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The Hindu, India
April 20 2014
Desolate tale of Hare Bhare Sahib
R V Smith
Delhi is full of shrines. Besides the ones of the 22 Khwajas there are
numerous other mazaars, some maintained, others just left to
deteriorate. The shrine of Khwaja Syed Abul Hasan, Hare Bhare is
unique among them as it is right in the heart of Old Delhi, just below
the steps of the Jama Masjid, A neem tree grows above it, which
divides the mazaar from the grave of the saint's disciple, Sarmad
Shaheed that is painted red as a sign of his martyrdom, while his
mentor's tomb is green in colour to donate immortality. Towards the
direction in which the feet of the saint point lies buried Shah
Mohammad Hinga Madani dating to AD 1674. Maulana Azad was a great
admirer of the shrine, so was M.F. Husain, while Raghu Rai spent a
whole afternoon in the 1960s photographing it and Sadia Dehlvi
detailed its history.
Hare Bhare Sahib lived during the reigns of Jahangir, Shah Jahan and
Aurangzeb and is believed to have come from Central Asia. Sarmad was
an Armenian Jew who converted to Islam and became a Sufi. Not much is
known of Madani, except that he forsook the life of a nobleman to
become a recluse. Such an important place is now in a state of
disarray. The green and red plaster of the shrine has been peeled off.
Part of the two structures has been damaged and the neem tree has been
brutally hacked. It is said that the caretakers of the shrine want to
erect a commercial building above the tombs. Thousands of devotees of
the three saints buried in the complex are helpless spectators.
Something similar happened when the shrine of Hazrat Kalimullah
Jehanabadi, also dating to mid-Mughal times, just opposite the Red
Fort, was built around with a pigeon-hole-type building, that brings
revenue for the caretakers alright but at the expense of despoliation.
The mazaar of Bhure Mian, where troops taking part in the R-Day parade
relax after the show, has been given a facelift but its original
character has not been altered probably because of its close proximity
to the Red Fort.
Another instance of despoliation is the disappearance of a baradari
(not far from Hare Bhare's shrine) said to have been constructed by
Dara Shikoh, just next to the Jama Masjid on the way to Esplanade
Road. Nobody remembers the old building which was very much there in
the last decades of the 20th Century and housed a girls' school. Now a
multi-storied building has come up to accommodate the school, with no
trace of the historical monument, which was believed to have been a
library of Dara.
Many old structures in Chandni Chowk also have been so built upon that
one can hardly recognize them. The Kaccheri of Bhawani Shankar, the
nobleman who later got the disparaging nickname of Namak Haram after
he deserted the Marathas and joined the British about the 18th
Century, is yet another example. The haveli of Namak Haram too has
changed shape because of commercial exploitation. Northbrook Fountain,
the best known landmark of Chandni Chowk, has been almost covered up
by a plaque commemorating Bhai Mati Das, opposite the old Kotwali,
which has become part of Gurdwara Sis Ganj. The fountain (known as
Phuwara) was built by the British Governor-General Lord Northbrook
from his own funds as a beautification of the spot where the bodies of
Mughal princes killed by Hodson lay rotting. There have been more such
monstrosities especially in Mehrauli, which have been overlooked by
authority, probably for devious reasons. However the changes planned
at the Hare Bhare mazar can still be prevented to save a famous
landmark, which was left untouched even when the tramway was
introduced in 1908.
Sarmad Shaheed is said to have danced on the steps of the Jama Masjid
after his head had been cut off on the orders of Aurangzeb (who
branded him as a heretic) until restrained by Hare Bhare, who warned
him that such action against the law of nature would destroy Delhi.
Would Sarmad's spirit revolt again? May be not, but the ASI should.
The author is a veteran chronicler of Delhi
http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/society/desolate-tale-of-hare-bhare-sahib/article5931070.ece
From: Baghdasarian
April 20 2014
Desolate tale of Hare Bhare Sahib
R V Smith
Delhi is full of shrines. Besides the ones of the 22 Khwajas there are
numerous other mazaars, some maintained, others just left to
deteriorate. The shrine of Khwaja Syed Abul Hasan, Hare Bhare is
unique among them as it is right in the heart of Old Delhi, just below
the steps of the Jama Masjid, A neem tree grows above it, which
divides the mazaar from the grave of the saint's disciple, Sarmad
Shaheed that is painted red as a sign of his martyrdom, while his
mentor's tomb is green in colour to donate immortality. Towards the
direction in which the feet of the saint point lies buried Shah
Mohammad Hinga Madani dating to AD 1674. Maulana Azad was a great
admirer of the shrine, so was M.F. Husain, while Raghu Rai spent a
whole afternoon in the 1960s photographing it and Sadia Dehlvi
detailed its history.
Hare Bhare Sahib lived during the reigns of Jahangir, Shah Jahan and
Aurangzeb and is believed to have come from Central Asia. Sarmad was
an Armenian Jew who converted to Islam and became a Sufi. Not much is
known of Madani, except that he forsook the life of a nobleman to
become a recluse. Such an important place is now in a state of
disarray. The green and red plaster of the shrine has been peeled off.
Part of the two structures has been damaged and the neem tree has been
brutally hacked. It is said that the caretakers of the shrine want to
erect a commercial building above the tombs. Thousands of devotees of
the three saints buried in the complex are helpless spectators.
Something similar happened when the shrine of Hazrat Kalimullah
Jehanabadi, also dating to mid-Mughal times, just opposite the Red
Fort, was built around with a pigeon-hole-type building, that brings
revenue for the caretakers alright but at the expense of despoliation.
The mazaar of Bhure Mian, where troops taking part in the R-Day parade
relax after the show, has been given a facelift but its original
character has not been altered probably because of its close proximity
to the Red Fort.
Another instance of despoliation is the disappearance of a baradari
(not far from Hare Bhare's shrine) said to have been constructed by
Dara Shikoh, just next to the Jama Masjid on the way to Esplanade
Road. Nobody remembers the old building which was very much there in
the last decades of the 20th Century and housed a girls' school. Now a
multi-storied building has come up to accommodate the school, with no
trace of the historical monument, which was believed to have been a
library of Dara.
Many old structures in Chandni Chowk also have been so built upon that
one can hardly recognize them. The Kaccheri of Bhawani Shankar, the
nobleman who later got the disparaging nickname of Namak Haram after
he deserted the Marathas and joined the British about the 18th
Century, is yet another example. The haveli of Namak Haram too has
changed shape because of commercial exploitation. Northbrook Fountain,
the best known landmark of Chandni Chowk, has been almost covered up
by a plaque commemorating Bhai Mati Das, opposite the old Kotwali,
which has become part of Gurdwara Sis Ganj. The fountain (known as
Phuwara) was built by the British Governor-General Lord Northbrook
from his own funds as a beautification of the spot where the bodies of
Mughal princes killed by Hodson lay rotting. There have been more such
monstrosities especially in Mehrauli, which have been overlooked by
authority, probably for devious reasons. However the changes planned
at the Hare Bhare mazar can still be prevented to save a famous
landmark, which was left untouched even when the tramway was
introduced in 1908.
Sarmad Shaheed is said to have danced on the steps of the Jama Masjid
after his head had been cut off on the orders of Aurangzeb (who
branded him as a heretic) until restrained by Hare Bhare, who warned
him that such action against the law of nature would destroy Delhi.
Would Sarmad's spirit revolt again? May be not, but the ASI should.
The author is a veteran chronicler of Delhi
http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/society/desolate-tale-of-hare-bhare-sahib/article5931070.ece
From: Baghdasarian