Haji Ali Dargah...!!

The only time I had seen Haji Ali Dargah, that too from a distance was when my taxi sped past its silhouette during a late evening (http://rajniranjandas.blogspot.in/2011/04/hue.html). Sun was about to retire for the day and the dargah in the distance looked gorgeous against the orange background. 

However this time I walked to the islet to visit the beautiful Indo Islamic architecture called Haji Ali Dargah. It is half a kilometer walk from the coast along the causeway to the dargah. It was crowded as it has always been and the tides were not very calm. Vendors were selling everything from flowers to eateries and it was a shoulder rubbing walk all the way. People asking for alms with held out hands were quite frequently seen. Summer was at its peak and the local kids enjoyed the heat by jumping into those brown waters. The saline waters thrashed on to the causeway and kept flowing over it to the other side all along. There are restrictions on entry when the tides are high. People throng into this dargah in huge numbers irrespective of their religion and that is the best part that I liked about Haji Ali. 

It was quite crowded inside the Dargah too and after a quick blessing from the saint I came out to have a cup of tea. The walk back was a content one. I have always wanted to visit this dargah every time I was in Mumbai. A visit during the evenings when the sun sets would be a lovely experience.

Haji Ali Dargah was built in AD 1431 in the memory of Sayyed Peer Haji Ali Shah Bukhari, a Muslim saint whose body peacefully sleeps inside.

Signing Note- A Dargah that charms you with faith...!!

Location- Near Worli, Mumbai