Monday, September 25, 2017

Syed Masoom Ali Baba Asqan Of The Sufi Order of Madarriya,




I met Dam Madar order head Syed Masoom Ali Baba in 2005 ,, and got fascinated by their austerity , their dread heads and the simplicity of their spiritual life .
I began shooting them both Masoomi Baba and Syed Rafik Ali Baba at the Char Yar Mosque and cemetery ..Every year I attended the Urus of Khwajah Garib Nawaz Ajmer Sharif I stayed with my host mentor Peersab Fakhru Miya Hujra no 6 ,,
I would shoot the Rifais the quintessential hijras at Ajmer .. but I would find myself at the feet of Masoomi Baba ,,, I loved shooting them and the people malangs around them.
Their frugal lifestyle their abundant love for Imam Ali they talked about the sacrifice of Imam Hussain they talked about Karbala ,
They were spiritually connected to Khwajah Garib Nawaz he was the bond of a force ,,, through their own Holy Saint Zinda Shah Madar Makanpur .
Than in 2011 I took the Pyala with a Belgian friend we both became Murids and Malangs of Masoom Ali Baba,, we both visited Makanpur in 2013.
Syed Masoom Ali Baba lives at Panihar 22 km away from Gwalior MP.. and I had never dreamed I would ever come here ,..but I did on 27 Jan 2016 ,, invited by him for the chalisva of the mother of his nephew Razzak Ali Baba Gaddi Nasheen of Makanpur and Panihar and Rampur ,..Madarriya order ,
Masoom Ali baba missed Marc Malang and Dorothea ..also known as Miriam.
The main event was on 28 Jan it began in the daytime and ended the next morning ,, I was not well in real bad shape could not be too adventurous but I shot what I was destined to shoot ,, the village kids followed me everywhere because of my Bollywood status ,,
All in all it was an enlightening trip I met other Malangs Sunni scholars poets and added some more to my learning .
I did not shoot a lot , but I shot videos ,, from the Dargah of the Malangs at Panihar where I stayed it was traversing a bad road to reach the event site ,, so I spent most of my time in the village by myself.
Talking to the villagers ,,,and a very very distant dream called Acche Din,, not here in Panihar .. it will take a lot of time ,,,
Masoom Ali Baba likes me a lot when I shot his video he was in tears ,,,he calls me Maulaiee too..
And now I will get ready to visit the Urus of Zinda Shah Madar Makanpur .. in Feb.. and I will miss my brother Marc Malang ,,
A French photographer another dear friend will join me here ...to document the Humility of the Dam Madar Malangs of India ,...
Dam Madar Beda Par.


“When you let go of who you are, you become who you might be.” Rumi

Om Namah Shiva




Aum Namah Shivaya (Sanskrit Aum Namaḥ Śivāya ॐ नमः शिवाय) is a popular mantra in Hinduism and particularly in Shaivism. Its translation is "adoration (namas) to Śiva", preceded by the mystical syllable "Aum".
It is also called Panchakshara, the "five-syllable" mantra (viz., excluding the Aum). It is part of the Shri Rudram Chamakam, a Hindu prayer taken from the Black Yajurveda, and thus predates the use of Shiva as a proper name, in the original context being an address to Rudra (the later Shiva), where śiva retains its original meaning as an adjective meaning "auspicious, benign, friendly", a euphemistic epithet of Rudra.

Nagendraharaya Trilochanaya
Bhasmangaragaya Maheshvaraya
Nityaya Shuddhaya Digambaraya
Tasmai Nakaraya Namah Shivaya .. 1

Mandakini salila chandana charchitaya
Nandishvara pramathanatha Maheshvaraya
Mandarapushpa bahupushhpa supujitaya
Tasmai Makaraya Namah Shivaya .. 2

Shivaya Gauri vadanabjavrunda
Suryaya Dakshadhvara Nashakaya
Shrinilakanthaya Vrushhadhvajaya
Tasmai Shikaraya Namah Shivaya .. 3

Vasishhtha kumbhodbhava gautamarya
Munindra devarchita shekharaya .
Chandrarkavaishvanara lochanaya
Tasmai Vakaraya Namah Shivaya .. 4

Yakshasvarupaya Jatadharaya
Pinakahastaya Sanatanaya
Divyaya Devaya Digambaraya
Tasmai Yakaraya Namah Shivaya .. 5

The lyrics or text of Shiva Panchakshari Mantra Strotra in Hindi or Sanskrit script below

नागेन्द्रहराया त्रिलोचनाय
भास्मंगारागाया महेश्वराय
नित्याय शुद्धाय दिगम्बराय
तस्मै नकाराय नमः शिवाय .. १

मन्दाकिनी सलिला चंदना चर्चिताय
नंदिश्वारा प्रमाथानाथा महेश्वराय
मंदारापुश्पा बहुपुश्ह्पा सुपुजिताया
तस्मै मकाराय नमः शिवाय .. २

शिवाय गौरी वादानाब्जवृन्दा
सूर्याय दक्शाध्वारा नशाकाया
श्रीनिलाकंथाया व्रुश्ढ़वाजय
तस्मै शिकाराय नमः शिवाय .. ३

वसिष्ठ कुम्भोद्भावा गौतामार्य
मुनीन्द्र देवार्चिता शेखाराया .
चन्द्रर्कावैश्वनारा लोचानाया
तस्मै वकाराय नमः शिवाय .. ४

यक्शास्वरुपाया जताधाराया
पिनाकहस्ताया सनातनाय
दिव्याय देवाय दिगम्बराय
तस्मै यकाराय नमः शिवाय .. ५
Meaning of The Shiva Panchakshari Mantra Strotra

Salutations to Shiva, who wears the king of snakes as a garland, the
three-eyed god, whose body is smeared with ashes, the great lord, the
eternal and pure one, who wears the directions as his garment, and who
is represented by the syllable ``na ''

I bow to Shiva, who has been worshiped with water from the Ganga
(Mandakini) and anointed with sandalwood paste, the lord of Nandi, the
lord of the host of goblins and ghosts, the great lord, who is worshiped
with Mandara and many other kinds of flowers, and who is represented by
the syllable ``ma. ''

Salutations to Shiva, who is all-auspiciousness, who is the sun that
causes the lotus face of Gauri (Parvati) to blossom, who is the
destroyer of the yajna of Daksha, whose throat is blue (Nilakantha),
whose flag bears the emblem of the bull, and who is represented by the
syllable ``shi. ''

Vasishhtha, Agastya, Gautama, and other venerable sages, and Indra and
other gods have worshipped the head of (Shiva's linga). I bow to that
Shiva whose three eyes are the moon, sun and fire, and who is
represented by the syllable ``va. ''

salutations to Shiva, who bears the form of a Yaksha, who has matted
hair on his head, who bears the Pinaka bow in his hand, the primeval
lord, the brilliant god, who is digambara (naked), and who is
represented by the syllable ``ya. ''
[edit]Interpretation in modern Shaivaism


The meaning of the Namaḥ Śivāya mantra was explained by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami:
Namaḥ Śivāya is the most holy name of God Śiva, recorded at the very center of the Vedas and elaborated in the Śaiva Agamas.
Na is the Lord's concealing grace, Ma is the world, Śi stands for Śiva, Va is His revealing grace, Ya is the soul. The five elements, too, are embodied in this ancient formula for invocation. Na is earth, Ma is water, Śi is fire, Vā is air, and Ya is ether, or Ākāśa. Many are its meanings.
Namaḥ Śivaya has such power, the mere intonation of these syllables reaps its own reward in salvaging the soul from bondage of the treacherous instinctive mind and the steel bands of a perfected externalized intellect. Namaḥ Śivāya quells the instinct, cuts through the steel bands and turns this intellect within and on itself, to face itself and see its ignorance. Sages declare that mantra is life, that mantra is action, that mantra is love and that the repetition of mantra, japa, bursts forth wisdom from within.
The holy Natchintanai proclaims, "Namaḥ Śivāya is in truth both Āgama and Veda. Namah Śivāya represents all mantras and tantras. Namaḥ Śivaya is our souls, our bodies and possessions. Namaḥ Śivāya has become our sure protection."
—Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami[citation needed]
The book "The Ancient Power of Sanskrit Mantra and Ceremony: Volume I" by Thomas Ashley-Farrand defines Om Namah Shivaya as:
"This mantra has no direct translation. The sounds relate directly to the principles which govern each of the first five chakras on the spine...Earth, water, fire, air, ether. Notice that this does not refer to the chakras themselves which have a different set of seed sounds, but rather, the principles which govern those chakras in their place. A very rough, non-literal translation could be something like, 'Om and salutations to that which I am capable of becoming.' This mantra will start one out on the path of subtle development of spiritual attainments. It is the beginning on the path of Siddha Yoga, or the Yoga of Perfection of the Divine Vehicle."
"Na" refers to the Gross Body (annamayakosa), "Ma" refers to the Pranic Body (pranamayakosa), "Shi" or "Chi" refers to the Mental Body (manonmayakosa), "Va" refers to the Intellectual Body (vignanamayakosa) and "Ya" refers to the Blissful Body (ananda

The Gaud Sarswat Brahmins of Mumbai




Very soon I will be shooting the Faith of my Hindu brothers the GSB Community at Kings Circle Ganshotsav Festival  and my timeline is a timeline of respect to all faith religiosity ,, I dont think my Faith ever taught me to disrespect my neighbors faith I strengthen my own faith through showing respect to my neighbors Faith .. This is what my Imam taught me ..


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Goud (also spelt as Gowd or Gaud) Saraswat Brahmins (Devanagari:गौड सारस्वत ब्राह्मण, Kannada:ಗೌಡ ಸಾರಸ್ವತ, Malayalam:ഗൌഡ സാരസ്വത) are a Hindu Brahmin community in India and a part of the larger Saraswat Brahmin community. They are popularly referred to as GSBs. They are Konkani people and primarily speak Konkani as their mother tongue.They claim their origin to the Brahmins who lived on the banks of the now extinct river Saraswati of upper Punjab or Kashmir. They derived their name from either the river Saraswati or from their spiritual leader Great Sage Saraswat Muni who lived on the banks of Saraswati. These Brahmins were one of the Pancha Gowda Brahmin groups who lived north of the Vindhyas. They belonged to Smarta tradition and primarily worshiped the five deities: Shiva, Vishnu, Devi, Surya and Ganesha. Throughout the course of history, the Saraswat Brahmins have migrated to a variety of locations and are found mostly in Western coast of India.[1]

Saraswat muni(who was a devotee of Goddess Saraswati) once was in need of disciples to spread his teachings and knowledge to various parts of the world. However he could not get students who were capable of the task. So he prayed to Goddess Saraswati to help him. Pleased with his devotion the Goddess gave him fourteen sons. Each of them had a name and the same is used by his descendents as their surname. Each of these sons had characteristics according to their names. They were taught by the sage and sent to different parts of the world with certain objectives. The Saraswat Brahmins are mentioned in the Vedas, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Bhagavata and even the Bhavisyottara Purana. Eiher they may have come from Central Asia to the Indian sub-continent through the Hindu-Kush mountains and the Khyber pass to south in about 2000-1500 BC or they were Indigenous.[1] The meaning of the word 'Saraswat' has more than one origin. One refers to 'offspring of Saraswati'[citation needed] , the Goddess of learning applied usually to learned and scholarly people. It may also denote the residents of Saraswati river basin. The Brahmins of this region who are referred to as 'Saraswats' in Mahabharata and Puranas were learned in Vedic lore[citation needed]. They concentrated on studying subjects like astronomy, metaphysics, medicine and allied subjects and disseminating knowledge[citation needed]. To trace the Gaud Saraswat Brahmins' ancestry from Kashmir to Goa,story of famous seer "Saraswata" is considered,when there was a famine in north India,he continued to recite vedic texts by consuming fishes.[2]

Due to geo-morphosis in the Himalayas, the Saraswati began to dry up and the Saraswats were forced to migrate to greener pastures. Some went to Kashmir in the north, others went eastwards. Few made their way to the Konkan and Goa. These came to be recognized as Goud Saraswats or Dakshinatya Saraswats, to distinguish them from other Saraswat groups of North.

The new immigrants were called 'Goud' because they were followers of Monism or Advaita as preached by Shri Goudapadacharya, who was guru of Shri Govinda Padacharya whose direct disciple was the great Shri Shankaracharya, who resurrected Hinduism or Vedic religion in India. Shri Gaudapadacharya Mutt, first mutt of Saraswats dedicated to the memory of Goudapadacharya was established in Keloshi (Quellosim) in Goa in the 8th century AD. and later moved to Kaivalyapura or Kavale in Goa as the mutt at Keloshi was destroyed in 1564 AD. by the Portuguese rulers. To this day, the swamis of Kavale math are known as Goudapadacharyas. Kavale Math is Goud Saraswat Community's Adimath (first math) and three main sub-sects of Dakshinatya Saraswats, viz., Sashtikar (Dorke including Bardeshkars like Divkar), Shenvis (Karbharis), and Chitrapur Saraswats (Bhanaps) were all known as Goud Saraswats or Konkani Brahmins till three-hundred years ago. Other Saraswat subsects include Pednekars, Rajapur Saraswat Brahmins and Balavalikars.Daivadnya Brahmin is also considered to have the same mindset .

In the 13th century, Dwaita (Vaishnava) philosophy advocated by Madhvacharya became popular and many Saraswats adopted vaishnavism. They continued to worship the deities they brought with them from the North. These were 'Mahan Girish' or Mangueshi, Shakti or Shanta durga, Vishnu, Ganesh and Surya. They form the 'Panchayatan' or five deities, sacred to all Saraswats.

Goud Saraswats were in all the kingdoms of the western coast under different dynasties right from 6th century AD. Kadamba, Rashtrakuta, Hoysala, Chalukya Shilahara and Vijayanagara kings had given important posts to Saraswats. There were admirals, treasurers, ambassadors, army chiefs and foreign language-interpreters among them. They were famous traders, who conducted maritime trade with Eastern and Western countries of the contemporary world. The spoken language of Saraswats is Konkani.

The Portuguese traders followed by Christian missionaries. Forcible conversions[citation needed] began to take place under the Portuguese Royal Patronage[citation needed] in 1560 AD. Most of the Saraswat families left Goa with their family deities, risking life and limb. They settled down in the adjoining Hindu principalities. New temples came up in the coastal districts of Karnataka for Saraswat deities. As time passed, the idols were taken back to newly constructed temples in Goa. They are not in the original ancient spots, where churches were built[citation needed], destroying earlier temples[citation needed]. Many people migrated to Kerala and built temples mainly dedicated to Vishnu and his different avatars. The first Vaishnava Saraswat Math of Gokarna Math lineage was established in the year 1475 AD in Varanasi. The origin of Gokarna Math comes from the lineage of Sri Palimar Math, one of the eight Maths established by Sripad Madhwacharya in Udupi.[3] Kashi Math at Kochi came up in 1560 AD. All the Vaishnav Saraswats (Madhwa) are Kulavis (followers) of either Kashi Math or Gokarna Math. 'Smarth' Saraswats owe allegiance to either Kavale Math or Chitrapur Math.

Saraswats continued to hold important posts under Keladi or Nagar rulers. Many families who emigrated from Goa settled down in smaller towns and villages in Shimoga, South and North Kanara Districts. Saraswats were the first beneficiaries of English education introduced in 1840 AD[citation needed] .

he GSB population is estimated to be around three hundred-thousand.

The Goud Saraswat Brahmins, in the course of their migration settled on a small strip on the west coast of India in the present day Goa. This is evident with many of the temples of the Kuladevas being located in Goa. Over time, facing religious persecution by the Portuguese, they moved further south to coastal Karnataka and Kerala. They are found all over the west coast of India ranging from Goa, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala, most of them having their deities in Goa. They are all linked together by the common Konkani language. Konkani has been substantially influenced by local languages in each of the regions.

Gaud Saraswat Brahmins are categorized by Last name (indicating profession), Gotra (lineage) or Math (spiritual guru).
Language

Goud Saraswat Brahmins speak primararily Konkani as their mother tongue. The Konkani they speak is slightly different from the Konkani spoken by other communities such as the Catholics, Navayaths, Siddis etc. The Konkani spoken by Goan Saraswats, Karnataka Saraswats and Kerala Saraswats is also different. The Konkani spoken by Karnataka Saraswats has borrowed loan words from Kannada while the Konkani spoken by Kerala Saraswats has borrowed loan words from Malayalam and speak with a corrupted Malayalam accent. This was due to several centuries of domicile by the Saraswats in these areas.

However the usage of the language by the community is on the decline due to the following factors-

    In Goa, the Portuguese discouraged the usage of Konkani in Goa and imposed Portuguese language as official, leading to its decline in Goa[citation needed].
    In Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala, the usage of Marathi, Kannada and Malayalam respectively was preferred in place of Konkani.
    The need for usage of English and Hindi languages has also contributed to this decline.

The sub-sects of the Goud Saraswats

    Bardeskars/Bardezi (Saraswat Brahmins who settled in "Bara Desh"(12 countries) region of Ancient Goa, in mordern day called as Bardez Taluka)
    Bhalavalikars/Rajapur Saraswat Brahmin ( Saraswat Brahmins who left Goa during Portuguese inquisition, and settled in Rajapur, Maharashtra)
    Shenavi/Karbhari (Shenvi,Wagle,Pandit,Kakodkar, Borkar, Nagarsekar, Patki,Rajadhyaksha,Ginde,Satoskar,,etc.)
    Sashtikars (Saraswat Brahmins who settled in 'Sashti'(sixty-six villages) region of Ancient Goa, in mordern day called as Salcette Taluka)
    Bhanap/Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin (Chandavarkar, Benegal, Karnad, Haldipur, Padukone, Nadkarni etc.)
    Kudaldeshkar ( Saraswat Brahmins who settled in kudal desh )

Most of the Saraswat settlements including the Chitrapur Saraswats and Shenvi/Karbhari were in settled Bardez and Salcette Taluka.
GSB Muths
Kashi Math, Walkeshwar branch, Mumbai.

    Sri Kashi Math (Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh) - Belong to the Dvaita School with Madhva Sampradaya
    Sri Chitrapur Math (Shirali, Karnataka)- Belong to the Advaita School with Shankaracharya as Adi Guru
    Gokarna Mutt (Partagal-Cancona, GOA) - Belong to the Dvaita School with Madhva Sampradaya
    Shri Gaudapadacharya Math (Kavale, Ponda, Goa)- Belong to the Advaita School with Shankaracharya as Adi Guru
    Dabholi Math (kudal, Maharastra)- Belong to the Advaita School with Shankaracharya as Adi Guru
he Goud saraswat Brahmins wherever they migrated mingled with the local people, but kept their identity by their Surnames even today. The most popular surname among GSBs is Kamath Those in agriculture were called Kamathi. Mathi means soil and Kama is work, that is working in soil ( Kama + Mathi). Later this became Kamath.

The surnames of GSBs are mainly two types.

    The village names of Gomantak where they settled originally or migrated. This practice is prevalent among Rajapur saraswats. They have surnames like Salkar, Asgaonkar, Bandivadekar, Madkaikar, Borkar, Sakhalkar, Sawerdekar, Haldwanekar, Chimbalkar, Navelkar, Marathe, Lotlikar, Salwankar, Karlekar, Burake, Bhagav,Bhatkar, Tendulkar, Tergaonkar, Patkar, Juvale, Dhonde, Shinkar, Shendre, Shetye, Bokade, Takur, Gawade, Potkar, Askekar, Shenai, Gavalkar, Shembekar, Lanjolkar etc. which are the original local village names of Gomantak. The word 'Kar" means "From" or citizen of. Thus kakodkar means person from village kakod. Kar is also a surname of viswabrahmins of bengal. This enabled one to identify the profession and the domicile.
    Surnames indicating the profession adopted by the Saraswats like Pai, Purohit, Nayak etc.

    Shenoy- Originally for the Shenvis in Goa. Since most of them took up Administrative jobs they were called Shanbhags (officers) which later became Shenoy.
    Pai- Pai in Konkani language means foot or leg. The common person who had not amassed wealth or power was known as Pai.Their job was menial in maintaining ledgers and doing odd jobs. The Pai who was mainly ledger keepers.
    Kamat - Those in agriculture were called Kamathi. Mathi means soil and Kama is work, that is working in soil ( Kama + Mathi). Later this became Kamat.
    Keni, Kini- Those who cultivated herbs were Kinvis, presently called Kini or Keni.
    Vaidya- Those who prepared the concoction was prepared and dispensed it
    Hegde- The animals required for tilling, transportation and other works were under Haya- Gade (actually Horse tenderer), modernized to Hegde. One more realistic origin of this surname is in Kannada and this surname is used by GSBs in Karnataka. He-gade (Hiriya Gade or head man in Kannada) possibly was heading a village or a settlement. A similar surname of Hegde is followed by other communities in coastal Karnataka like Havyakas, Bunts and Jains.
    Nayak, Rao- Those worked as Army commandants were called Nayaks. Some Nayaks who were honoured by the King with titles like Ravubahadur adopted Rao as their Surname
    Baliga - The daily requirements of every family for survival, presentations, etc. were the responsibility of the Ballo. There is another theory that the foot soldier with a spear was called Ballo. The soldier Ballo (Baliga) was under the command of Nayak.
    Prabhu - Feudal lords called themselves Prabhu. He lived in a palatial home called mahal, and the caretaker was known as Mahalyar, presently modernized to Mallya.
    Acharya, Bhat and Vadhyar- The poojas in the big temple and its rituals were under Acharya, and in small temples conducted by Bhat. Every family had exclusive priest to perform the rites, and he was the family Purohit and was called Vadhyar.
    Mahajan- The temples were administered by Mahajans
    Bhandarkar, Divkar- Stores and godown keepers were called Bhandari or Bhandarkar.
    Nadkarni, Kulkarni- A person maintaining statistics was called Karni. Land was called Nadu, and the person maintaining land records was known as Nadkarni, and Kulkarni maintained census, and social register.
    Bhakta - Doing odd jobs in temples and poojas.
    Shanbhag- Shanbhags were mainly Clerks doing administrative jobs as well.

In Karnataka, the village of refuge was used as a prefix to call oneself Padbidri Mohandas Prabhu, or Kinnigoli Ramanath Kamath. The kerala civilization induced the name of the house or the exact area rather than the village, and in some places, the present profession was also added to the name. So we have today, Thayyil Muralidhar Kamath (Thayyil means tailoring house), or Kannaparambil Gopalakrishna Pai (Parambil means garden or farm belonging to kannan).

Today the name has no links with the profession. However the GSBs still retain their Surnames down the generations.[4][5]

Other GSB surnames include Barbu, Dalvi, Dangi, Dempo, Desai, Padiyar, Sardessai and Shama.[6] For a list of surnames, refer List of Goud Saraswat Brahmin surnames.

Like most Hindu communities, the Gowda Saraswat Brahmins have rituals which occur throughout the life cycle.

During the 8th month of pregnancy, a woman moves to her mother's house, especially during the birth of her first child. The expecting mother also performs Ganapathi Pooja for a successful delivery and a healthy child. On the 6th day, a pen and lamp are kept near the child's head, symbolic of a wish for an intelligent child. On the 12th day, the naming and cradling ceremony is performed wherein the paternal grandmother whispers the child's name into his/her ear and a horoscope is cast.[7] When the child turns 3 months old, a visit to the temple is done and thereafter, the child goes to the father's abode.[8]
Barso

On eleventh day of child birth barso is held. If done with homa (holy fire - havan), it is called Barso homa. Childs ears are pierced, child is named and cradled on this day.
Chawla

When the child is 2 years, before he completes third year the "Chawla" (Child's first hair cut) ceremony is held. Like Barso, Munji, marriage and last rites, Chawla is one of the samskara's child will undergo being a GSB.
Munji

When the male child turns 8 years old, the Munji (Konkani word for Upanayanam) is performed. In this ceremony, the jannuvey or the sacred thread is placed on the left shoulder of the child. From that day on, he becomes an official member of his caste, and is called a dwija (translated in English as "twice-born"). In ancient times, the boy was sent to gurukula to learn Vedas and scriptures. The boy was expected to practice extreme discipline during this period known as brahmacharya. He was expected to lead a celibate life, living on alms, and surviving on selected vegetarian saatvic food and observing considerable austerity in behaviour and deeds. On completion of the thread ceremony the boy will be eligible to go to gurukula which is available in 4 places across India i.e. Kashi Mutt Gurukula / Patashala at Mangalore and Mulki, Gokarn Mutt Gurukula at Partagali and Kavale Mutt Gurukula at Goa. Priests will be studying at anyone of these gurukulas. Normal members of GSB Community study here. The thread is changed every year in a festival known as Sutta Punav in the Hindu month of Shravan and under different circumstances like Suthige etc.

Some of the main rituals in a GSB munji are Devatha Prarthana, Ganapathi Puja, Udada Murthu, Matrubhojan, Yajnopavita Dharana, Brahmachari Agnikaryam, Savitri Upadesha, Danda Dharana, Matrabiksha etc.[9]
Marriage

A typical GSB marriage consists of the following events - Varan Appoche, Nandi, Nishchaithambul, Yedur Kansnani, Urdha Murthu, Kashi Yatra, Lagna, Havan Purnavati, Chautanan, Tulsi Puja and Mandal Virajan.[10]
Death Ceremonies

The other extremely important rituals for the GSB's are the death ceremonies. All GSB's are cremated according to Vedic rites, usually within a day of the individual's death. The death rites include a 13-day ceremony. The ashes of the departed are immersed at a confluence of two rivers (sangam) or the sea. Like all other Hindus, the preference is for the ashes to be immersed in the Ganges river or river Godavari. There is also a yearly shraddha that needs to be performed. These rituals are expected to be performed only by male descendants (preferably the eldest son) of the deceased.
Festivals

See List of Festivals of Goud Saraswat Brahmins

GSB's celebrate almost all festivals in Hinduism. They follow the Hindu Lunar calendar, almanac to be specific which is known as Panchang in Konkani, that gives the days on which the fasts and festivals should be observed.[11]
Cuisine
Main article: Saraswat cuisine

Most of the GSB's including Chitrapur Saraswats and some Rajapur Saraswats are vegetarian. Their food is usually without onion and garlic. However some GSB's from North Kanara, Goa and Maharashtra are piscovegetarian (fish eaters). The inclusion of fish in the diet is not looked upon as Non vegetarian. Legend has it that when the Saraswati River dried up, the Saraswats who could not farm, were permitted to eat sea food/fish. The fish were euphemistically called Sea Vegetable or झळकें from ( जल काय -Jal Kaay). However they too eat only vegetarian food without onion and garlic on festival days and on Mondays, which is auspicious for Lord Shiva. The recipes use large amounts of coconut and spices. Rice is the staple food of all GSB's.

Some of the special recipes of GSB's are-

    Daali thoy (Konkani dal. Most famous recipe of the GSB's)
    Beebe-upkari (cashew based)
    Val val (Mixed vegetable stew, adapted from the French[12])
    Patrode (Colocasia leaves in spicy batter)
    Chana Ghashi (Chickpeas in coconut gravy)
    Kadgi chakko (Raw jackfruit side dish)
    Avnas ambe sasam (Pineapple mango gravy)
    Patoli(coconut and jaggery in turmeric leaves)
    Muga mole randayi(Sprouted moong daal side dish)

Kuldevtas
Kuldevtas are considered of utmost importance to the GSB's. Normally Saraswats who follow the Advaita Sampradaya believe in the concept of "Panchayatan" - worshipping 5 gods like form of Shiva, Vishnu, Durga, Surya and Ganapati. Some GSB Temples still maintain this concept, while others which follow Madhva Sampradaya believe in Lord Hari being supreme and parivara devatas being the Lords Devotees and hence they have main deity installed in the main sanctorum with 4 parivara devatas around. "Kuldev" or "kuldaivat" are the deities which a set of families primarily worship. Their temples are built and maintained by these families, also called "Mahajans" (or Kulavis) of their respective temple.

Many Kuldevs/Kuldevatas are situated in Goa. However, during the early Portuguese persecutions, many Saraswats fled Goa along with their Kuldevs to nearby regions of Maharashtra & Karnataka. Hence, besides Goa, there are many GSB Temples in Maharashtra (Konkan side like Malwan, Vengurla, Savantwadi, Kudal, Ratnagiri, etc.). The Saraswats of Goa are predominantly the worshipers of Shiva and Durga, though many of them have got converted to Vaishnavites but they still retain their worship to their ancestral shavaite and vedic deities.

Many Saraswats have a strong faith in Durga and continue to pay respect and tribute by either taking part in festivals or some other occasions relating to Durga. Every Saraswat Brahmin has a system of worshipping two deities amongst which one is a Pallavi or supporting deity. Majority of the Saraswats have some or the other aspect of Durga included in their Family Deity. It can be Shantadurga, Aryadurga, Mahamaya, Vijayadurga or Mahalakshmi.
Gotras

See Gotravali of Goud Saraswat Brahmins

Every GSB belongs to a particular gotra. Gotra can be roughly said to be a clan. The gotra are names of great sages or rishi's of Hindu religion. Hence gotra indicates to sage to which a brahmin belongs to. Marriage is not allowed between bride and groom if both belong to same gotra. This might be to avoid same blood group marriage, as it is believed in old days, people of same gotra belong to same family.

GSBs belong to following Gotras:

    Bharadwaja
    Kaushika
    Vatsa
    Kaundinya
    Kashyapa
    Atri
    Vashista
    Jamadagni
    Gautam
    Vishwamitra (Kamshi)
    Shankha Pingala (Kamsa)
    Dhananjaya
    Bhargava
    Naidhruva
    Kutsa
    Harita
    Garga cf. Gaygeya
    Shandilya
    Harihar

Notable GSBs

Goud Saraswat Brahmins (GSBs) have made significant contribution to a variety of fields like literature, business, sports, cinema, law, etc. For a list of notable individuals belonging to GSB community (including its sub-communities) refer List of Prominent Goud Saraswat Brahmins

Hazrat Moinuddin Chishti Khwajah Garib Nawaz Ajmer




From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hazrat Moinuddin Chishti was born in 1141 and died in 1236 CE. Also known as Gharīb Nawāz "Benefactor of the Poor", he is the most famous saint of the Chishti Order of Sufism of the Indian subcontinent. Chishti introduced and established the order in the subcontinent. The initial spiritual chain or silsila of the Chishti order in India, comprising Chishti, Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, Fariduddin Ganjshakar and Nizamuddin Auliya—each successive person being the disciple of the previous—includes the great Sufi saints of Indian history.[3]


Early life and background[edit]
Hazrat Moinuddin Chishti is said to have been born in 536 AH/1141 CE in Chisht in Herat, Afghanistan.[4] His parents died when he was fifteen years old.[citation needed] He inherited a windmill and an orchard from his father. During his childhood, Chishti was different from other children and kept himself busy in prayers and meditation. He later disposed of his property and other belongings and distributed the money to the poor. He renounced the world and left for Bukhara in search of knowledge and higher education.[5]

He became the murid "disciple" of Usman Harooni.[citation needed]

Journeys[edit]
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Chishti visited the seminaries of Samarkand and Bukhara and acquired religious learning from scholars.[citation needed] He visited centers of Muslim culture, and acquainted himself with important trends in Muslim religious life. He became a disciple of the Chishti saint Usman Harooni. They traveled the Middle East together, including visits to Mecca and Medina.[citation needed]

Journey to India[edit]
Hazrat Moinuddin Chishtī turned towards India, reputedly after a dream in which Muhammad blessed him to do so. After a brief stay in Lahore, he reached Ajmer along with Mu'izz al-Din Muhammad, and settled down. In Ajmer, he attracted a substantial following, acquiring respect amongst the residents of the city. Chishti promoted understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims.[citation needed]

Establishing the Chishti Order in South Asia[edit]
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The Chishti Order is found by Abu Ishaq Shami (“the Syrian”) in Chisht some 95 miles east of Herat in present-day western Afghanistan. Moinuddin Chishti established the order in India, in the city of Ajmer in North India.

Hazrat Moinuddin Chishti apparently never wrote down his teachings in the form of a book, nor did his immediate disciples, but the central principles that became characteristics of the Chishti order in India are based on his teachings and practices. They lay stress on renunciation of material goods; strict regime of self-discipline and personal prayer; participation in samā' as a legitimate means to spiritual transformation; reliance on either cultivation or unsolicited offerings as means of basic subsistence; independence from rulers and the state, including rejection of monetary and land grants; generosity to others, particularly, through sharing of food and wealth, and tolerance and respect for religious differences.

He, in other words, interpreted religion in terms of human service and exhorted his disciples "to develop river-like generosity, sun-like affection and earth-like hospitality." The highest form of devotion, according to him, was "to redress the misery of those in distress – to fulfill the needs of the helpless and to feed the hungry."[citation needed]

It was during the reign of Akbar (1556–1605) that Ajmer emerged as one of the most important centers of pilgrimage in India. The Mughal Emperor undertook a journey on foot to Ajmer. The Akbarnāma records that the emperor's interest in Ajmer first sparked when he heard some minstrels singing songs about the virtues of the wali who lay asleep in Ajmer.[citation needed]

Hazrat Moinuddin Chishti authored several books including Anīs al-Arwāḥ and Dalīl al-'Ārifīn, both of which deal with the Islamic code of living.

Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki (d. 1235) and Hamiduddin Nagori (d. 1276) were Moinuddin Chishti's celebrated caliphs or "successors", who continued to transmit the teachings of their master through their disciples, leading to the widespread proliferation of the Chishtī Order in India.

Among Quṭbuddīn Baktiar Kaki's prominent disciples was Fariduddin Ganjshakar (d. 1265), whose dargah is at Pakpattan, modern Pakistan. Fariduddin's most famous disciple was Nizamuddin Auliya (d. 1325) popularly referred to as Mahbūb-e Ilāhī "God's beloved", whose dargah is located in South Delhi. Equally famous was his other disciple Ali Ahmed Alauddin Sabir whose dargah is in Kalyar Sharif. The Sabiri silsila is spread far and wide in India and Pakistan and to this day devotees and their descendants add the title of Sabri to their names.

From Delhi, disciples branched out to establish dargahs in several regions of South Asia, from Sindh in the west to Bengal in the east and the Deccan Plateau in the south. But from all the network of Chishti dargahs, the Ajmer dargah took on the special distinction of being the "mother" dargah of them all.

Dargah Sharif[edit]

Dargah of Moinuddin Chishti, Ajmer
Main article: Dargah Sharif

The dargah (shrine) of Chisti, known as Dargah Sharif or Ajmer Sharif is an international wakf (endowment), managed by the 'Dargah Khwaja Saheb Act, 1955' of Government of India. The Dargah Committee, appointed by the Government, manages donations, takes care of the maintenance of the outer area of shrine, and runs charitable institutions like dispensaries and guest houses for the devotees, but does not take care of the main shrine (Astana e Alia) which is under the custody of Khadims.[6]

In popular culture[edit]
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His poetry in praise of Husayn ibn Ali is well known, specially the following verse:

Shah ast Hussein, Badshah ast Hussein
Ruler is Hussain, Emperor is Hussain

Din ast Hussein, Dinpanah ast Hussein
Faith is Hussain, guardian of faith is Hussain

Sardad na dad dast dar dast e Yazid
Offered his head and not the hand to Yazid

Haqaq-e Bina-e La ilaha ast Hussein
Indeed, Hussain is the foundation of the shahada

The song "Khwaja Mere Khwaja" from the Hindi film Jodhaa Akbar was inspired by the life and deeds of Moinuddin Chishti.

Sufis of the Chishtī order[edit]
Chishti had more than one thousand khalīfas and hundreds of thousands of disciples.[citation needed] Sufis of different orders became his disciples and took ijāzah from him.[citation needed] Among the famous Sufis who trace their lineage to him are: Quṭbuddīn Bakhtiyār Kākī, Farīduddīn Mas'ūd, Nizāmuddīn Auliyā', Hazrat Ahmed Alauddin Sabir Kalyari Amir Khusrau, Nasiruddin Chiragh Dehlavi, Muhammad Hussain-i Gisūdarāz Bandanawāz, Ashraf Jahāngīr Simnānī and Aṭā' Hussain Fānī.[citation needed]

Today, hundreds of thousands of people – Muslims, Hindus and others, from the Indian sub-continent, and from other parts of the world – assemble at his tomb on the occasion of his 'urs (death anniversary).[citation needed]


An outside view of the Maqbara
Spiritual lineage[edit]
Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī
'Abdul Wāḥid Bin Zaid Abul Faḍl
Fuḍayll ibn 'Iyāḍ Bin Mas'ūd Bin Bishr al-Tamīmī
Ibrāhīm bin Adham
Ḥudhayfah al-Mar'ashī
Amīnuddīn Abū Ḥubayrah al-Baṣrī
Mumshād Dīnwarī
Start of the Chishtī Order:

Adul-Ishaq Shami Chisti Khadas-Allah –Sirrahu
Abu Muhammad Abdal Chishti Khadas-Allah –Sirrahu
[Abu Muhammad bin Abi Ahmed Chishti Khadas-Allah –Sirrahu
Abū Yūsuf bin Sam'ān al-Ḥusaynī
Maudūd Chishtī
Sharīf Zandānī
'Uthmān Hārūnī
Muneeruddin Haji Shareef Zandani Khadas-Allah –Sirrahu
Qutubuddin Yusuf Chisti Khadas-Allah –Sirrahu
Moinuddin Chishti
Others buried in the Maqbara enclosure[edit]
The Mughal generals Sheikh Mīr and Shāhnawāz Khān were buried in the enclosure of Chishtī's Maqbara after they died in the Battle of Deorai in 1659. Khān was the Emperor Aurangzeb's father-in-law.[7]

The Siddis of Junagadh Gujrat - The Forgotten Race




Siddis are ethnic Indo African race , the ones you see in my picture are Sufi adherents from Junagadh Gujrat , they come to Mahim , to perform as drummers and acrobatic dancers , it is a pitiable sight , seeing them leaping in the air collecting money thrown on the ground with their fish like mouths..I shot them extensively those days but than my trips to the Urus diminished as the Urus and Moharam fell at the same time .. this year I did not go to the Urus , much as I tried I was out of the city for both the Urus at Mahim.


The Siddis are followers of Baba Gor.. and there are Siddis settled in Mumbai too ..there is a Siddi Chowk at Haji Malang too...these are pictures I shot in 2009 that I am posting as a tribute to their resilience and survival as Indian residents in modern changing India..

About the Siddis ,, Wikipedia

The Siddi (Urdu: شیدی ‎; Kannada: ಸಿದ್ಧಿಗಳು; Hindi, Marathi, Konkani: सिद्दी or शीदि/ಸಿದ್ಧಿ; Sindhi: شيدي; Gujarati: સીદી), also known as Siddhi, Sheedi, Habshi or Makrani, are an ethnic group inhabiting India and Pakistan. Members are descended from Bantu peoples from Southeast Africa that were brought to the Indian subcontinent as slaves by Arab and Portuguese merchants.[1] The Siddi community is currently estimated at around 20,000–55,000 individuals, with Karnataka, Gujarat and Hyderabad in India and Makran and Karachi in Pakistan as the main population centres.[2] Siddis are primarily Sufi Muslims, although some are Hindus and others Roman Catholic Christians.

There are conflicting hypotheses on the origin of the name Siddi. One theory is that the word derives from sahibi, a Arabic term of respect in North Africa, similar to the word sahib in modern India and Pakistan.[4] A second theory is that the term Siddi is derived from the title borne by the captains of the Arab vessels that first brought Siddi settlers to India. These captains were known as Sayyid.[5]
Similarly, another term for Siddis, habshi (from Al-Habsh, the Arabic term for Abyssinia), is held to be derived from the common name for the captains of the Ethiopian/Abyssinian ships that also first delivered Siddi slaves to the subcontinent.[5] The term eventually came to be applied to other Africans and not only to emancipated Siddis. In time, it came to be used to refer to their descendants as well. It is sometimes pronounced "Hafsi" and is considered an insult.[6]
Siddis are also sometimes referred to as African-Indians.[7][8][9] Siddis were referred to as Zanji by Arabs; in China, various transcriptions of this Arabic word were used, including Xinji (辛吉) and Jinzhi (津芝).[10][11][12][13]

The first Siddis are thought to have arrived in India in 628 AD at the Bharuch port. Several others followed with the first Arab Islamic invasions of the subcontinent in 712 AD.[15] The latter group are believed to have been soldiers with Muhammad bin Qasim's Arab army, and were called Zanjis.
Most Siddis are descended from Bantu peoples from Southeast Africa that were brought to the Indian subcontinent as slaves by the Portuguese.[1] While most of these migrants became Muslim and a small minority became Christian, very few became Hindu since they could not find themselves a position in the traditional Hindu caste hierarchy.[4]


Flag of the Siddis from Murud-Janjira an important vassal of the Mughal Empire.
In Western India (the modern Indian states of Gujarat and Maharashtra), the Siddi gained a reputation for physical strength and loyalty, and were sought out as mercenaries by local rulers, and as domestic servants and farm labour.[citation needed] Some Siddis escaped slavery to establish communities in forested areas, and some even established small Siddi principalities on Janjira Island and at Jaffrabad as early as the twelfth century. A former alternative name of Janjira was Habshan (i.e., land of the Habshis). In the Delhi Sultanate period prior to the rise of the Mughals in India, Jamal-ud-Din Yaqut was a prominent Siddi slave-turned-nobleman who was a close confidant of Razia Sultana (1205–1240 CE). Although this is disputed, he may also have been her lover.[16]
As a power centre, Siddis were sometimes allied with the Mughal Empire in its power-struggle with the Maratha Confederacy.[citation needed] However, Malik Ambar, a prominent Siddi figure in Indian history at large, is sometimes regarded as the "military guru of the Marathas", and was deeply allied with them.[17] He established the town of Khirki which later became the modern city of Aurangabad, and helped establish the Marathas as a major force in the Deccan. Later, the Marathas adapted Siddi guerrilla warfare tactics to grow their power and ultimately demolish the Mughal empire.[17] Some accounts describe the Mughal emperor Jahangir as obsessed by Ambar due to the Mughal empire's consistent failures in crushing him and his Maratha cavalry, describing him derogatorily as "the black faced" and "the ill-starred" in the royal chronicles and even having a painting commissioned that showed Jahangir killing Ambar, a fantasy which was never realised in reality.[18]

Siddis of Gujarat[edit]


Siddi Folk Dancers, at Devaliya Naka, Sasan Gir, Gujarat.
Supposedly presented as slaves by the Portuguese to the local Prince, Nawab of Junagadh, the Siddis also live around Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, the last refuge in the world of the almost extinct Asiatic Lions, in Junagadh a district of the state of Gujarat, India.[19]
On the way to Deva-dungar is the quaint village of Sirvan, inhabited entirely by Siddis, a tribe of African people. They were brought 300 years ago from Africa, by the Portuguese for the Nawab of Junagadh. Today, they follow very few of their original customs, with a few exceptions like the traditional Dhamal dance.[20]
Although Gujarati Siddis have adopted the language and many customs of their surrounding populations, some African traditions have been preserved. These include the Goma music and dance form, which is sometimes called Dhamaal (Gujarati: ધમાલ, fun).[21] The term is believed to be derived from the Ngoma drumming and dance forms of Bantu East Africa.[21] The Goma also has a spiritual significance and, at the climax of the dance, some dancers are believed to be vehicles for the presence of Siddi saints of the past.[22]

Siddis of Karnataka[edit]


Siddi Girl from Yellapur District, Karnataka, India.
Main article: Siddis of Karnataka
The Siddis of Karnataka (Kannada: ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ಸಿದ್ಧಿಗಳು) (also spelled Siddhis) are an ethnic group of mainly Bantu descent that has made Karnataka their home for the last 400 years.[1] There is a 50,000 strong Siddhi population across India, of which more than a third live in Karnataka. In Karnataka, they are concentrated around Yellapur, Haliyal, Ankola, Joida, Mundgod and Sirsi taluks of Uttara Kannada and in Khanapur of Belgaum and Kalghatgi of Dharwad district. Many members of the Siddis community of Karnataka had migrated to Pakistan after independence and have settled in Karachi, Sindh. The majority of the Siddhis in Karnataka are descendants of Siddhi slaves who were brought from East Africa (mostly Mozambique) and Ethiopia to Goa by the Portuguese, British and the Arabs between the 16th and 19th centuries. During the Goan Inquisition, some of these slaves were freed and some escaped into the forests of the neighbouring Karnataka state. It has been reported that these Siddis believe that Barack Obama shares their genepool and that they wanted to gift a bottle of honey to him on his visit to India in 2010.[23]
Siddis of Hyderabad, India[edit]
In the 18th century, a Siddi community was established in Hyderabad State by the Arab Siddi diaspora, who would frequently serve as cavalry guards of the Asif Jahi Nizam's irregular army. The Asif Jahi Nizams patronised them with rewards and the traditional Marfa music gained popularity and would be performed during official celebrations and ceremonies.[24][25][26] The Siddis of Hyderabad have traditionally resided in the A.C. Guards (African Cavalry Guards) area near Masjid Rahmania, known locally as Siddi Risala.
Sheedis of Pakistan[edit]

In Pakistan, locals of Black African descent are called "Makrani", or "Sheedi". They live primarily along the Makran Coast in Balochistan, and lower Sindh. In the city of Karachi, the main Sheedi centre is the area of Lyari and other nearby coastal areas.[27] Technically, the Sheedi are a brotherhood or community distinct from the other Afro-Pakistanis. The Sheedis are divided into four clans, or houses: Kharadar Makan, Hyderabad Makan, Lassi Makan and Belaro Makan.[28] The sufi saint Pir Mangho is regarded by many as the patron saint of the Sheedis, and the annual Sheedi Mela festival, is the key event in the Sheedi community's cultural calendar.[28] Some glimpses of the rituals at Sidi/Sheedi Festival 2010 include visit to sacred alligators at Mangho pir, playing music and dance.[29] Clearly, the instrument, songs and dance appear to be derived from Africa.[30][31]
Linguistically, Makranis speak Balochi and Sindhi, as well as a dialect of Urdu referred to as Makrani. In Sindh, the Sheedis have traditionally intermarried only with people such as the Mallahs (fisherpeople), Khaskeli (laborers), Khatri (dyeing caste) and Kori (clothmakers).
Famous Sheedis include the historic Sindhi army leader Hoshu Sheedi[32] and Urdu poet Noon Meem Danish.[33][34] Sheedis are also well known for their excellence in sports, especially in football and boxing. The musical anthem of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party, "Bija Teer", is a Balochi song in the musical style of the Sheedis with Black African style rhythm and drums.[35] Younis Jani is a popular Sheedi singer famous for singing an Urdu version of the reggaeton song "Papi chulo... (te traigo el mmmm...)."[36]
Siddis or Sheedis in lower Sindh[edit]


Sawan Qambrani, resident of village Syed Matto Shah, Tehsil Bulri Shah Karim, District Tando Muhammad Khan, Sindh
Sheedis are largely populated in different towns and villages in lower Sindh. They are very active in cultural activities and organise annual festivals, like, Habash Festival, with the support of several community organisations. In the local culture, when there is a dance it is not performed by some selected few and watched idly by others but it is participated by all the people present there, ending difference between the performers and the audience.[37]
Sheedis in Sindh also proudly call themselves the Qambranis, Urdu: قمبرانی ‎; Sindhi: قمبراڻي, in reverence to Qambar, the freed slave of the Islamic caliph Ali.[citation needed]
Genetics[edit]

Recent advances in genetic analyses have helped shed some light on the ethnogenesis of the Siddi. Genetic genealogy, although a novel tool that uses the genes of modern populations to trace their ethnic and geographic origins, has also helped clarify the possible background of the modern Siddi.
Y DNA[edit]
A Y-chromosome study by Shah et al. (2011) tested Siddi individuals in India for paternal lineages. The authors observed the E1b1a haplogroup, which is frequent amongst Bantu peoples, in about 42% and 34% of Siddis from Karnataka and Gujarat, respectively. Around 14% of Siddis from Karnataka and 35% of Siddis from Gujarat also belonged to the Sub-Saharan B haplogroup. The remaining 30% of Siddi had Indian or Near Eastern-associated clades, including haplogroups H, L, J and P.[1]
Thangaraj (2009) observed similar, mainly Bantu-linked paternal affinities amongst the Siddi.[38]
mtDNA[edit]
According to an mtDNA study by Shah et al. (2011), the maternal ancestry of the Siddi consists of a mixture of Sub-Saharan and Indian haplogroups, reflecting substantial female gene flow from neighbouring Indian populations. About 53% of the Siddis from Gujarat and 24% of the Siddis from Karnataka belonged to various Sub-Saharan macro-haplogroup L sub-clades. The latter mainly consisted of L0 and L2a sublineages associated with Bantu women. The remainder possessed Indian-specific subclades of the Eurasian haplogroups M and N, which points to recent admixture with autochthonous Indian groups.[1]
Autosomal DNA[edit]
Narang et al. (2011) examined the autosomal DNA of Siddis in India. According to the researchers, about 58% of the Siddis' ancestry is derived from Bantu peoples. The remainder is associated with local Indo-European-speaking North and Northwest Indian populations, due to recent admixture events.[39]
Similarly, Shah et al. (2011) observed that Siddis in Gujarat derive 66.90%–70.50% of their ancestry from Bantu forebears, while the Siddis in Karnataka possess 64.80%–74.40% such Southeast African ancestry. The remaining autosomal DNA components in the studied Siddi were mainly associated with local South Asian populations. According to the authors, gene flow between the Siddis' Bantu ancestors and local Indian populations was also largely unidirectional. They estimate this admixture episode's time of occurrence at within the past 200 years or eight generations.[1]
However, Guha et al. (2012) observed few genetic differences between the Makrani of Pakistan and neighboring populations. According to the authors, the genome-wide ancestry of the Makrani was essentially the same as that of the adjacent Indo-European speaking Balochi and Dravidian-speaking Brahui.[

The Dam Madar Malangs At Makanpur ,,At The Holy Shrine Of Zinda Shah Madar




One of the most fascinating Sufi circuit is Makanpur the Holy Shrine Of Zinda Shah Madar .. this year on 30 March will be his 597 Urus ,, and it is a tough trek.. close to Kanpur ,, If you know the Malangs it is much easier as this entire stretch is part of vast farmlands , the closest town is Kannauj, ..And this place is the most popular Sufi site in Uttar Pradesh..

As I belong to the Dam Madar Order and a Murid of Peersab Masoomi Ali Baba Madari Aqsan I was lucky I was documenting this Urus with my friend Marc Malang,..

This is one of my most fascinating Flickr set and spiritual journey..meeting some of the great Malangs Qalandaris and Rafaees ..living in a cramped up room with over a dozen people and for natures call heading with a bottle of water in the fields ,,, and what an experience ..

About The Dam Madar Madariya Order - Wikipedia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


The Madariyya are members of a Sufi order (tariqa) popular in North India, especially in Uttar Pradesh, the Mewat region, Bihar and Bengal, as well as in Nepal and Bangladesh. Known for its syncretic aspects, lack of emphasis on external religious practice and focus on internal dhikr, it was initiated by the Sufi saint 'Sayed Badiuddin Zinda Shah Madar' (d. 1434 CE), called "Qutb-ul-Madar", and is centered around his shrine (dargah) at Makanpur, Kanpur district, Uttar Pradesh.
Originating from the Tayfuriya order, as his Pir, spiritual teacher was Bayazid Tayfur al-Bistami, Madariya reached its zenith in the late Mughal period between 15th to 17th century, and gave rise to several new orders as Madar's disciples spread through the Northern plains of India, into Bengal. As with most Sufi orders, its name Madariya too has been created by adding a Nisba to the name its founder, Madar in this case lead to Madariya, sometimes spelled as Madariyya, though it is also referred as Tabaqatiya at many places.[1][2][3][4][5]
He was blessed with long life of 96 years and his presence is found from Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani at Baghdad Sharif till Sufi Chisti saint Khwaja Gharib Nawaz, Moinuddin Chishti of Ajmer .


Badiuddin Zinda Shah Madar or Qutbul Madar was born in 742 Hijri as per Islamic calendar at Halab, Syria. In the book "Gulzar-e-Madar", the author Maulana Sayed Mehmood has written that Hazrat Huzaifa Sayed himself has stated that one day in a dream Prophet Muhammad, came to him and said:" his child is a Wali of the almighty Allah and is from my origin. The Muslims belonging to Zinda Shah Madar are called Shah, sai or syed.
In the book Taskiratulkram fi Ahwale Khulafa-e-Arbo Islam, it is written that Hazrat Sayed Badiuddin Zinda Shah Madar had the knowledge of all the four books which came from the Paradise. At the age of 14, Hazrat Sayed Badiuddin Zinda Shah Madar had memorised the Quran Shareef and had read its existence values as well he got knowledge of other religious topics.
His Pir or Sheikh was 'Sayed Bayzid Bustami' (Sultan Arafeen). Hazrat Sayed Badiuddin Zinda Shah Madar was pledged with the Tayfooriya order and was being said as Silsila-e-Tayfooriya. The decent
Zinda Shah Madar has visited many countries and had extensively preached Islam & the true message of prophet Muhammad. He is said to visited almost all places in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Iran, Baghdad, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and many more places around the world.
[edit]Dargah

The Dargah or the tomb of Badiuddin Zinda Shah Madar is located at Makanpur, near Kanpur city, in Uttar Pradesh state in India. Till today it is visited by thousands of visitors every month and especially during the annual Urs celebrations.[6] Even Moghul rulers & emperor like Aurangzeb, Akbar, Shah Jahan, Ibrahim Shirki has paid their visits at the tomb. The dargah in Makanpūr gained increasing importance during the Mughal period. Various rulers donated land, while others erected buildings there. Aurangzeb (1068-1118/1658-1707) visited the shrine in the year 1069/1659 while marching against Shāh Shujāʿ.
[edit]The Tariqah

Most of the biographic details regarding Baduddin Zinda Shah Madar, are shrouded under numerous legends and stories of his numerous miracles, however, an important source of such information, come from his important hagiography, Mirat i-Madari written in 1654 by Abd ur-Rahman Chisti. Since then a number of hagiographic texts have emerged.[7] The silsilah (lineage) is still live throughout the world with the pir-muridi tradition. The Pir's of Makanpur sharif are 'Sayed's" (decedents of prophet Mohammed ). The Madariya chain of Sufi brotherhood is the oldest, largest & fastest growing Sufi brotherhood of the ancient era.


Madarriya 

Portrait Of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Mehboobe Elahi






From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sultan-ul-Mashaikh, Mehboob-e-Ilahi, Hazrat Shaikh Khwaja Syed Muhammad Nizamuddin Auliya (1238 – 3 April 1325) (Urdu: حضرت شیخ خواجہ سیّد محمد نظام الدّین اولیاء‎), also known as Hazrat Nizamuddin, was a famous Sufi saint of the Chishti Order in the Indian Subcontinent, an order that believed in drawing close to God through renunciation of the world and service to humanity. He is one of the great saints of the Chishti order in India.[1] His predecessors were Fariduddin Ganjshakar, Bakhtiyar Kaki and Moinuddin Chishti. In that sequence, they constitute the initial spiritual chain or silsila of the Chisti order, widely prevalent in the Indian subcontinent.

Nizamuddin Auliya, like his predecessors, stressed love as a means of realising God. For him his love of God implied a love of humanity. His vision of the world was marked by a highly evolved sense of secularity and kindness.[2] It is claimed by the 14th century historiographer Ziauddin Barani that his influence on the Muslims of Delhi was such that a paradigm shift was effected in their outlook towards worldly matters. People began to be inclined towards mysticism and prayers and remaining aloof from the world.[3]

Nizamuddin Auliya was born in Badayun, Uttar Pradesh (east of Delhi). At the age of five, after the death of his father, Ahmad Badayuni, he came to Delhi with his mother, Bibi Zulekha.[4] His biography finds mention in Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century document written by Mughal Emperor Akbar’s vizier, Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak.[5]

At the age of twenty, Nizāmuddīn went to Ajodhan (the present Pakpattan Sharif in Pakistan) and became a disciple of the Sufi saint Fariduddin Ganjshakar, commonly known as Baba Farid. Nizāmuddīn did not take up residence in Ajodhan but continued with his theological studies in Delhi while simultaneously starting the Sufi devotional practices and the prescribed litanies. He visited Ajodhan each year to spend the month of Ramadan in the presence of Baba Farid. It was on his third visit to Ajodhan that Baba Farid made him his successor. Shortly after that, when Nizāmuddīn returned to Delhi, he received news that Baba Farid had died.


Chilla Nizamuddin Auliya, residence of Nizamuddin Auliya, towards the north-east from Humayun's tomb, Delhi
Nizāmuddīn lived at various places in Delhi, before finally settling down in Ghiyaspur, a neighbourhood in Delhi undisturbed by the noise and hustle of city life. He built his Khanqah here, a place where people from all walks of life were fed, where he imparted spiritual education to others and he had his own quarters. Before long, the Khanqah became a place thronged with all kinds of people, rich and poor alike.

Many of his disciples achieved spiritual height, including Shaikh Nasiruddin Muhammad Chirag-e-Delhi,[6] and Amir Khusro,[5] noted scholar/musician, and the royal poet of the Delhi Sultanate.

He died on the morning of 3 April 1325. His shrine, the Nizamuddin Dargah, is located in Delhi.[7] and the present structure was built in 1562. The shrine is visited by people of all faiths, through the year, though it becomes a place for special congregation during the death anniversaries, or Urs, of Nizamuddin Auliya and Amīr Khusro,[4] who is also buried at the Nizāmuddīn Dargāh.

Key beliefs[edit]
Besides believing in the traditional Sufi ideas of embracing God within this life (as opposed to the idea that such partial merger with God is possible only after death), by destroying the ego and cleansing the soul, and that this is possible through considerable efforts involving Sufi practices, Nizamuddin also expanded and practised the unique features introduced by past saints of the Chisti Sufi order in India. These included:

Emphasis on renunciation and having complete trust in God.
The unity of mankind and shunning distinctions based on social, economic, religious status.
Helping the needy, feeding the hungry and being sympathetic to the oppressed.
Strong disapproval of mixing with the Sultans, the princes and the nobles.
Exhortation in making close contact with the poor and the downtrodden
Adopting an uncompromising attitude towards all forms of political and social oppression.
A bold stance in favour of Sema, which some considered unislamic. Perhaps this was with the view that this was in consonance with the role of music in some modes of Hindu worship, could serve as a basis of contact with local people and would facilitate mutual adjustments between the two communities.[8] In fact Qawwali, a form of devotional music, was originally created by one his most cherished disciples: Amir Khusro.
Nizamuddin did not much bother about the theoretical aspects of Sufism, believing rather that it were the practical aspects that counted, as it was anyway not possible to describe the diversified mystical experiences called spiritual states or stations which a practicing Sufi encountered. He discouraged the demonstration of Keramat and emphasised that it was obligatory for the Auliya (which roughly means the friends of God) to hide the ability of Keramat from the commoners. He also was quite generous in accepting disciples. Usually whoever came to him saying that he wanted to become a disciple was granted that favour. This resulted in him being always surrounded by people from all strata of society.

Ancestral history[edit]
The eldest son of 'Alī al-Naqī was Ḥasan al-'Askarī and the other son was Ja'far Bukhārī. After the death of 'Ali al-Naqi, Hasan al-Askari became the accepted Imām of both Shī'ah and Sunnī Muslims. Ḥasan al-'Askarī was killed at the age of 28. He had one son, Muḥammad al-Mahdī, who, at the age of five after the death of his father, disappeared from public view. That was in the time of the 'Abbāsid Caliphs. Knowing about the killings of all the Imāms and family members of the descendants of Muḥammad, Ja'far Bukhārī migrated to Bukhara in Uzbekistan[citation needed]. After a few generations, one of his descendants called 'Alī, known as Dāniyāl, the grandfather of Nizāmuddīn Auliyā', migrated to the city of Badāyūn in Uttar Pradesh, India.

Ancestral lineage[edit]
Muhammad
'Alī bin Abī Ṭālib
Husayn bin 'Alī
'Alī bin al-Husayn Zayn-ul'Ābidīn
Muḥammad al-Bāqir
Ja'far al-Ṣādiq
Mūsā al-Kāḍhim
'Alī al-Riḍā
Muḥammad al-Taqī
'Alī al-Naqī
Ja'far Bukhārī
'Alī Aṣghar Bukhārī
Abī 'Abdullāh Bukhārī
Aḥmad Bukhārī
'Alī Bukhārī
Husayn Bukhārī
'Abdullāh Bukhārī
'Alī, known as Dāniyāl
Aḥmad Badāyūnī
Nizāmuddīn Auliyā'

Spiritual history[edit]


Mughal princess Jahan Ara's tomb (left), Nizamuddin Auliya's tomb (right) and Jama'at Khana Masjid (background), at Nizamuddin Dargah complex, in Nizamuddin West, Delhi
He was merely sixteen or seventeen years old when he first heard the name of Farīduddīn Ganjshakar, and feelings of love and respect arose in his heart right then. He narrates to his disciples that he never felt the same after hearing or even meeting any other Sufi. The love kept increasing like a burning fire. If his classmates would like to have some work out of him they used to invoke the name of Bābā Farīd, and he never refused anything asked in his name. He didn't feel the same for anyone else in his entire lifetime. He became his disciple after completing his studies at the age of 20. He visited him thrice in his lifetime.

Spiritual lineage[edit]
Muhammad
'Alī bin Abī Ṭālib
al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī
'Abdul Wāḥid Bin Zaid Abul Faḍl
Fuḍail Bin 'Iyyādh Bin Mas'ūd Bin Bishr al-Tamīmī
Ibrāhīm bin Adham
Hudhaifah al-Mar'ashī
Abu Hubairah Basri
Mumshad 'Uluw al-Dinawarī
Start of the Chishti Order:

Abū Isḥāq al-Shāmī
Abū Aḥmad Abdāl
Abū Muḥammad bin Abī Aḥmad
Abū Yūsuf bin Sāmān
Maudūd Chishtī
Sharīf Zandānī
Usmān al-Hārūnī
Mu'īnuddīn Chishtī
Quṭbuddīn Bakhtiyār Kākī
Farīduddīn Mas'ūd
Nizāmuddīn Auliyā'
Students[edit]
He had more than 600 khalifas (a khalifa is a disciple who is given the authority to take his own disciples and thus propagate the spiritual lineage) who continued his lineage all over the world. Some of his most famous disciples are:

Nasiruddin Chiragh Dehlavi[edit]
He was the spiritual successor of Nizamuddin Auliya. He is considered fifth amongst the big five of the Chisti order in India (the others being Moinuddin Chishti, Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, Fariduddin Ganjshakar, Nizamuddin Auliya). His shrine is in Chirag Dilli, New Delhi, India.

Amīr Khusro[edit]
He was the most loved disciple of his master. He was so close to his master that once Nizāmuddīn Auliyā' said, "If sharī'ah allows me I would like him to be buried with me in the same grave."[citation needed] He also said that whoever comes to visit his grave must visit the grave of Amīr Khusro first and then his. He died within a few months of his master's death. He was buried at the feet of his master. His shrine is in Nizāmuddīn Dargāh, New Delhi.

Akhi Siraj Aainae Hind[edit]
He was given the title of Āainae-Hind (Mirror of India) by Nizāmuddīn Auliyā' and lived with him for a long time. He was amongst the earliest disciples of Nizāmuddīn Auliyā', who sent him to Bengal. His shrine is in Gaur, West Bengal.

Burhanuddin Gharib[edit]
He is also amongst the earliest disciples of Nizamuddin Auliya and lived with the master until his last breath. After the death of Nizamuddin Auliya, he went to the Deccan, and the place where he lived became famous thereby. His shrine is in Khuldabad in Maharashtra.

Jalaluddin Bhandari[edit]
He is also amongst the earliest disciples of Nizamuddin Auliya. He ran the Langar khana of Nizamuddin Auliya. After the death of Nizamuddin Auliya, he went to the Deccan with Burhanuddin Gharib, and became famous by the name of Bhandari. His shrine is in Fatehabad in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra.

Syed Mahmood Kashkinakar[edit]
He holds a very special position in Islamic mysticism. He is believed to be alive in the invisible world even after his death in the visible world. There are miracles in the literature of the Chisti order which are attributed to this.

Ajan Fakir[edit]
Ansari

Quotations[edit]
The wilayat (domain) of gnosis and faith can suffer decay. The wilayat of compassion can not.
The love of Auliya (saints) is stronger than their reason.
The lock of spiritual perfection has very many keys. All those keys are to be possessed. If one does not open it, others can.
He who has knowledge, reason, and love, is deserving to become a caliph of the Sufi sheikhs.
So long as is possible, give relief to your heart, because the heart of a good Muslim is the palace of the manifestations of Allah.
Descendants[edit]
Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia had only one sister named Bibi Ruqayya who is buried next to Bibi Zulekha, the mother of Khwaja Nizamuddin Aulia in Adhchini village in Delhi.Nizamuddin Auliya did not marry. He brought his Pir/Shaikh's grandson named Khwaja Muhammad Imam, who was the son of Bibi Fatima (Daughter of Baba Farid and Badruddin is'haq)as mentioned in Seyrul Aulia book, Nizami bansari, The life and time of Khwaja Nizamuddin Aulia by Khaliq Ahmed Nizami. Still the descendents of Khwaja Muhammad Imam are the caretakers of dargah sharif.

The Chisti Nizami order[edit]
Main article: Chishti Order
Nizamuddin Auliya was the founder of the Chisti Nizami order. He had hundreds of disciples (khalifa) who had Ijaza (khilafat) from him to spread the order. Many of the Sufis of the Chisti Nizami order are recognised as great Sufis; the following is a list of notable Sufis of the Chisti Nizami order, which includes his descendants as well as his disciples:

Muhammad Hussaini Gisudaraz Bandanawaz, Gulbarga (near Hyderabad), Karnataka; Alaul Haq Pandavi & Noor Qutb-e-Alam Pandwi, Pandua, West Bengal; Ashraf Jahangir Semnani, Kichaucha, Uttar Pradesh; Faqruddin Faqr Dehlvi, Mehrauli, New Delhi; Shah Niyaz Ahmad Barelvi, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh; Shafruddin Ali Ahmed & Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, Chirag Dilli, New Delhi; Zainuddin Shirazi, Burhanpur, Madhya Pradesh; Muhiuddin Yousuf Yahya Madani Chishti, Medina; Kaleemullah Dehlvi Chishti, Delhi; Nizamuddin Aurangabadi; Nizamuddin Hussain, and Meerza Agha Mohammad; Muhammad Sulman Taunswi, Pakistan, Mohammad Meera Hussaini, Hesamuddin Mankpuri.

Branches[edit]
Nizamuddin Auliya was an unparalleled Sufi of his time amongst all the existing Sufi orders of that time. Many of his contemporaries were doubtless very powerful spiritual leaders, but he was the most famous of all. In his career of approximately 70 years as a Sufi he saw the reign of seven rulers of the Delhi sultanate. The kings were very loyal to him and respectful of him. When he first arrived as the Qutb of Delhi he settled down at a lonely place on the outskirts of Delhi, Ghyaspur. But he became so famous that Ghyaspur became the main hub of Delhi and so densely populated that he wanted to leave that place but did not. He was buried in the campus of his khanqah. Ghyaspur is now a central locality of New Delhi, and is known after his name Nizamuddin. The area is so vast that it is divided into four parts: Nizamuddin Dargah (where his shrine is situated), Nizamuddin East, Nizamuddin West and Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station.

The Chisti order branched out with Nizamuddin Auliya to form the Chisti Nizami order. A parallel branch which started with Alauddin Sabir Kaliyari, another disciple of Baba Farid, was the Chisti Sabiri branch. People started adding Nizami gracefully after their name. He spiritually made many great Sufis amongst his students, descendants and the Sufis of the Nizami order.

The branches of the Chisti Nizami order are as follows:

Naseeria[edit]
His disciple Nasiruddin Muhammad Chirag-e-Dehli started the Nizamia Naseeria branch.

Hussainia[edit]
The Hussainia branch is named for Muhammad Hussaini Gisudaraz Bandanawaz. He was the most famous and loved disciple of Nasiruddin Muhammad Chirag-e-Dehli. The khanqah he established in Gulbarga, Karnataka is still in existence.

Niyazia[edit]
Shah Niyaz Ahmad Barelvi, in the 19th century started the Niyazia branch.

Serajia[edit]
The Nizamia Serajia branch was started by Serajuddin Aqi Seraj. This branch is also known as Chistia Serajia.

Ashrafia[edit]
The Chistia Ashrafia branch was started by Ashraf Jahangir Semnani. He established a khanqah, still in existence at Kichaucha sharif, Uttar Pradesh, India.

One of the kings of the Delhi sultanate during Nizamuddin Auliya lifetime was Qutb-ud-din Mubarak Shah, the last ruler of the Khilji dynasty. Legend has it that disrespect of Nizamuddin Auliya caused the king's death. Qutb-ud-din Mubarak Shah used to assemble all the leading figures and famous personalities of Delhi in his court every weekend. Once a courtier complained to him that Nizamuudin Auliya never came to the court. The King declared, "Order him in my name to come to my weekend gathering, else he will be hanged." When Nizamuddin Auliya's disciple, Amir Khusrau, related this to his master, he ignored the message, and did not even answer. As the weekend approached, his disciples became concerned for his life. On the day before the weekend, Nizamuddin Auliya went to the grave of his mother and came back looking unperturbed, telling his disciples to go home and sleep as usual. The next morning, everyone was very tense and worried, but Nizamuddin Auliya remained unperturbed. Shortly, news came that there had been a rebellion in the palace, and the king had been brutally killed.

Titles[edit]
MEHBOOB-E-ILAHI (Beloved of Ilahi).

2. SULTAN-UL MASHAIKH (King of Masha'ikh).

3. IMAM-UL-MEHBOOBEEN (Leader of Mehboobeen).

4. MALIQ-UL FUQRA WAL MASAQEEN.

6. TAJ-UL MUQQARABEEN.

5. MEHFIL-E SUKHAN (Attraction in the Gathering).

7. ZARI’ZAR BAKSH (Distributor of Gold and Silver).

8. NIZAMUDDIN BA'HATH (The Debator).

9. MEHFIL-E SHIKAN (The breaker of assemblies)

10. TABIB-E DIL (Healer of the heart)

11. GAUS-UL ALAM (Gaus of World)

12. JAG UJIYARE (Light for the World)

Urs[edit]
The Urs (death anniversary) of Nizamuddin Auliya is celebrated at the Nizamuddin Dargah on the 17th of Rabi II (Rabi-ul-Aaqir), and that of Amir Khusro on the 18th of Shawwal. Those who wish to visit the shrine of his holiness for ziarat, Langar, nazar niyaz and Dua are welcome to visit and contact Sajjada Nashin, descandant & Incharge KHWAJA AFZAL NIZAMI, Dargah Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya Mehboobe Elahi, New Delhi.


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