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Situated at a distance of about 40 kms from the capital, Charar-e-Sharif in
Srinagar is dedicated to Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Noorani, a Sufi saint. You can
access the Charar-e-Sharif in Srinagar also from the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir
area. A wooden shrine, the Charar-e-Sharif is almost six centuries old. Popularly
known as the Hazrat Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Wali, the Charar-e-Sharif in Srinagar was
constructed to commemorate the Sufi saint, Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Noorani. Sheikh
Noor-ud-Din Noorani was born Nund Reshi or Sahazanand to Salar Sanz in 1377. Legend
has it that the Hazrat Sheikh refused to drink milk after his birth. On the third
day, a female saint or Yogini called Lal Ded fed him. She left the house predicting
that the child would be her spiritual heir.
Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Noorani, the Sufi mystic after whom the Charar-e-Sharif in Srinagar is named, was the initiator of Rishism or mendicant-hood. It was later that his school of Rishism was renowned as the Rishi Mat or Vaishnav Mat. The Charar-e-Sharif in Srinagar today is the epitome of a religious practice that preaches communal harmony, non-violence, vegetarianism and secular tolerance. Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Noorani gathered many followers who called him by different names. Some of the names conferred on him include: the Sheikh-ul-Alam, Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Noorani, Alamdar-e-Kashmir, Sarkhel-e-Rishiya, etc. Charar-e-Sharif in Srinagar is the site where the Sheikh made numerous contributions in the field of philosophy, verses and poetry. It is said that on the occasion of his death in the year 1438, about nine million people gathered on the shrine of the Charar-e-Sharif in Srinagar. The funeral procession was also taken part by the King Sultan Zainul Abdin. Charar-e-Sharif in Srinagar is the place which houses the mortal remains of the Sheikh. Despite the destruction of the Charar-e-Sharif in Srinagar twice, the shrine has been reconstructed on the lines of central Asian architecture. The most recent assault on the shrine in 1995 has not managed to impede its reverence by Hindus and Muslims alike.
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