Of One God and One World It wasn't until early 8th century that Indian shores were acquainted with this comparatively young religion called Islam. The Arab traders were the via media and later the Muslim invaders and the Mughal rulers, were instrumental in its propagation. Though in the first phase, Islam seemed aggressive, later the Sufi saints mellowed it to spreading the message of peace and universal brotherhood. Preachers like Kabir and Nanak (Sikhism), contributed greatly towards loosening the rigidity of the caste system in India.

Today, Islam is India’s second-largest religion in India (after Hinduism), with around 174 million Muslim population second largest again, after Indonesia in terms of Muslim majority. And had there been no partition, India would have been the largest Muslim country in the world.

Islam believes, -- “Those who have the means and ability, pilgrimage is an obligation laid down by Allah. The disbelievers should know that Allah is independent of His creatures”. And India has a remarkable handful of sites of Islamic importance visited by pilgrims from far and wide.
Take a look --
Ajmer Sharif (Rajasthan): The propounder of the Chishti Sufi order one of the most vital systems in India and Pakistan, lived, preached the tenets of peace and died here in Ajmer. The Dargah, considered a center of wish fulfillment, has shrines built by various Mughal Emperors. Shah Jehan’s daughter, built a prayer room and the tomb of Bhishti, tomb of Saint's daughter-Bibi Hafiz Jama, tomb of Shah Jahan's daughter Chimni Begum, make the Dargah an all-are-welcome spiritual abode. One of the most revered sites in the Islamic world, some 5000 devotees both Muslim and non-Muslim with hearts full of hope and prayers, visit Dargah Sharif everyday. The annual Urs festival held every June attracts about 15 lakh pilgrims from round the world.

Jama Masjid (Delhi): A mastermind of the greatest sculptor of those times, Ostad Khalil and Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan, the red-sandstone Jama Masjid is the largest mosque in India built between 1644 AD and 1658 AD by five thousand artisans. Standing mammoth in the midst of Delhi’s bustling Chandni Chowk, the mosque was born “Masjid-i-Jahanuma” or the “Mosque that commands the view of the world” and true to its name, the structure is an infallible insignia of the Islamic influence in India. A replica of the Moti Masjid of Agra, the architectural grandeur apart, its vast courtyard can accommodate upto 25,000 devotees and it hosts a hair of the beard of Hazrat Muhammad, his used chappal (slippers), a chapter of Koran taken from its original holy book, the canopy of his tombstone and the foot print of Muhammad on the stone. Another aspect of interest for pilgrims is that the chief priest (Imam) of Jama Masjid is the direct descendent of the original and first Imam appointed by Shahjahan and till now there is no break in its lineage.


Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya Dargah (Delhi): South Delhi’s Dargah of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, built by Muhammad Tughlaq is considered one of the most sacred in the Islamic world. Amir Khusrau, the famous poet and the beloved disciple of Nizamuddin; Jahan Ara Begum, daughter of Shah Jahan and renowned poet Mirza Ghalib are also lie buried here. Urs is also celebrated here, but twice a year, to commemorate the death Anniversary of Nizamuddin Auliya and Amir Khusrau.

Dargah-Qutb-Sahib (Delhi): In Delhi’s Mehrauli village, near Gandak ki Baoli, there is a Dargah, crowded throughout the year with hopeful devotees (both Islam and non-Islam) who tie a thread near the grave and untie it once their wish is fulfilled. This is the Dargah of Qutb Sahib, the spiritual successor of Khwaja Mu'inu'd Din Chishti of Ajmer. There are other important graves near the Dargah, of believers who wanted to be buried near the Saint, like that of the Mughal emperors Bahadur Shah I (1707-12), Shah Alam II (1759-1806), Akbar II (1806-37) and many persons of royal blood.

Haji Ali (Mumbai): Haji Ali Dargah, is the 800 year old tomb of the once wealthy Muslim merchant, who renounced all his earthly property before setting off for a spiritual quest to Mecca. Built 500 yards off the shore, right in the middle of the sea, opposite the Mahalakshmi race-course, the narrow path linking the tomb to the mainland gets submerged during Monsoons. Separate praying rooms for men and women exist. It can only be visited off-monsoons, but if you have landed in Mumbai, in the wrong time, it is still a serene sight to behold the mosque appears floating on the turquoise waters.
Fatehpur Sikri (Uttar Pradesh): Drive 37 km West of Agra, and when you begin to see structures in Red Stone till the vision can reach, you know you have reached Fatehpur Sikri. A Mughal Emperor Akbar township, still populated by some 30,000 citizens, the pilgrims come here to witness the classic unison of Hindu and Islamic architecture and pay their obeisance at the Fatehpur Sikri Mosque (a true replica of the mosque in Mecca), the grand Jami Masjid (has the famed Buland Darwaza) and Dargah Of Sheikh Salim Chisti - where, childless women come for blessings of the saint, a trend heralded by Akbar, who was blessed with three sons, after he came here.

Mecca Masjid (Andhra Pradesh): Flanking the Charminar in the Andhra Capital, Hyderabad is the Mecca Masjid, so named because the bricks were brought from Mecca to build the central arch. They say, “Mecca Masjid is poetry in stone”. Towards the southern end of the mosque lie the marble graves of Nizam Ali Khan and the families of Asaf Jahi dynasty.

Hazratbal Mosque (Kashmir): Hazratbal Mosque is situated on the western bank of the Dal Lake opposite Nishat Bagh in Srinagar. It is the most venerated Muslim shrine in Kashmir, as it houses the Moi-e-Muqaddas or the Sacred Hair of the Prophet Mohammed displayed to the public on religious ceremonies usually accompanied by fairs. The shrine is known by several names including Hazratbal, Assar-e-Sharif, Madinat-Us-Sani and Dargah Sharif. Hazratbal is noteworthy also for being the only domed mosque in Srinagar.

These and more are dotted in almost all the Indian States. We help you chart an ideal itinerary so that your spiritual rejuvenation tour is spun with the maximum sites of Islamic importance.
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