Haji Ali Dargah, Mumbai

[IndiansUnite]

^Copyright Humayunn NA Peerzada

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All info in this post is from Wiki

Introduction:
The Haji Ali Dargah (Urdu: حاجی علی درگاہ ) (Hindi: हाजी अली दरगाह) is a mosque and dargah (tomb) located on an islet off the coast of Worli in Southern part of Mumbai. Lying as it does in the heart of the city, the dargah is one of the most recognizable landmarks of Mumbai. An exquisite example of Indian Islamic architecture, associated with legends about doomed lovers, the dargah contains the tomb of Sayed Peer Haji Ali Shah Bukhari.

Location:


view from Mumbai Central
Copyright saicode


Copyright Humayunn NA Peerzada



Background:
The Haji Ali Dargah was constructed in 1431 by a rich Muslim merchant, Sayed Peer Haji Ali Shah Bukhari, who gave up all his worldly possessions before making a pilgrimage to Mecca. Sayed Peer Haji Ali Shah Bukhari Hailing from Bukhara, in the ancient Persian Empire and now in Uzbekistan, Bukhari travelled around the world in the early 1400s, and then settled in Mumbai.

Copyright Humayunn NA Peerzada


As per the legends, surrounding his mystique, once the Saint saw a poor woman crying on the road, holding an empty vessel. He asked her what the problem was. She sobbed that that her husband would thrash her since she had stumbled and accidentally spilled the oil she was carrying. He asked her to take him to the spot where she lost the oil. There, he jabbed a finger into the soil and the oil gushed out. The overjoyed woman filled up the vessel and went home. Later, Bukhari had a recurring - and disturbing - dream that he had injured Mother Earth by his act. Full of remorse, he soon fell ill and directed his followers to cast the coffin carrying his body into the Arabian Sea.

Copyright Humayunn NA Peerzada


pictures copyright keshvala





Other stories state that the great saint, Haji Ali left this world during his journey to Mecca and miraculously his casket carrying his body floated back to these shores. On Thursdays and Fridays, the shrine is visited by at least 40,000 pilgrims. Irrespective of faith and religion, people visit the 'dargah' to get the blessings of the legendary saint. Sometimes, specially on Fridays people may find various sufi musicians performing a form of devotional music called “kawwaali” there at the "Dargah".

Pictures copyright Humayunn NA Peerzada

[Marathaman]

I've been to this place, and its far worse than the pictures suggest. The path upto the mosque stinks of sewage and ammonia, and the mosque itself is is pretty bad shape. I heard that they were planning to renovate it but seems that nothing has materialized so far.

[India101]

Its so ugly, I mean that because its covered in dirt and mould. They need to renovate it asap.

[Jodhpur2]

well i guess being in the middle of sea does have it effects.

[IndiansUnite]

Originally Posted by Marathaman

I've been to this place, and its far worse than the pictures suggest. The path upto the mosque stinks of sewage and ammonia, and the mosque itself is is pretty bad shape.

True that. The causeway and the area around it need an immediate clean up.

Originally Posted by Jodhpur2

well i guess being in the middle of sea does have it effects.

Exactly. The saline winds are to be blamed for the constant corrosion of the structure.


The following news article claims that reconstruction work had started in 2008 but I didn't notice any when I visited it in January.

Dec 25 2008: Haji Ali Dargah to be draped in marble

Haji Ali Dargah, which juts out into the sea, is being rebuilt in marble, as the present concrete structure is eroding due to saline air and harsh weather conditions.

The shrine, which is around 500 years old is a prominent landmark of Mumbai that attracts between 5,000 to 10,000 devotees every day. The renovation project, which began last week and is expected to finish in two years, will focus on reconstructing the tomb, minarets and adjacent mosque in Makrana marble without changing the original architecture, Managing Trustee and Chairman of Haji Ali Dargah Trust, A H Merchant said.

The project will cost around Rs 10 crore, Merchant said.

The present structure is a rebuilt of concrete and steel done way back between 1960-64, but the steel used in the tomb, minarets and mosque has corroded now due to saline air, he said. The corrosion of the structure has made us rebuild it in Makrana marble which is expected to survive the harsh weather conditions for at least 250-300 years, he added.

"Presently we are focusing on rebuilding the tomb, minarets and mosque only. We will plan for the entire premises later," Merchant said.

The shrine belongs to the saint Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari. The dome, mosque and sanitarium building were later built by some members of Memon community in 1916. The project is being appreciated by devotees who are emotionally attached to the place.

"It will be awesome to see the tomb draped in marble," a devotee said. Osman Shah, who is one of the regulars at the place, said that it will be a gift to those who visit the shrine of great saint with wishes and never return empty handed.

contd. here

Here's a recent image which shows no sign of reconstruction-

December 20
Copyright Reymond Chennon

[India101]

Almost everything need to be fixed up. The causeway, the island and the main structure itself. And I also don't see the need for those pot plants. They should also hide those cables.

[India101]

Copyright Srinivas Narasimha@flickr

[India101]

Copyright Abhijit Dharmadhikari



Copyright Anwarali Kapasi

[bains1971]

With a clean up it will look great, this place has potential.

[IndiansUnite]

renovation has begun -

March 10
Copyright jianhui


the minaret is being reconstructed

[India101]

That already looks a heap better!

[fuwad]

New Haji Ali takes shape
The shrine is halfway through its Rs 12-crore makeover,expected to be completed in another two years

Manoj R Nair @timesgroup.com
Mumbai Mirror 3-08-2010.

The gleaming new minaret of the Haji Ali dargah offers a glimpse of what the shrine will look like when it is completely rebuilt in marble.
Inlay work in semi-precious stones covers the base of the tower and the floral designs cover the marble surface as it rises to its 85-feet height.When a cupola finally covers it,the minaret will be first structure in the Haji Ali dargah and mosque complex to be rebuilt.
The mosque below the minaret is already being demolished and will be rebuilt next.After that the dargah which houses the tomb of the saint and the sanatorium will be demolished to be reconstructed in marble.
Large blocks of marble from Makrana in Rajasthan - the source of the stone that covers the Taj Mahal - are stacked in the shrine's compound.Lack of space to store building materials means that the stones are carted to the site in small quantities.
The shrine which was built around A D 1431 is believed to be the resting place of a rich merchant who renounced his wealth for a life of piety.It is the city's most visited dargah and nearly a lakh pilgrims visit it between Thursdays and Fridays.
The last major repairs to the shrine were done in the early sixties.Since then,the salt-laden winds had corroded the concrete.When restoration work first began a year ago,trustees were worried that the minaret could topple off.
Shrine trustees now estimate that around 30 per cent of the reconstruction work is complete.Nearly a third of the major skilled work is complete.We are not using any reinforced concrete and the shrine will be completely built in marble.This will ensure that the shrine will last forever, said shrine trustee Sohail Khandwani.
When the proposal to reconstruct the shrine in marble was first made around five years ago,the cost of the project was estimated at Rs 5 crores.Later,it was revised to Rs 9 crores.It is now estimated that the construction bill could cross Rs 12 crores.The project is expected to be completed in another two years.




http://lite.epaper.timesofindia.com/...e=&publabel=MM

[bhargavsura]

Yes. That makeover has been going on for a while. I thought it might have already been completed. Lets hope that they will put some kind of subtle glowing lighting around it and develop the waterfront at Worli.

[India101]

It's definitely looking better. You can see the minaret is now almost complete. Though the outer walls are still looking a bit nasty.

Feb 7
Copyright kunstlieberin

[World8115]

They need to clean on either side of the pathway

[India101]

They need to clean the pathway itself, if you look in the above pic you can see people have made little shelters to sell stuff I guess. Also some more appealing lamp posts would be good too.

[World8115]

+1. also the outer walls should be painted. Overall the structure looks good compared to the last time I went there.

[sathya_226]

The beggars along the street is such a heart breaking thing to see for a common human being.... The main thing for authorities to do is to relocate those actual poors and illegal traders along the path way..... BTW that juice stall in the entrance on the main road is a great place to have some good refreshments...

[India101]

Back to its former glory -

image hosted on flickr

033 of 365 by Yogesh Mhatre, on Flickr

image hosted on flickr

Haji Ali by Arun Sundar, on Flickr

image hosted on flickr

Haji Ali Dargah, Mumbai by Velachery Balu, on Flickr

image hosted on flickr

Haji Ali Durgah during sunset 26/11 by Velachery Balu, on Flickr