter agent to chilling winter. Kangri is an earthen pot filled with charcoal embers, enclosed by a handmade wicker container. Charar Kangir, which is the first choice to customers has an outer husk of wicker work at times is very pretty with its decoration of rings using bright colors of wickers. Making Charar Kangri different than the ones manufactured in other parts of valley. The Kangri is known for its beauty.
Kangri craftsmen get orders from across the world because of the attractive face value of Charar Kangri. Many Kashmir-based Art showrooms use them for decorative purposes. Besides that, Charar Kangri bears the name of a revered sufi saint which gives it an edge over other Kangris .
Pottery
The first sign of pottery in Kashmir can be traced between 3000 BC and 1000 BC. The excavation of earthen pots from Burzuham site reveals the importance of pottery in Kashmir. This craft requires a special kind of clay which is not found everywhere. This clay needs to be free from sand and other foreign particles. It is dried, powdered and then sieved. It is then mixed with water and kept for two days and then repeatedly treated and pounded with hands to make it fit to be put on to the wheel. The hands and the fingers of the artist then come into play and wonderful items are brought out and separated from the wheel with the help of a special thread called ‘Krala pan.’
The clay from which the pots are made is at the core of the sacred poetry of the famous and most revered saint of Kashmir, Hazrat Sheikh ul Alam, Sheikh Noor Ud din (RA). In fact, his abode, Charar-i-Sharief, continues to be the main hub of pottery. Earthen vessels were used for storage of rice and water. Even food was cooked and served in earthen utensils. ‘Tambaknaare’ and ‘Noote’ are famous Kashmiri musical instruments made by potters. Kangris, toys, flower vases and decorative items, the incense pots, water pots, milk pots, piggy banks (big waer), etc, are still in great demand.