Nagore Shahul Hamid’s Tomb and History

Aliza Rizwan

Nagore Shahul Hamid’s Tomb and History

Nagore Dargah is a dargah built over the tomb of the Sufi saint Shahul Hameed, it is located in Nagore, a coastal town in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu.The dargha witness thousands of pilgrims every year due to their strong belief and faith it has huge numbers of worshipers.

Nagore Dargah - Nagapattinam | Source- Thanjavur.info

Dargah of the Prophet Mohammad’s Ancestor: Hazrat Nagore Shahul Hamid

Nagore Dargah, also known as Nagoor Dargah, Syed Shahul Hameed Dargah, or Nagore Andavar Dargah, is located in Nagore, a coastal town in Tamil Nadu, South India. It is built over the tomb of the Sufi saint Shahul Hameed (1490–1579).

It is said that Shahul Hameed predicted his death and informed his adopted son Yusuf about the rites to be performed after his passing and the location of his burial. Yusuf decided to stay there for the rest of his life and performed the rites as his father had instructed. A charnel house was constructed over the grave. Devotees of Shahul, who continued to believe in his powers and teachings after his death, made it a holy site of worship. Nagore Dargah is an honourable place of worship for devotees of different religious faiths.

The Nagore Dargah covers an area of 5 acres (2.0 ha) enclosed by a compound wall. The main complex has four entrances in each direction. Pratap Singh, the Hindu Maratha ruler of Thanjavur, built one of the five tallest minarets (periya manara) with a height of 131 feet. This minaret is located on the west face, just outside the main darwaza (door). It was erected 195 years after Shahul’s era. As a mark of respect, people also praise the sandals of Hazrat Shahul, which are preserved in the shrine. The dargah has a gold-plated dome located on the west face outside the main entrance over the tombs of Shahul, his son Yusuf, and his daughter-in-law, Saeeda Sultana Biwi. The central part of the dargah is the tomb of the saint, Shahul Hamid. There are four doorways made of silver, and the remaining three are made of gold. The other tombs in the shrines are for Shahul’s grandson Hassan Alaihis Salam and Abdel Khader Gilani, each located in different chambers.

According to an estimate, about 50–75 percent of pilgrims visiting the dargah every day are Hindus. Shahul Hamid is believed to have performed many miracles in Nagore and diagnosed the physical affliction of King Achutappa Nayak, a Hindu ruler of Thanjavur, during the 16th century. He is locally referred to as “Nagore Andavar,” meaning the “God of Nagore.” Nagore Dargah, as it stands now, is believed to have been built by passionate devotees of Shahul Hamid, with a major contribution from the Hindu community.

The festival called "Qadir Wali Ke Fande" is a fourteen-day celebration for the urs (anniversary) of the saint. A saffron flag-carrying ceremony is also observed when the flag is carried in a procession from the devotee’s house after a street procession and hoisted on a tree known as Fande ka Fahad. The Kanduri festival, or Urs, is celebrated in commemoration of the anniversary of the saint’s death, and pilgrims participate in the rituals and rites.

The shrine was designated a national monument in 1974 and was later made into the Nagore Dargah Indian Muslim Heritage Centre, which opened in 2011, showcasing Indian Muslim culture and heritage.

The ardent devotees shave their heads near the tank and offer tin or silver-plated facsimiles of body parts, houses, and sailboats, similar to their material needs. They practice offering flowers, food, etc., as a way of conducting worship, and playing musical instruments like the nadaswaram (a type of pipe instrument commonly used in Tamil Nadu) is typical of Hindu tradition. Other worship practices include offering flags and lighting lamps of ghee at the saint’s tomb.