In these days of communal divide there’s a shining beacon of hope in Vasant Kunj where both Hindus and Muslims venerate a Pir Baba. This Baba was actually Shehzada Nasiruddin Mahmud, the eldest son of the slave ruler Iltutmish (called Altamash in Hindustani). The heir apparent who had been sent by his father as Governor of Lakhnauti in Bengal, unfortunately the prince caught marsh fever there, probably malaria, and died. Iltutmish was heart-broken and ordered that the body of his favourite son be brought to Delhi, where it was buried in a mausoleum that has come to be known as Sultan Ghari because of its maze-like (Ghari) construction.
Mahmud, like Dara Shikoh many centuries later, was interested in matters spiritual no doubt but at the same time was warlike like any medieval prince and the halo of sainthood that he was invested with was a post-death honour. If you visit the monument on a Thursday you will find people congregating there in large numbers without the religious differences separating them. They make their offerings and then seek favours, which many claim are granted. This may be true otherwise why would they come in week after week! It’s worth considering that had the prince not died in the prime of youth and succeeded Iltutmish then Razia Sultan, his sister, might not have become the only queen to reign over Hindustan. Considering his popularity, Mahmud would have perhaps become as great in history as Iltutmish.
Sultan Ghari is an ASI protected monument but its upkeep leaves much to be desired with nearby villagers encroaching on it and misusing the site. True, it has been given a facelift of late but more needs to be done to make it appealing to tourists. Octagonal in shape, the mausoleum looks more like a fort and regarded as the first Muslim tomb of note in North India, dating back to AD 1231 and built with material from demolished Delhi temples. Actually the tomb of the first slave Sultan Qutubuddin Aibak is some 20 years older but since it’s in Lahore it cannot now be regarded as being in India. It’s not only Delhiwallahs who come to offer prayers, people from Jaipur, Agra, Mathura, Gwalior, Meerut, Aligarh and Saharanpur are also among the worshippers and favour-seekers. On Thursday one can see any number of fancy cars parked outside from distant areas and those who come in them are naturally rich and educated. But a common belief binds them and the uneducated poor mureeds, who are either farmers, artisans and labourers, not forgetting students, who make a beeline for the shrine during examinations and heart-broken lovers pining for their beloveds. Gamblers too venerate the saint-prince and so also those who dabble in stocks and shares. Surprisingly enough, beggars predominate. There are fakirs and sadhus among them seeking alms from the worshippers and also asking for blessings from Pir Baba (to Muslims) and Sadhu Baba to Hindus. Candles, diyas and incense sticks are burnt in the cenotaph chamber where the prince rests, blackening the walls but so long as wishes are fulfilled no one bothers, except the ASI which, however, has to look askance as its orders and pleas are hardly heeded. Iltutmish must be resting easy in his tomb (not very far away) at the renown his beloved son has acquired without becoming Sultan after him.
Vasant Kunj has a common link of devotion with Vasant Vihar, where another pir baba rests. Many years ago a journalist reported that his butcher seemed to know what had been causing air accidents over Vasant Vihar, near Delhi Airport. All that talk of defective or non-functioning safety aids at the airport was baloney, according to that worthy. They were due to pilot error, but of a kind that was unlikely to make the commission inquiring into a Boeing crash summon him to give evidence. The fault of the pilots, he said, was that they flew over the neglected grave of Sayyid Baba and that too on a Thursday, the day sacred to all fakirs.
This belief was not confined to the butcher and his tribe. Apparently every fakir worth the name expects posterity to remember him and pay tribute at his grave. There are several who have no cause for complaint. At their burial places, called “takias” (pillows), devotees gather, and often qawwalis are sung in praise. But Delhi is full of such “takias” and the fakirs unremembered must make an angry host. Even if the butcher’s suggestion that the best way to make Delhi Airport safe was to appease the Sayyid Baba who has his grave in the rocks near Vasant Vihar was accepted, there must be others waiting to vent their fury. It may be safer to go in and out of Delhi by train, the journalist suggested.
Some drivers of long distance trains make a non-scheduled stop on the return journey at Nizamuddin. They call it the Salami (salutation) halt to show respect to the saint buried near by. But pilots, of course, cannot be expected to make such halts. The trouble with planes is that they either fly or fall. That was the big issue in the 1970s. Now 45 years later it’s worth mentioning that some pilots do partake of tabarrukh (prasad) at two graves in the vicinity of Palam. It’s not superstition but morale-boosting devotion.
