Zanjirwale Bawa - Chained Mystic

Zanjirwale Bawa - Chained Mystic, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

I have been shooting him for several years,his name is Zanjirwale Bawa , I have a separate set of his pictures on Flickr also..He is bound to chains permanently all welded so he cannot remove them at all, within the gap of the chains are bleeding sores,he does not bathe, but he does not stink either, if he bangs his head against the wall, fragrance of rose emanates from his being..

This time one of his devotees has given him a a motorbike with a special carrier for him to ease his travel, he has a driver too for the bike..

I missed Bawa when I arrived late in the night at Ajmer on 28 th June 2009 ..I could not see him, when I shot the earlier pictures, this was a lot I shot the following morning on 29 June 2009 ..


Bawa wears chains in memory of the Fourth Imam Zainul Abedin, and Bawa is a Sunni .also a firm believer of Imam Hussain and the Ahle Bayt..

He curses the killers of Imam Hussain openly in public.

Bawa and I share a very unique relationship..that began first at the Tomb of the Holy Saint of Chancawalli in Andheri..East.Mumbai..and has continued and flourished till date.
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