Haji Ali Dargah, Mumbai

Nestled on a small islet in Worli, Mumbai, Haji Ali is one of the most paramount destinations of Muslim devout and is one of the most popular Islamic pilgrimage in India where each Muslim devotee want to visit at least once in their lifetime. Besides its religious significance, the tomb is also popular for its impeccable architecture built in Indo- Islamic style and is built up of glass. When it gets dark, the beauty of this architecture looks more stunning as the mosque gets lit up with colourful lights and the mesmerizing view of sea add more charm to its beauty.

Haji Ali Dargah History

It is crucial that information about the place be given before I mention my experiences. The Haji Ali Dargah, is a mosque tomb located on the southern part of Mumbai near the Worli Sea Link. It has been built on the memory of a saint named as Sayed Peer Haji Ali Shah Bukhari. The Dargah as it is called was constructed way back in the year 1431. The saint hailed from ancient Persia now Uzbekistan.

The saint- Haji Ali was on his way to Mecca when he passed away. He had wished to be put into a casket and dropped off at sea after his death and so his followers did. But miraculously, the casket re-appeared at the present spot. His followers then built a mosque in his remembrance. It is said that he is still there in his vibrational subtle form and blesses people who come there. On some days, you might find some famous personality offering prayers as it is a well-known and popular place to ask boons from the saint.

Structure of the Mosque

The mosque has been constructed on a small island. On high tide days, visitors will get splashed with high waves from the sea and it will remain closed for worship until the tide subsides. Interestingly, this shrine is the only one in Asia that is established in the center of the sea. You will find wonderful Islamic culture inspired architecture at the site. The tomb was covered with red and green chaddar when I went there.

The mosque is supported by marble pillars with mirror work of green, blue and yellow grass arranged in different Arabic Patterns describing the 99 names of Allah, the god. It is connected to the main city by a small pavement road for visits, which is half a km long.

Inside the Dargah

As I entered the compound of the Dargah, I could feel a calm environment and spiritual environment around me. People were going in with discipline and offering a chaddar or something of value to the saint’s tomb. Attendants were waving a fan as a mark of service to the saint, a spiritual song was heard somewhere in the background. I could spend enough time inside, which is regarded by the locals as a luck symbol. Indeed it was luck for me as I fulfilled all my wishes in Mumbai without any hassles.

Around the Haji Ali Dargah

After paying my respects, I sat on a bench and noticed my surroundings. On one side were the usual urban concrete jungles and corporates, and on the other side were the calm Arabian sea and some ships seen at the horizon. In my time, ladies were allowed to come and pay their respects, but today, they have been barred in entering the mosque due to some reasons.

Pilgrims Visiting the Mosque

Luckily we went on Wednesday, so we didn’t find the place so crowded, otherwise I was told that on Thursdays and Fridays, more than 41,000 people from all regions and faith visit this shrine. The shrine is only some minute distance from Maha-laxmi station. It hardly takes one 25 minutes to reach the Dargah by walking through a subway. The road to Dargah is filled with people selling flowers, pictures, holy threads to wear, key chains, other shopping items and more. Beggars are on both the sides of the road asking you for alms, but it is better to ignore them and walk on.

If you go in the evenings, you have a wonderful opportunity to watch the sun set over the sea.

Visiting Time

The Dargah time visit is between 5 30 am to 10 pm

Nearby Locations

Andheri is also near to the location. A taxi can be taken which costs anywhere from Rs 50 to reach the destination from Andheri.

As I again made my way back, I could see that the tide had came in and washed against my face. An invisible blessing from the saint?