link between hinduism and ismalism

[swamidada_1]

Ismaili Saints and Hindu Shrines

Excerpt:

There are two important factors to understand the religious Ismaili history in Sindh. Firstly, with the concealment of true identity, later their shrines became popular with dual identities i.e, ManghoPir/ Lala Jasraj, Pir Patho/Gopi Chand, Shaikh Tahir/Udero Lal/Jhulelal, Ram Baraho/Ibrahim Shah and many others. There are even Ismaili claims to the effect that Lal Shahbaz Qalandar Usman Marvandi (1177-1274), popularly known as Lal Shahbaz, was also an Ismaili saint and he too carried a dual identity as LalShahbaz/Raja Bharthari. Secondly, the internal strife among the Ismaili community regarding the spiritual succession caused much damage with many of the shrines getting separated from them and then re-affiliated with Hinduism notably Rama Pir, Pir Pithoro and many others in Sindh, Kutch, Gujarat and Rajasthan. With the re-affiliation or reversion to Hinduism many myths were invented and stories were made, making the local Ismaili pirs into Hindu deities. This mainly happened when internal dissension over the line of spiritual succession began appearing in the community. After the death of Pir Sadruddin (d.1409), the most popular Ismaili Dai of the fourteenth century who converted Hindu Lohanas to Nizari Ismailism, his son Hasan Kabiruddin, was made a new Pir by the Imam at Alamut in Persia. When Pir Hassan Kabiruddin died, the Imam appointed his brother Tajuddin (whose shrine is located in Tando Bagho, Badin) as new Pir of the Nizari Khoja community rather than one of the numerous sons of Pir Hasan Kabiruddin. This displeased the sons of Pir Hasaan Kabiruddin and they plotted against their uncle Pir Tajuddin. Subsequently Imam Shah, son of Pir Hasan Kabiruddin attempted in vain to become pir of the Khoja Nizaris in Sindh. These internal schisms aggravated the situation and after the death of Pir Tajuddin, the Khoja Nizaris and the shrines of local pirs began reverting to Hindusim. In the meantime, the Imam appointed one more Dai, Pir Dadu – sending him to Sindh to prevent reversion of Nizari Khojas to Hinduism or other forms of Islam. In the time of the Arghuns (1524-1555) and later in the Tarkhan period (1555-1592), Pir Dadu (d. 1593) had to meet local resistance from Sunnis and had to flee from Sindh to Jamnagar in Kutch.

More..
https://www.thefridaytimes.com/tft/isma ... u-shrines/

My Views:

With reference to an article published in Friday times by Dr. Zulfiqar kalhoro, I would like to to clarify few flaws. First thanks to Dr. Kalhoro who researched and wrote this article, though I think basically it is duty of ITREB Pak to research and find facts when their head-quarter is in Sindh and their scholars easily reach in interior Sindh. But Who cares, mostly Ismaili scholars depend on other scholar's research as they are not habitual to hard work. I know in Sindh and Punjab there is vast Ismaili literature in private libraries but, Who will explore? Dr. Kalhoro has not given proper references of research, hard to verify. Ismaili Nizari Pirs did not have dual identities, they were known by their real names.
Regarding Dr. Kalhoro's research that Shabaz Qalander was an Ismaili saint is not correct. He was an Isna'ishiri follower because he has praised Isna'ishiri Imams in his famous Munqabat " HYDERI UM QALANDARUM MASTUM ". Long ago Dr. Professor G A Allana (ex vice chancellor of Sindh University) wrote an article on Shabaz Qalandar which was published in Sindhi monthly magazine " Nai Zindagi " proving that Shahbaz was from the progeny of Imam Jafar Sadiq but was an Isna'ishiri. Also sufi Udhero Lal reverd by both Hindus and Muslims was not an Ismaili saint. Pir Pathoro was disciple of Bahauddin Zakariya Multani Who was Sunni and nemesis of Pir Shams in Multan.
It is also on record that after demise of Pir Hasan Kabiruddin his many sons drifted away from Ismailism and started their own piratan franchises and settled at many places in Sindh, Kathiawar, Gujrat, Dehli and Kashmir areas.
Dr. Kalhoro wrote,"After death of Pir Sadruddin his son Hasan Kabiruddin was made a new Pir By Imam at Alamut in Persia". It was not order from Alamut because Alamut was destroyed by armies of Helagu in 1256 and Pir hasan was born in 1341 in Uuch sharif near Multan and was given Piratan by Imam Islam Shah who was living at that time in Azarbhaijan.
Syed Tahir Shah was son of Momin Shah and grandson of Imam Shamsuddin Muhammad. Syed Tahir migrated from Gillan to state of Bejapur in Hindustan. It is said he and his family adopted Isna'ishiri Tariqah. Mangho Pir's real name was Syed Sakhi Sultan who migrated from Iraq in 13th century and settled near Karachi was not an Ismaili Pir.
It is interesting to note, that in one article it was claimed that Syed Abdullah Shah Ghazi burried near Clifton Karachi was also an Ismaili preacher. It is reported that he was from Ahl e Bait, son of Nafs Al Zakiah, but historically Nafs Al Zakiah drifted away from Imam Jafar Sadiq on political issues. Other narration is that he came to Sindh with armies of Muhammad bin Qasim. Abdullah Ghazi was born in 720 AD in Medina at that time there was no Ismailism technically, as Imam Ismail became Imam in 765 AD.

[kmaherali]

Enigma of the dual-identity saints

There are many saints who carry dual identities in Sindh. It is the most complex subject for the students of history, comparative religion and anthropology in Sindh due to the lack of available literature on the nature of dual-identity saints and shrines in Sindh. Whatever is available is highly contradictory and lacks scholarly explanations. These contradictory accounts, mostly written in tazkiras in Persian by 17th-, 18th- and 19th-century historians of Sindh confuse the reader most. One gets even confused when one reads the translations of these tazkiras in Sindhi where some of the facts are clearly misleading.

One such case is that of Pir Patho, venerated by both Muslims and Hindus under two different names: Pir Patho and Gopichand. His identity is the most contested in Sindh. This contestation is due to his dual identity as a Muslim saint with different names – Sultan Pir Patho, Sultan Shah Alam, Sultan Pir Shah Hussain, Firuz Shah, etc. He was initiated into the Suhrawardi tariqa by Sheikh Bahauddin Zakariya and became known as Gopichand. The original Gopichand had renounced the throne of Ujjain and became an ascetic – and he lived a century before Pir Patho but it seems that the latter apparently used that name to convert Hindus to Ismailism. Gopichand was a nephew of Raja Bharthari. Lal Shahbaz Qalandar is also known as Raja Bharthari to his Hindus devotees. The Ismailis also claim that he was an Ismaili saint.

More...
https://www.thefridaytimes.com/tft/enig ... ty-saints/

[swamidada_1]

Enigma of the dual-identity saints

There are many saints who carry dual identities in Sindh. It is the most complex subject for the students of history, comparative religion and anthropology in Sindh due to the lack of available literature on the nature of dual-identity saints and shrines in Sindh. Whatever is available is highly contradictory and lacks scholarly explanations. These contradictory accounts, mostly written in tazkiras in Persian by 17th-, 18th- and 19th-century historians of Sindh confuse the reader most. One gets even confused when one reads the translations of these tazkiras in Sindhi where some of the facts are clearly misleading.

One such case is that of Pir Patho, venerated by both Muslims and Hindus under two different names: Pir Patho and Gopichand. His identity is the most contested in Sindh. This contestation is due to his dual identity as a Muslim saint with different names – Sultan Pir Patho, Sultan Shah Alam, Sultan Pir Shah Hussain, Firuz Shah, etc. He was initiated into the Suhrawardi tariqa by Sheikh Bahauddin Zakariya and became known as Gopichand. The original Gopichand had renounced the throne of Ujjain and became an ascetic – and he lived a century before Pir Patho but it seems that the latter apparently used that name to convert Hindus to Ismailism. Gopichand was a nephew of Raja Bharthari. Lal Shahbaz Qalandar is also known as Raja Bharthari to his Hindus devotees. The Ismailis also claim that he was an Ismaili saint.

More...
https://www.thefridaytimes.com/tft/enig ... ty-saints/

One such case is that of Pir Patho, venerated by both Muslims and Hindus under two different names: Pir Patho and Gopichand. His identity is the most contested in Sindh. This contestation is due to his dual identity as a Muslim saint with different names – Sultan Pir Patho, Sultan Shah Alam, Sultan Pir Shah Hussain, Firuz Shah, etc. He was initiated into the Suhrawardi tariqa by Sheikh Bahauddin Zakariya and became known as Gopichand. The original Gopichand had renounced the throne of Ujjain and became an ascetic – and he lived a century before Pir Patho but it seems that the latter apparently used that name to convert Hindus to Ismailism. Gopichand was a nephew of Raja Bharthari. Lal Shahbaz Qalandar is also known as Raja Bharthari to his Hindus devotees. The Ismailis also claim that he was an Ismaili saint.

With reference to above paragraph I mentioned in my post dated Dec 1, 2018 that Pir Patho was not an Ismaili. Reason is that he was disciple of Bahauddin Zakaria Multani who was Sunni Saint and had animosity with Pir Shams who was an Ismaili.

My other argument is, if Pir Patho was an Ismaili, then as Ismailis visit and celebrate URS of Pir Tajuddin (Shah Turel) or Shah Kapoor or Amir Pir, they should have visited and celebrated URS of Pir Patho also.

Mostly Ismailis in Thatta district living near tomb of Pir Patho, like Ismails of Mirpur Sakro, War Khwaja, Tar Khwaja, Jati, Sujawal, Shah Bunder should have been visiting the tomb, they do not even mention his name.

[swamidada_1]

DAWN.COM

Shazia Hasan, November 13, 2016

On top of a small hillock in District Thatta stands the Mohammad Bin Qasim Fort Tower. Until news about it first broke four or five years ago, very few people outside of Thatta had heard about it. Last month, however, it was finally opened to the public after being restored to its original glory by the Endowment Fund Trust according to an agreement signed with Sindh’s ministry of culture.

Pir Patho, which looks like a watchtower or lighthouse, is attributed to Mohammad Bin Qasim because it is apparently located where the young general first set up camp after arriving in Sindh in the 17th century.

Locals of the area, who believe Pir Patho could have been a mosque’s minaret, have their own interesting story to tell about its origins — that it dates to back to hundreds of years before Mohammad Bin Qasim’s arrival to the province.

The Pir Patho shrine and a valley are clearly visible from one of the tower’s windows. It is also said that the River Indus once flowed nearby and the Pir Patho village was located close to the tower — the majority of the villagers were Muslim.

Historians have speculated for years about the recently restored tower in Thatta but the legends about it are fascinating in themselves
According to local lore, during the 12th century, on the hillock where the tower stands today, lived Sadiq Saami Faqir, a much-feared sorcerer. Gul Mohammad Khushk, owner and editor of the weekly local, Nangar Thatto, says that growing up in this area he had heard many stories about ‘Saami the wizard.’

“He fits the description of ‘terrorist’ by today’s standards. People of this area were terrified of him. Though his first name was ‘Sadiq’, he was not considered Muslim by them. In their eyes he was a non-believer, an atheist. And in his eyes, they were his prey,” says the journalist.

“Every Friday, Saami would organise a carnival on the hillock where he invited the village folk. And during the carnival he would kill one of them before sucking out all of his or her blood. He was a man-eater, a cannibal,” Khushk explains.

Around the same time, men such as Sheikh Bahauddin Zakariya and Lal Shahbaz Qalandar roamed these areas. One such man, Pir Patho, settled on the hill opposite to Saami’s residence.

“The Muslims of the area said he was Sultan Shah Alam, who they believed was a king who had renounced his right to the throne in favour of holy teachings,” continues Khushk. “The Hindus of the time also believed that he was royalty, though they said his real name was Gopi Chand. Both Hindus and Muslims referred to him as Pir Patho.”

People approached Pir Patho for help and begged him to do something about Saami. But Pir Patho did not possess any magical powers the way Saami did, and didn’t feel strong enough to confront him. Instead he approached Sheikh Bahauddin Zakariya, who told him about another saint, deep in meditation in far away Junagarh, who could help in the matter.

“That was when Pir Patho set off for Junagarh after making a brief stop at the River Indus from where he caught four palla fish to serve as a gift for the saint,” says Khushk.

After travelling for 40 days, he finally met Hazrat Sakhi Jamil Shah Datar of Girnari. “What is strange, or which may be seen as a kind of small miracle, is that the Palla fish Pir Patho had caught from the River Indus remained alive and fresh as if they were caught just a moment ago,” says Khushk.

Legend has it that after being convinced to travel back with him to Thatta, Jamil Shah Datar confronted Saami and turned him into a stone that was thrown away. “His stone figure, many say, was discovered many years ago in the Tharparkar desert. To purge the hillock of evil, the people built a mosque there called the ‘Mosque of Two Mehrab’,” says Khushk.

“The tower that stands near the mosque could be its minaret. Since Jamil Shah Datar, despite having brought an end to Saami, did not want any fuss or fame about his spiritual powers, the people named the area after Pir Patho,” points out the editor as he finishes the story.

Ismail Memon, another resident of Pir Patho, has his own explanation about the tower. “Apart from a few islands, this entire area was covered by water. The port of Debal was nearby and this tower was built much later — in the 17th century — and was a lighthouse.”

Historian and writer Badar Abro says that since there is no piece of writing or literature mentioning the tower, one has to speculate about why it was built based on historical records. Many scholars believe Pir Patho could have been part of what was once Debal port.

“When the British arrived here and were looking for Debal port, some believed it to be at Bhambore, some said it could have been at Pir Patho, while others went searching for it in Brahminabad which is a little further away from this place,” he explains.

“Pir Patho has been quoted in some history books as Debal but unfortunately there has been no excavation here, so people have started associating it with Mohammad Bin Qasim’s landing here,” says Abro. “Just like there was an ancient city at Bhambore, there must have also been one at Pir Patho. The place is reminiscent of it, especially in the depression towards the East side of the tower, where there is now a graveyard.”

Abro says that he, like the late Dr Ahmad Hasan Dani, believes there are two separate mosques on the hillock instead of one and these have been built in different times. “The tower is located at the edge of the courtyard of one of the mosques. It could have been its minaret but it has windows on every side and on the top too. Usually it is not like this on minarets,” he explains.

“Then the depression on the east side was most probably the Indus belt and this place was a river port. So it could very well have been a lighthouse. Perhaps it served a dual purpose during the 13th century — at the end of the Sumra period,” Abro adds.

For now it seems Pir Patho shall continue to be shrouded in mystery. But aside from its beauty, the folklore and stories surrounding this tower is part of its charm.

The writer is a member of staff.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, November 13th, 2016

[kmaherali]

The source of the above article with photos at:

Conservation: The mystery of Pir Patho

https://www.dawn.com/news/1295482

[kmaherali]

Of Gorakhnath and Girnari

Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro on the ascetic with many names, Jamil Shah Girnari

Like many other saints in Thatta, the religious identity of Jamil Shah Datar Girnari is also contested. He also carries dual identities as Gorakhnath for Hindus and Jamil Shah Datar Girnari for Muslims, who was brought from Girnar by Gopichand (Pir Patho) to retake a cave from Sami Dayanath. Like Pir Patho’s tales, the legends of Jamil Shah Datar Girnari are also very intriguing. Prior to coming to PirAr/Pir Patho in Thatta, Jamil Shah lived in Girnar, a group of five hills, now located in Jungagadh district in Gujarat, India where he wandered and practiced tapas (austerities) in the hills of Girnar, hence was called Girnari. There are five hills at Girnar each carrying the names of Guru Dattatreya, Gorakhnath, Amba Mata, Kalika Mata and Jamal Shah/Jamil Shah Pir also called Datar (bountiful). There is an ornately carved tomb over his chilagah at Girnar which is now the most holy place for the Muslims in Junagadh district.

Photos and more:

https://www.thefridaytimes.com/tft/of-g ... d-girnari/

[swamidada_1]

With reference to Gorakhnath and Girnari post dated Dec 13, 2018 and the Friday Time's article I want to divert attention to the following paragraph which appeared in Friday Time's article.
"Today, the shrine of Jamil Shah Girnari is frequented by both Hindus and Muslims. The Khoja Ismaili community outnumbers other communities at the annual festival of Jamil Shah Girnari. They also venerate the chilagah of Jamil Shah Girnari near 103 Mori in Gorabari tehsil in Thatta district. The Khoja community also holds the annual festival at the chilagah of Jamil Shah Datar Girnari. The Khojki script on a wooden beam placed on stone carved pillars of Jamil Shah Girnari’s otaro (sitting place) at PirPatho tells many tales that Pir Ar, now Pir Patho, was the centre of Ismaili saints rather than Suhrawardi mystics".

It is to say that Khoja Ismaili community outnumbers other communities at the annual festival of Jamil Shah Girnari is highly exaggerated. In Gorabari town and in its vicinity live very few Ismailis staying there for business and farming. If some Ismailis are visiting the festival does not mean they venerate Jamil Shah. If that is so then Ismailis from Hyderabad and Karachi should have attending the festival as they do at Amir Pir. Never heard any Ismailis visiting Pir Patho or Jamil Shah from Hyderabad, Tando Muhammad Khan or Mirpur Sakro or Karachi.
There is no mention of Pir Patho or Jamil Shah in Ismaili Histories written in past 100/150 years.
Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah restricted his followers from attending Dargahas, if attendance at Darghas was necessary then Imam should have allowed Khojas to attend Darghas of Pir Shams, Pir Sadardin and Pir Hasan Kabiruddin in Punjab Pakistan.
Ismailis do not believe in chillagahas or do 40 days chillas, they do zikr in BK.
In Girnar TWO PEAKS ARE NAMED AS DATTA AND GORAKHNATH TEMPLES established long ago before birth of Jamil Shah Datta.

[njessani]

Ismailis believe that Imam Ali = Hazar Imam = Tenth Incarnation of Vishnu. Furthermore, Ismailis believe that Imam Ali = Hazar Imam = Allah.

As per Hinduism, "Brahman" is greater than Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva.

Does that imply that "Brahman" is greater than Imam Ali=Hazar Imam=Allah=Vishnu?

[kmaherali]

The Imam is Brahman who is the Niranjan (Unknowable) Niraakaar (without forms). Being the Brahman he is also Vishnu, Bhrama, and Shiva . The Brahman retained the role of Vishnu for himself and designated the roles of Bhrama and Shiva to other entities.

At present the Imam is the Gurnar or ShahPir. He is the Mazhar of Divine Essence - Nirinjan Niraakaar. Hence at all times the Imam is both the Shah (the object and final destination of worship) and the Pir (the Guide and the creator). At present the Imam functions in both roles, but in the past the Imams designated the role of Piratan to other members of Ahl al-Bayt.

[njessani]

Is this your own view? I don't recall "Brahman" being mentioned in any Ismaili literature. Can you please suggest the sources that mention "Brahman" is Imam. Thanks.

[kmaherali]

Is this your own view? I don't recall "Brahman" being mentioned in any Ismaili literature. Can you please suggest the sources that mention "Brahman" is Imam. Thanks.

Brahman according to Hinduism means the Supreme God. In Ismailism the same concept is expressed as Khat Niranjan - the Highest Unseen and is manifest in the Imam. Hence the equivalence.

[njessani]

I was more interested in seeing the word "Brahman" mentioned in Ismaili Literature.

Vishnu, Ram, Brahma, Krishna etc. are categorically mentioned in the Ginans. I was wondering if such a categorical reference exists for "Brahman."