In India, almost every village and city has a sacred centre, whether it is a temple or a tank, or a Samadhi or a Dargah (tomb). Quran suggests Allah rewarded such and such for their good deeds by bestowing upon them the rank of Prophethood. Sufis believe that a Prophet, before he is raised to this rank; is a Wali (Saint). The Prophet of Islam introduced the custom of pilgrimage to Makkah, to earn religious merit. However, Sufism has directly or indirectly encouraged the concept of tomb pilgrimage and considers the tombs of Sufis as sacred centres. Perhaps this consideration largely waives with the Muslim devotees, while for the non Muslims, it is the miraculous powers of the saint.
The cultural features of a sacred complex, conceptualized by Vidyarthi based on Hindu Gaya, were applied to the dargah of Hazarat Syedina Syed Abdul Quadir Sahul Hameed Nagore Andavar of Nagore, located in Nagapatnam, Tanjore district, Tamil Nadu, South India, in an anthropological perspective, as a dimension of Islamic civilization in general and Sufi tradition in particular. This attempt in author's opinion, is the first of its kind by an Anthropologist and useful to achieve mutual inter-action between different religious faiths in a pluralistic country like India. The empirical data revealed that any dargah has the potential of its growth and spread only if its intrinsic value stems out for human good, whatever it's cultural and religious contents may be. If and when, they have to interact with one or more civilizational contents, local or Little Traditions, the sacred institutions blend in their secular and sacred activities.
At present working as Superintending Anthropologist (Cultural) in the Anthropological Survey of India, North Western Regional Centre, Dehradun and holding the position as Head of Office. He was curator in the Zonal Anthropological Museum, Mysore. His thesis was on Nagore-E-Sharief: A Sacred Complex Study and awarded in 1998. University of Mysore recognised him as Ph.D guide, supervising two students and more than 100 papers to his credit.
Cultural Pluralism: The Indian Senario, (eds). S.A.A.Saheb, B.F.Kulirani and K.K.Misra, Gyan Publishing: New Delhi, 2011.
Festival of Flags: Hindu-Muslim Devotion and the Sacralising Of Localism at the Shrine of Nagore-E-Sharief in Tamil Nadu: Embodying Charishma, (Eds). Phina Werbner & Helene Basu, Routledge: London & New York.
Ethnic Identity and Islamization among the Borewale Muslims of Andhra Pradesh: Frontiers of Embedded Muslim Communities in India, (Eds). Vinod K. Jairath, Routledge: London, New York & New Delhi. Sufism in South India: Identity, Cultural Plurality and State (Eds). N.K.Das & V.R.Rao, Macmillan, New Delhi.
Dr. Saheb presented paper "Development and cultural diversity among the Muslims of Andhra Pradesh" in the 16th World Congress of the International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences, 2009 held at Kunming, China.
His academic interest includes Syncretism with special reference to Hazarat Sahul Hameed Nagore Andavar Dargah, Tamil Nadu; Hazarat khaza Bandha Nawaz Dargah, Gulbarga and Hazarat Jamal Bibi Ma Saheba Dargah, Karnataka; Shamanism, Mother Goddess cult among the Primitive Tribes; Structure and Transformation of Scheduled Castes; Traditional Knowledge Systems in India and Bio-Cultural Diversity, Environment and Sustainable Development. He was member in New York Academy of Social Sciences, 1994.
This Painstaking study of a sacred complex or shrine, the place of the eternal rest of a saint namely Syedena Abdul Qadir Sahul Hameed Nagore Andavar in Tamil Nadu, widely believed to be one of the Friends(wali) and lover of God. He examplifies a personality, adored by the people for his role, not only as obedient follower of the Divine teachings, as laid down in the Holy Quran, but also for the spread of these teachings among the people through a mechanism, that touches the heart of the millions, even after he is no more alive and has left for his heavenly abode, His mortal remains are lying in eternal rest. The spot at which it is laid to rest is his shrine.
The place of the eternal rest of the saint of wali has assured the position of a centre of pilgrimage or ziarat for millions, the year round and supported by sufistic philosophy, is considered as an act of great merit by many, both Hindus and Muslims. The approach of the two communities to the sacred centre, differs considerably. The former for example consider it a source of obtaining worldly needs, while the latter's main focus is spiritual merit. Both have however a generalised positive approach to such a centre. It is however noteworthy that differences in approach, far from leading to clashes and conflicts, appear to be leading to the path of homogenisation of civilization and subtle effect of the nature of integration and unity, very much unlike the West where the meeting point of two cultures is observed to lead to clashes and conflicts.
In all the great religions of the world the practice of pilgrimage to a sacred centre is believed to endow one with spiritual benefit. In India, almost every village and every city has a sacred centre, whether it is a temple or a tank, or a Samadhi or a mausoleum. Through all these runs a single thread of continuity which gathers together the intricate vertical and horizontal connections, linking them to a unified religious system. Cultural identities are maintained and strengthened through a hierarchy of such centres.
For every Muslim the five pillars of Islam, namely, Kalima (the recital of sacred versus of the creed from Quran that there is but one Allah (god), Namaz (reciting daily prayers in Allah's honour), Roza (observing the fast during Ramzan), Zakat (giving the legal alms) and Hajj (making the pilgrimage to the holy place at Mecca, at least once in the life time of the worshipper).
It is obligatory on the part of every Muslim to perform pilgrimage to Mecca. Hadith (the traditional sayings and practises of the Prophet, as narrated by his disciples not found in the Quran (the holy text of the Muslims), says that one who performs the circumbulance of the Kaba and does not visit Madina defeats the object of his pilgrimage. In support of this statement Jaffer (1921) quotes that some pilgrims from Hindustan go so far in their reverence for the holy tomb of the Prophet as to make prostration Sijda before it, and do the respectful bows taslim at it.
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