Evanescent shrines
Last weekend I visited the Haji Ali Dargah in Bombay under gray monsoon skies.
 |
|
The tomb and mosque are built on an island in Worli Bay. A narrow connecting walkway is covered during high tide (thanks, Nishant). |
 |
|
Inner structure |
 |
|
The entrance to the dargah |
 |
|
The inner tomb |
 |
|
Minaret |
 |
|
Decorative fabrics |
 |
|
People scrambling indoors when a monsoon burst hits (thanks, Nishant) |
 |
|
Famous fresh juice stand crushes cherry, plum, anar, pineapple, … |
 |
|
Like a bat-signal atop the Bombay skyline (thanks, Nishant) |
 |
|
Your one-stop shop for all your lungi maintenance needs |
The dargah was built in 1431 by a wealthy Muslim merchant and saint named Haji Ali who renounced all his wordly possessions before making a pilgrimage to Mecca. Legend has it that Haji Ali died on his way to Mecca and his body, in its casket, floated back to Mumbai. However, some believe that Haji Ali drowned at the place where the dargah stands today… the dargah is only accessible only during low tide…
As many as 40,000 pilgrims visit the shrine on Thursdays and Fridays. Non-Muslims are also permitted to walk on the causeway and into the mosque compound. The only area out of bounds for non-Muslims is the sanctum sanctorum of the mosque itself…
Most of the structure is corroded due to saline winds blowing from the surrounding sea. It was last repaired in the 1960s, but civil engineers say the structure is beyond further repair. The Dargah Trust is awaiting permission to raze the structure and rebuild it with Makrana marble, the same marble used to build the Taj Mahal. [Link]
Here’s a small Hindu shrine on a tidal flat in Bandra which is also cut off from shore when the water comes in:
on Friday, July 28th, 2006, 5:31 am in Photos, Religion, Travel › 
Email this
› 
Facebook this
› 
Reddit this
› Link
› Reader links
great pics…
but the juice stand made my mouth water..although i’d only attempt it with immodium/lomotil in my system premedicated ;)
When I visited Haji Ali a couple years ago, the place was really poorly maintained which was shame particularly when contrasted with it’s beautiful setting on a island/peninsula. Though it looks it looks like they starting some restoration work, so hopefully things will be better in the future.
I found that little shrine in Bandra interesting too. A bhutta wala told me, that last year, soon after the ganpati festival, the statue appeared there and settled in that spot. obviously, one of the statues put in the sea for the visarjan decided to visit land. He said, that the part that makes ppl worship it is because one its appeared there, it has stayed stuck. Now, even when the tide comes in and retreats, it remains in its place.