After years of neglect, the dome of Dargah of Shah Raju Qattal is set to be restored with the government releasing the first tranche of ₹10 lakh for the conservation work. Located at Misrigunj, the dome of the dargah is among the tallest in the country at 164 feet.
“The government issued a GO sanctioning ₹50 lakh for renovation, restoration and construction of Dargah Hazrath Syed Shah Raju Hussaini in October 2016, but the monies were not released. Only on July 4, after multiple representations, the cheque for ₹10 lakh was released and now the Archaeology Department will take up the work,” said Nadeemullah Hussaini, the traditional caretaker of the dargah. The dargah for Shah Raju was built during his lifetime by his chela (follower) Abul Hassan known as Tana Shah. The dargah’s dome was the thanksgiving offering of Abul Hasan who gained the Qutb Shahi throne, thanks to the spiritual guidance of Shah Raju. Earlier, Shah Raju lived in a small khanqah at the same location.
The dome has suffered extensive damage on the south-eastern side with large chunks having fallen off over a period of time. A flock of pigeons and a number of parrots have created nests in the crevices between the rocks. While some repair work has been carried out on the western side of the dome, it looks like a patchwork.
“The last big repair work was done in 2010 when the plastering was carried out in the inner part of the dome. It was in a bad shape with almost all the inner plastering coming off. At that time, officials of Quli Qutb Shah Development Authority had decided that the repair work inside the dome was more important. But now, with these funds, we will be carrying out restoration work on the outside so that the monument remains safe for generations to come,” said Mr. Hussaini. The earlier work was carried out when S.S.R. Hussaini was the Sajjada Nasheen (spiritual descendent).
Ironically, the Dargah of Syed Shah Raju is among the better preserved ones with very few encroachments. With the restoration work likely to begin soon, the dargah can easily become one of the must-visit spots for tourists as well as pilgrims.
