Madar, Malang and Makanpur
By Kanpurwala
“Mounting
our elephants ... we set off for the rowzah, or tomb. At the gate of the outer
court we were received by a great number of the priests, and conducted through
three
courts
to the shrine. In each of these were multitudes of Faqirs, roaring, dancing,
and praying with the most frantic gestures. The drums and shrill trumpets, with
large brass
basons,
beating with hollow sticks, added to the discordance of the noise. Even the
walls were crowded….., The tomb itself is covered with cloth of gold, with a
canopy of the same over it, highly perfumed with attar of roses.”
This is how English traveler, Viscount
George Valentia has left an interesting description of the atmosphere reigning
at the shrine of prominent Sufi Hazrat Badiuddin Zinda Shah Madar at Makanpur in
his work “ Voyages and Travels to India,
Ceylon, the Red Sea, Abyssinia, and Egypt” published in London in 1811.
Nothing has changed since then and Makanpur, located about 65 Kms from Kanpur City, continues to attract
thousands of devotees with varied wish lists. Most of the biographic details about Shah Madar are shrouded under
numerous legends and stories of his miracles. However, Mirat i-Madari
written in 1654 by Abdur-Rahman Chisti, is an important source of information
on him. Born in 242 Hijri,
in Aleppo, Syria, Shah Madar
extensively preached the true message of Prophet Muhammad in India. He urged
people to remember God and to do well to His creatures and practice
self-abnegation and contentment. During his various tours, Shah Madar
prescribed measures for the eradication of vices like vanity, malice, jealousy
and lust for wealth and power. Abdul-Haq Dehalvi in his book, ‘Akhbarul
Aakhiyar’, has described the life of Shah Madar as different from all other Sufis,
as he did not eat for years and never changed his clothing. It is also said
that no one was able to see his faced with naked eyes as it had intensive
light.
As the saint preferred to be in the company of poor and weaker
sections of society instead of courtiers and nobles, he acquired much
popularity and came to be deeply venerated by the masses both Muslim as well as
Hindus. He initiated Madari Sufi order to promote peace, unity and brotherhood
on Indian soil. Known for its syncretic aspects, lack of emphasis on external religious
practices, and focus on internal ‘zikr’ the order earned tremendous popularity
in his life time. After preaching extensively in various parts of Indian sub-
continent, Shah Madar chose Makanpur as his last resting place. After his
‘Purdah’( departure from this world) in 1434, his disciples split into four
sub- orders, Khadiman, Ashiqan, Deewagan
and Taliban. Of these, Dewangan. popularly known as
Madariya Fakirs observed celibacy and they recruited a large number of followers.Tariqa
Madari reached its zenith in the late Mughal
period between 15th and 17th century. Devotees started thronging in large
number twice a year i.e. during Mela basant Paqnchami and Urs Ceremony held in Islamic month of Jamad Ul-
Awwal)- around his shrine. “Wandering mendicants, who are called Madaris, or
the Duffelees, by reason of the small hand-drum they carry with them, are the
disciples of the saint Madar, whose tomb is visited annually by little short of
a million of people” remarks Mrs. Meer Hasan Ali in her letters written
presumably between 1816 and 1828.
Jafar Sharif has also given a description of
the order in his book Qanoon –E- Islam (
1832) “Madari fakirs, who take their
names from Badi-ud-din Madar Shah, a disciple of Shaikh Muhammad Taifuri
Bastami…. buried at Makanpur, where an annual fair is held at his tomb. On the
anniversary of his death food is offered here, and amulets_(baddhi)_ are hung
round the necks of children. Some light a charcoal fire, sprinkle ground
sandalwood on it, and jumping into it, tread out the embers with their feet,
shouting out _dam Madar_, 'by the breath of Madar!' ….. Hindus believe that the
saint is an incarnation of their God Lakshmana.”
A
center of attraction since 15th century, the Tomb of Shah Madar is not only a
place to seek solace but it also epitomizes the splendor of Sharqi and Mughal
style of architecture.
The
Emperor Ibrahim Sharqi of Jaunpur is credited with building the main tomb. But it
was Mughal monarchs from Akbar to
Alamgir 11 who renovated and enlarged the Dargah( mausoleum). Jehangir built a
bridge on Isan river while Shah Jahan donated a large cooking pot popularly
known as ‘Degh’ for the preparation of ‘shirni’( Sweet) during the Urs
ceremony. Dara Shikoh also mentions his presence at the Urs of Shah Madar in
his book ‘Safinatul Auliya’. Emperor Aurangzeb (1658-1707) visited the shrine
in the year 1659. He constructed a major portion of a mosque attached to the
shrine and also installed four beautiful marble windows inside the main
enclosure.
During Akbar’s
regime, Madariya Fakirs enjoyed a high position and status. Bernier mentions
that Madari Fakirs, laden with heavy
iron chains, sustained the rigors of long distance pilgrimage, and moved about
freely from one place to another without any restriction during the time of
Jahangir and Shah Jahan. The royal patronage turned Makanpur as a most sought
after destination for all. The earliest source on such gatherings is Francisco
Pelsaert who visited India in the Mughal period. In his memoirs, he refers to
the gathering of Fakirs at Sikandra who were on their way to Makanpur.
When
Britishers curtailed the freedom enjoyed by Madari fakirs after battle of
Plassy, it was Dewanagans who waged a
war against them under the leadership of warrior Majnu Shah. Due to the British
persecution the Madariya Fakirs abandoned their secluded way of life and began
to attack English settlements by 1763. They were so well organized that the
British could suppress them with great difficulties by early 19th
century.
The
Madari cult is still live throughout the world with
the pir-muridi tradition and Malangs (Mendicants) are the biggest attraction
for devotees during the Urs and Mela at Makanpur. Khadimans who manage the shrine at Makanpur, have also gone
hi-tech. There are now websites dedicated to Zinda Shah Madar and hectic
efforts are on to ensure the inclusion of Makanpur as a part of Sufi circuit
being promoted by Government of India. (The author is a Heritage Management Expert
with deep interest in Sufism).
References
:
1-Masud The decents from
Zinda Shah Madar are called Shah or sai muslims who are also regarded as syed
family., Muhammad Khalid (2000).
2-Travellers in faith: studies of the Tablīghī
Jamāʻat as a transnational Islamic movement for faith renewal- Volume 69.
BRILL. p. xxxii.
3-Liebeskind, Claudia
(1998). Piety on its knees: three Sufi
traditions in South Asia in modern times. Oxford University Press.
p. 49.
4-Ghazzālī; George F. McLean
(2001). Deliverance from error and mystical union
with the Almighty- Volume 2 of Cultural heritage and contemporary change.
CRVP. p. 60. Bakshi, S.R. (2003). Advanced history of medieval India.
Anmol Publications . p. 348.
5-Harris, Ian (1992). Contemporary religions: A world guide-
Longman current affairs. Longman. p. 216.
6--Suvorova, Anna (2004). Muslim saints of South Asia: the eleventh to
fifteenth centuries- Volume 14 of RoutledgeCurzon Sūfī series.
Routledge. p. 171.
7-Lewis
C.B.,Journal of the Asiatic of Bengal, Volume 38, Part 1, Asiatic
Society of Bengal, Baptist Mission Press, Calcutta,1869
2009
www.madarsilsila.org
