Haji Ali

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Haji Ali Dargah is a mosque and dargah (tomb) located on an islet off the coast of Worli in the Southern part of Mumbai. Near the heart of the city proper, the dargah is one of the most recognisable landmarks of Mumbai.[1][2][3]

An exquisite example of Indo-Islamic Architecture, associated with legends about doomed lovers, the dargah contains the tomb of Sayed Peer Haji Ali Shah Bukhari.

Background[edit]
The Haji Ali Dargah was constructed in 1431[4] in memory of a wealthy Muslim merchant, Sayyed Peer Haji Ali Shah Bukhari, who gave up all his worldly possessions before making a pilgrimage to Mecca. Hailing from Bukhara (present day Uzbekistan), Bukhari travelled around the world in the early to mid 15th century, and then settled in present day Mumbai.

According to legends[5] surrounding his life, once the Saint saw a poor woman crying on the road, holding an empty vessel. He asked her what the problem was, she sobbed that her husband would thrash her as she stumbled and accidentally spilled the oil she was carrying. He asked her to take him to the spot where she spilt the oil. There, he jabbed a finger into the soil and the oil gushed out. The overjoyed woman filled up the vessel and went home.

Later, Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari had a recurring and disturbing dream that he had injured Earth by his act. Full of remorse, he soon fell ill and directed his followers to cast the coffin carrying his body into the Arabian Sea. Haji Ali died during his journey to Mecca and miraculously the casket carrying his body, floated back to these shores, getting stuck in the string of rocky islets just off the shore of Worli. Thus, the Dargah was constructed there.

On Thursdays and Fridays, the shrine is visited by at least 40,000 pilgrims. Irrespective of faith and religion, people visit the dargah to get the blessings of the legendary saint. Sometimes, especially on Fridays, various Sufi musicians perform a form of devotional music called Qawwali at the dargah.

The Structure[edit]

The entrance to the Dargah.
The Dargah is built on a tiny islet located 500 meters from the coast, in the middle of Worli Bay,[6] in the vicinity of Worli. The edifice is a brilliant specimen of the Indo-Islamic style of architecture. The islet is linked to the city precinct of Mahalakshmi by a narrow causeway, which is nearly a kilometre (0.62 mile) long.

The accessibility to the dargah is very much dependent on the tides. As, the causeway is not bound by railings, when the causeway gets submerged during high tide it becomes inaccessible[citation needed]. Therefore, the dargah is accessible only during low tide. This walk on the causeway, with the sea on both sides, is one of the highlights of a trip to the shrine.


Haji Ali Dargah


The whitewashed structure occupies an area of a marble courtyard contains the central shrine. The tomb within the mosque is covered by a brocaded red and green chaddar (tomb cover sheet). It is supported by an exquisite silver frame, supported by marble pillars. The main hall has marble pillars embellished with artistic mirror work: blue, green, yellow chips of glass arranged in kaleidoscopic patterns interspersed with Arabic patterns which spell the ninety-nine names of Allah. As per the Muslim traditions separate praying rooms for ladies and gents are provided here to pay their respects. During the high tide, the dargah seems completely isolated with no access. It looks more like a little island.

Repair and Renovation[edit]
The six hundred year old[7] Dargah structure has corroded, due to constant erosion, saline winds and constant flow of 80,000 people per week.[8] The structural upgradation of the Dargah started in October 2008. The Dargah will be beautified with first and second quality white marble, which will be brought from Makrana, Rajasthan, the same place from where marble for the Taj Mahal was brought.

The repair and structural upgradation work is envisaged to take 24 months divided into two Phases.[9] Phase One will involve reconstruction of Mosque and Minarets, Phase Two will involve renovation of the Sanitarium Building. When the reconstruction work is complete, the holy shrine will give the feel of a Taj right in Mumbai’s brackish sea water.

The North Indian Muslim Migrant

He is a Muslim migrant from Uttar Pradesh  he works at a decorators shop as a helper at Bandra Bazar Road. I dont know his name but I like to shoot him and he obliges me without getting mad as some Muslims do.

And there are some faces in Bandra I can go on shooting forever ,, this is one of those faces ..

Muslim Beggar Lady Bandra SV Road

This picture has a story , I saw her shot her and than realized I had no memory card in my camera , so I was moving away but a part of me , the street photographer part got the better of me I inserted a card in my camera gave her money and shot these few frames on my telly lens .

And she is begging , she is not from Bandra  perhaps from one of the distant pockets in the suburbs Mumbra.

They come to Bandra as people are kind and generous towards beggars , and as there are many Mosques in Bandra they get money food clothing from the rich Muslims and even the poor Muslims offer them alms.


And one of my photo documentary thesis is on Muslim beggars over 4000 images shot of Muslim beggars in Mumbai and other parts of India that I have visited .

Most Muslim beggars are found outside Jama Masjid Delhi , Nizamuddin Aulia Delhi and you can go on shooting them , in my case forever .

There are Muslim beggars in Mumbai at Holy Shrines Mosques.

In Lucknow you find them in the old city and during religious feasts like Eid Shabbarat or Moharam .

But the greatest number of beggars can be found in Ajmer during the Urus annual celebration of the Holy Saint of Beggars ,, Khwajah Garb Nawaz or Hazrat Moinuddin Chishty and beggars  are found on the way to another Holy Shrine of Taragadh.

There are mostly Hindu beggars at Pushkar .

Beggars at Deva Sharif Barabanki, Beggars at Unava  Mira Datar and Hussain Tekri Jaorah..

I have documented the beggar angst ,,I have also documented the Hijra beggars in trains this set is disabled from public view .

Fuck You

I was telling this goat about the beef ban and he got bugged and said fuck you ,,one day i will force vegetables up your ass he told me ..

I Was Destined To Shoot Beggars

is all that i know
beggars stalk me
follow me wherever
i go ..much as i try
to avoid them
like coal embers
on my soul they
glow coaxing me
pleading their
world to the
rest of the world
i must cosmically
show ..blind beggars
cripple , lepers , dwarfs
on the screen of my
conscience as they
flow .. beggars lost tribe
of a rich mans god that
god happiness to them
wont bestow .the god
of today needs huge
garlands of money
gold silver diamond
studded shawls swanky
cars ..as the man who gives
them all this knows that
his money will hundred  times
grow ..while the poor beggar
who takes gods name a million
times is mercifully left to his woes

beggar poet feels the pain of the beggars ,, up close
it was not his passion for photography that gods camera
he chose .. a teardrop of the beggar as a poem he froze

The Muslim Beggar From Jharkand

he was from
the state of
of Jharkand
in a humble
muted tone
he mentioned
poorer than
the poorest
always out of
funds no job
no hope he
came to Mumbai
to beg..by fate
to this city of
opportunities
he was cosmically
summoned .
a door god had
opened and to
bandra he
hastened .
 he wasnt
lucky  no alms
he was disheartened
he was hoping to make
enough money to his home
return..sad sullen his beard
all whitened .he told me
man is an isolated island
mumbai was not at all
the city of joy that he
had envisioned ,,,

Vasai Fort Vasai Village

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Vasai is a large fort in Vasai village, in the Vasai taluka (county) of the District of Palghar, Konkan Division, Maharashtra State, Republic of India. The name "Bassein" is the English version of the Portuguese "Baçaim" (with the "ç" spoken as "s" and with the "m" silent), itself a version of an apparently native name that may have a connection to the Vasa Konkani tribals of the North Konkan region, extending from Mumbai into "South Gujarat." The Marathi name of the place is Vasai.

The complete form of the Portuguese name is "Fortaleza de São Sebastião de Baçaim" or the Fort of St. Sebastian of Vasai. The Vasai fort is a monument of national importance and is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India.[1]

The fort and the village are accessible most easily through the Vasai Road Railway Station, which itself is in Manikpur-Navghar, a part of the newly raised City of Vasai-Virar (See "Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation"), and lies to the immediate north of the cities of Mumbai and Mira Road-Bhayander. The "Vasai Road" Railway Station is on the Western Railway line (formerly the Bombay, Baroda & Central India Railways) in the direction of Virar Railway Station.[2]

History[edit]
The Greek merchant Cosmas Indicopleustes is known to have visited the areas around Bassein in the sixth century, and the Chinese traveller Xuanzang later on June or July 640 CE. According to Historian Joseph Gerson Da Cunha, during this time, Bassein and its surrounding areas appeared to have been ruled by the Chalukya dynasty of Karnataka.[3] Until the 11th century, several Arabian geographers had mentioned references to towns nearby Bassein, like Thana and Sopara, but no references had been made to Bassein.[4] Bassein was later ruled by the Silhara dynasty of Konkan, and eventually passed to the Yadavas of Devagiri, before being conquered by the Muslim rulers of Gujarat.[5]

The Portuguese first reached the west coast of India when the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama landed at Calicut in 1498.[5] For several years after their arrival in India, they had been consolidating their power in north Konkan.[6] They had established a strong foothold in Goa, which they captured from the Sultan of Bijapur in 1510.[7] According to Historian Faria y Souza, the coast of Bassein was first visited by the Portuguese in 1509, when Francisco de Almeida on his way to Diu captured a Mohammedan ship in the harbour of Bombay, with 24 Moors belonging to Gujarat.[8] At the time, the cession of Mumbai (or Bombay) was of minor importance - but retroactively it gained a crucial importance when the place passed from the Portuguese to the English in 1661 as part of the dowry of Catherine of Braganza, and became a major trade center - making this the treaty's most important long-range result.

Portuguese mariners exploring the north Konkan Coast, discovered the Arab Sultanate of Khambat or Cambay, building or renovating or expanding the fort in the early 1400s and attacked it in a failed effort to seize it. Later, after more systematic efforts, the Sultanate of Cambay ceded the fort to Portugal by the Treaty of Saint Matthew signed on the Portuguese brig Sao Matteus anchored in the Bhayander Creek or Vasai Harbor.

The Treaty of Bassein was signed by Sultan Bahadur of Gujarat and the Kingdom of Portugal on 23 December 1534 while on board the galleon São Mateus. Based on the terms of the agreement, the Portuguese Empire gained control of the city of Bassein, as well as its territories, islands, and seas. The Mumbai Islands under Portuguese control include Colaba, Old Woman's Island, Mumbai, Mazagaon, Worli, Matunga, and Mahim. Salsette, Daman and Diu, Thane, Kalyan, and Chaul were other territories controlled and settled by the Portuguese.

At the time, the cession of Mumbai (or Bombay) was of minor importance - but retroactively it gained a crucial importance when the place passed from the Portuguese to the English in 1661 as part of the dowry of Catherine of Braganza, and became a major trade center - making this the treaty's most important long-range result.

See also[edit]
List of treaties
Military history of Bassein
External links[edit]
Mumbai Customs
Mumbai - The Cosmopolitan City
Vasai History
Under Portugal, the fort was the Northern Court or "Corte da Norte," second only to the City of Goa, functioning as the headquarters of the Captain of the North. For 150 odd years, the presence of the Portuguese made the surrounding area a vibrant and opulent city.[6] As such it was the capital of Portuguese possessions on the coast north of Goa, over places such as Chaul-Revdanda, Karanja Island, the Bombay Archipelago, Bandra Island, Juhu Island, Salsette Island including the City of Thane, Dharavi Island, the Vasai archipelago itself, Daman, Diu, and other Portuguese holdings extending up the coasts to Pakistan, Oman, the UAE, Iran, and other parts of the Persian Gulf.

The ethnic community locally known in the Bombay region as the "East Indians" (sic) were called "Norteiro" (Northernmen) after the Court of the North functioning out of the fort.


Statue of the Maratha general Chimaji Appa at the Fort.

One of the few standing structures
Vasai fort building2.jpg
In the 18th century, the fort was taken over by the Maratha army under Peshwa Baji Rao's brother Chimaji Appa, and fell in 1739 after a three-year-long campaign. (See-Battle of Vasai) The British shortly attacked and took over the territory from the Marathas as the price for supporting one faction of the Marathas against another.

Present[edit]
The ramparts overlook what is alternatively called the Vasai Creek and the Bhayander Creek and are almost complete, though overgrown by vegetation. Several watch-towers still stand, with safe staircases leading up. The Portuguese buildings inside the fort are in ruins, although there are enough standing walls to give a good idea of the floor plans of these structures. Some have well-preserved façades. In particular, many of the arches have weathered the years remarkably well. They are usually decorated with carved stones, some weathered beyond recognition, others still displaying sharp chisel marks.

Three chapels inside the fort are still recognisable. They have façades typical of 17th-century Portuguese churches. The southernmost of these has a well preserved barrel-vaulted ceiling.

The fort is often used for shooting Bollywood film scenes. The films shot here include Josh, Khamoshi, and Ram Gopal Verma's Aag.

Besides all the structures one should not miss observing the nature that has taken over much of the fort. It is a great place to observe butterflies, birds, plants and reptiles.

The Archaeological Survey of India has started restoration work of the fort, although the quality of the work has been severely criticized by "conservation activists". It is said that the fort has a bad reputation for illegal activities and that during the week days it is not advisable for tourists or women to visit it.[citation needed]


Bassein fort main entrance with embellishments
Accessibility[edit]
One needs to take a Western Railways train bound to Virar from Churchgate and get off at Vasai Road. If someone is coming from the Central Railway or Central Railway Harbour Line then they have to switch to the Western Railway line at either Dadar, Bandra or Andheri. Another railway line connects the Central and the Western Railways lines from Vasai Road Railway Station to Diva, a stop just beyond Thane city on the Central Railway line, and long-distance passenger trains travelling this route also carry commuters between the two lines. A new railway station named Kopar has started which is between Diva and Dombivli. Passengers travelling from Thane or Kalyan can alight at Kopar and go top by staircase and at Platform No.3 they can catch the Diva to Vasai train. Vasai Road station is only one hour by train from Kopar station. Currently there are 5 trains daily which goes to Vasai Road from Dombivli, Diva and Panvel and 5 trains from Vasai Road to Diva and Panvel. There is a State Road Transport Bus Terminus & Station adjacent and to the immediate west of the Vasai Road Railway Station in Manickpur-Navghar. The destination for buses going to the Vasai fort is "Killa Bunder" or "Fort Jetty/Quay." There are buses every half hour. Ticket costs you Rs. 7.00 and you can get off at the last stop and walk around. Auto-Rickshaws are also available which can be hired from the western entrance to the Railway station but cost more per head and are unsafe in that they are usually congested. Auto Rickshaws are also available which can be hired from the main road outside the station but it would cost you around Rs.120.00

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bassein_Fort