Qadamgah-Maula Ali In Hyderabad (Pakistan)

Interior View of Qadamgah-Maula- Ali In Hyderabad Sindh  

        

Dr.Mazhar Naqvi

Like India, Pakistan too has a very popular and revered shrine dedicated to Maula Ali in Hyderabad Sindh. The shrine contains hand and foot Print of Maula-e-Kaynaat Hazrat Ali on a rock stone. Among the locals, the place is known as  Maula Ali Qadam. History records that Nizam of Hyderabad Deccan originally had the rock stone. He had acquired the relic during his journey to Iraq. The Nizam was informed by the people of Iraq that once Maula had offered namaz on the stone and  it had turned soft like wax after his prostration. (Sijdah).Out of his sheer love for Maula-E-Kaaynat, he brought the relic to India. As Hyderabad Deccan already had hand and foot prints of Maula Ali on a hilltop, Nizam gave the relic to ruler of the Sindh Ghulam Shah Kalhoro who installed it near his fort to enable people to have its ziarat. Now a  beautiful shrine  houses the slab and devotees visit the holy complex regularly. The gesture of Nizam blessed Hyderabad Sindh also with the relic associated with Maula Ali whose another popular name is Hyder also. While Indian Hyderabad had acquired hand and foot print of Maula Ali in the middle of 17^th century following his appearance on the hilltop. His appearance was witnessed by an influential eunuch in a dream. He strived to locate the place saw by him  and finally reached the place where he had seen Maula sitting on a rock. He found the rock with hand and foot print and preserved it in a simply erected shrine. With the passage of time, shrine became quite famous and it still holds considerable popularity among devotees.     

On the other hand, Hyderabad Sindh though named after Maula Ali had no such relic. The vacuum filled with the presentation of relic by Nizam to Ghulam Shah who had ascended throne in 1757 and died in 1772. Since then, it is a popular place of pilgrimage. Shrine of Sindh is not on a hilltop but it is erected on a raised platform. It is richly decorated as well. People assemble there in large number as Sindh has traditionally been a lover of Ahle-Bait-E-Athar.(References available on request.Photo Courtesy Google Images)