SRINAGAR: Thousands of devotees joined night-long prayers on the 593 urs of Hazrat Sheikh Nur-uddin Wali at Charar-e-Sharief in Badgam district of Kashmir.
The devotees, including women and children, from different parts of the Kashmir valley and outside joined the night-long prayers, including ‘Darood Azkar’ in the shrine of Sheikh Noor-uddin Wali also known as Nund Reshi at Charar-e-Shareif, about 30 km from here.
The district administration had made all arrangements, including water, power and first aid, for the devotees, who had a glimpse of the ‘Taborokaats’ after prayers.
Hundreds of vehicle besides private vehicles were pressed into service to bring the devotees to the Holy shrine.
Hazrat Shaikh Nur-ud-din was born in a village called Qaimoh in south Kashmir district of Kulgam in 779 A.H. (1377 AC).
It was a period when Kashmir was ruled by the sultans Qutub-ud-Din, Sikandar, Ali Shah, and Zain-ul-Abidin.
When Nur-ud-din grew up, his step brothers began to trouble him. They were rogues, while he was saintly.
Once or twice he accompanied them to find work but felt that he could not be happy with them.
He was then apprenticed to a couple of traders, one after the other. There, too, he felt disgusted with the ways of the world, and, deciding upon renunciation, retired to caves for meditation at the age of thirty. It is said that he lived for twelve years in the wilderness.
In his last days, the saint sustained life on one cup of milk daily.
Finally, he reduced himself to water alone, and died at the age of 63, in the reign of sultan Zain-ul-Abidin.
Various historical events helped to shape his mind in such a manner that he produced some works of philosophy, in his own manner of verses and poetry.
Sheikh ul-Alam was deeply affected by such events and this is apparent in a majority of his verses.
The biggest event that occurred in the Sheikh’s childhood was the coming of another Muslim preacher, Amir Kabir Mir Syed Hamadani, to Kashmir.
The simplicity and purity of Shaikh Nur-ud-din’s life have deeply impressed the Kashmiri who entertains the highest veneration for the saint.
In fact, the Afghan governor Ata Muhammad Khan, gave, as it were, expression to public sentiment when coins were struck by him in the name of Shaikh Nur-ud-din in 1223-25 A.H. (1808-10 CE).
No other saint perhaps in human history has ever had coins struck in his honour.
