Frankieren at 16:20, 12 March 2026

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{{Short description|Dargah and mosque near Mumbai, Maharashtra, India}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2015}}
{{refimprove|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox religious building
| building_name = Haji Ali Dargah
| native_name = हाजी अली दरगाह
| native_name_lang = mr
| image = Mumbai 03-2016 12 Haji Ali Dargah.jpg
| caption = The [[shrine]] of [[Haji Ali Shah Bukhari]], in 2016
| image_upright = 1.4
| alt =
| map_type = Mumbai
| map_size = 250
| map_relief = 1
| map_caption = Location of the dargah and mosque on an [[islet]], {{cvt|500|m}} off the coast from [[Worli]], near [[Mumbai]]
| location = near [[Worli]], [[Mumbai City district]], [[Maharashtra]]
| country = [[India]]
| coordinates = {{coord|18.985|N|72.81|E|region:IN-MA|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| religious_affiliation = [[Sufi Islam]]
| festivals =
| consecration_year =
| status = [[Mosque]] and [[dargah]]
| functional_status = Active [[shrine]]
| heritage_designation =
| ownership = Haji Ali Dargah Trust
| leadership =
| website = {{url|hajialidargah.in}}
| architect =
| architecture_type = {{nowrap|[[Mosque architecture]]}} and [[Dargah|Sufi mausoleum]]
| architecture_style = [[Indo-Islamic architecture|Indo-Islamic]]
| founded_by =
| funded_by =
| general_contractor =
| facade_direction = West
| groundbreaking =
| year_completed = 1431
| construction_cost =
| specifications =
| capacity =
| length =
| width =
| width_nave =
| height_max =
| dome_quantity = One
| dome_height_outer =
| dome_height_inner =
| dome_dia_outer =
| dome_dia_inner =
| minaret_quantity = One
| minaret_height =
| spire_quantity =
| spire_height =
| shrine_quantity = One
| materials =
| designated =
| module = {{Infobox historic site
| embed = yes
| designation1 = | designation1_offname = | designation1_type = | designation1_criteria = | designation1_date = | delisted1_date = | designation1_partof = | designation1_number = | designation1_free1name = | designation1_free1value = | designation1_free2name = | designation1_free2value = | designation1_free3name = | designation1_free3value = }}
}}

The '''Haji Ali Dargah''' is a [[Sufi shrine]] and the monument of [[Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari]], Which is located on an [[islet]] off the coast of [[Worli]] in southern [[Mumbai]], in the state of [[Maharashtra]], India.

An example of [[Indo-Islamic architecture]], associated with legends about doomed lovers, the dargah contains the tomb of [[Haji Ali Shah Bukhari]]. Bukhari was a [[Sufi saint]] and a wealthy merchant from [[Uzbekistan]]. Located near the heart of the city, the dargah is one of the most recognisable landmarks of Mumbai.<ref name="Thomas-A">{{Cite book|author=Thomas, Amelia |year=2012 |title=Goa & Mumbai |location=Footscray, Victoria, Australia |edition=second |publisher=Lonely Planet |pages=87–88 |isbn=978-1-74179-778-7}}</ref><ref name="Parab">{{cite news |author1=Parab, Kanika |author2=Poddar, Mansi |title=World's Greatest City: 50 reasons Mumbai is No.1: 43. The floating mosque |newspaper=CNN |date=30 January 2010 |url=http://www.cnngo.com/mumbai/none/worlds-greatest-city-50-reasons-why-mumbai-no-1-809212 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091007234914/http://www.cnngo.com/mumbai/none/worlds-greatest-city-50-reasons-why-mumbai-no-1-809212 |archive-date=7 October 2009 |url-status=dead |access-date=14 October 2011 }}</ref><ref name="TOI1">{{Cite news|author=Lewis, Clara |title=dargah devotees against sea link landing |newspaper=[[The Times of India]]| date=11 February 2011 | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Dargah-devotees-against-sea-link-landing/articleshow/7472244.cms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130713041639/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-02-11/mumbai/28543042_1_sea-link-worli-haji-ali-dargah |url-status=live |archive-date=13 July 2013}}</ref>

== Background ==
[[File:হাজী আলী দরগাহ থেকে তাড়দেওয়ের দৃশ্য.jpg|thumb|[[Tardeo]] as seen from the dargah]]
The Haji Ali Dargah was constructed in 1431<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hajiali.org/2007/12/10/78625 |title=Haji Ali dargah was built in 1431 » Haji Ali Dargah, Maryam Mosque in Mumbai |publisher=Hajiali.org |date=10 December 2007 |access-date=7 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120923115723/http://www.hajiali.org/2007/12/10/78625 |archive-date=23 September 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> in memory of a wealthy [[Muslim]] merchant, Sayyed [[Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari]], a member of the [[Chishti Order]], who gave up all his worldly possessions before making a pilgrimage to [[Mecca]]. Hailing from [[Bukhara]], in present-day [[Uzbekistan]], Bukhari travelled around the world in the early to mid-15th century, and eventually settled in present-day [[Mumbai]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theculturetrip.com/asia/india/articles/the-sufi-of-mumbai-haji-ali-dargah/|title=The Sufi of Haji Ali Dargah|website=www.theculturetrip.com|date=May 2016|accessdate=15 December 2018|archive-date=27 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027183505/https://theculturetrip.com/asia/india/articles/the-sufi-of-mumbai-haji-ali-dargah/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

According to legends<ref>{{Cite web|title=History of Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari (R.A.) |publisher=Haji Ali Dargah Trust |url=http://www.hajialidargah.in/hajiali_history1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150815061335/http://hajialidargah.in/hajiali_history1.html |archive-date=15 August 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> surrounding his life, once the saint saw a poor woman crying on the road, holding an empty vessel. He asked her what the problem was, she sobbed that her husband would thrash her as she stumbled and accidentally spilled the oil she was carrying. He asked her to take him to the spot where she spilled the oil. There, he jabbed a finger into the soil and the oil gushed out. The overjoyed woman filled up the vessel and went home.<ref name=history/>

Later, Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari had a recurring and disturbing dream that he had injured the Earth by his act. Full of remorse and grief, from that day he started feeling unwell. Then with the permission of his mother, he traveled to India with his brother and finally reached the shore of Mumbai – near Worli or at some place opposite the present tomb. His brother went back to their native place. Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari sent a letter with him to their mother informing her that he was keeping good health and that he had decided to reside at that place permanently for the spread of Islam and that she should forgive him.<ref name=history>{{cite web |url=http://www.hajialidargah.in/hajiali_history1.html |title=History of Sayyed Pir Haji Shah Bukhari |website=www.hajialidargah.in |access-date=15 December 2018}}</ref>

Until his death, he kept spreading knowledge about Islam to the people, and his devotees would regularly visit him. Before his death he advised his followers that they should not bury him at any proper place or graveyard and should drop his shroud ('kafan') in the ocean such that it should be buried by the people where it is found.<ref name=history/>

His wish was obeyed by his followers. That is why the Dargah sharief is built at the very site where his [[Shroud]] came to rest in the middle of the sea, where it perched on a small mound of rocks rising above the sea. The tomb and [[Dargah Sharif|Dargah Sharief]] were built in the years to come.<ref name=history/>

== Architecture ==
[[File:Mumbai, India, Sunset over Haji Ali Dargah Mosque.jpg|thumb|Sunset over the dargah islet and the Arabian Sea]]
[[File:Mumbai 03-2016 11 Haji Ali Dargah.jpg|thumb|As seen from the Mahalaxmi area]]
[[File:Haji Ali Dargah 's Entrance.JPG|thumb|The entrance to the dargah]]
The ''dargah'' is built on a tiny [[islet]] located {{convert|500|m}} from the coast, in the Haji Ali Bay, in the vicinity of [[Worli]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Haji Ali Dargah Mumbai |work=TheMumbaiCity |date=16 December 2011 |url=http://www.themumbaicity.com/2011/12/16/haji-ali-dargah-mumbai/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204225608/http://www.themumbaicity.com/2011/12/16/haji-ali-dargah-mumbai |archive-date=4 February 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The edifice is a brilliant specimen of the Indo-Islamic style of architecture. The islet is linked to the city precinct of [[Mahalaxmi, Mumbai|Mahalakshmi]] by a narrow causeway, which is nearly 0.62 miles (1 km) long.

The whitewashed structure occupies an area of a marble courtyard and contains the central shrine. The tomb within the mosque is covered by a brocaded red and green ''chaddar'' (tomb cover sheet). It is supported by an exquisite silver frame, Which is supported by marble pillars. The main hall has marble pillars embellished with artistic mirror work: blue, green, yellow chips of glass arranged in kaleidoscopic patterns interspersed with Arabic patterns which spell the ninety-nine names of Allah. As per the Muslim traditions, separate praying rooms for female and male worshippers are provided.

=== Repair and renovation ===
[[Image:Haji-Ali-1.jpg|thumb|The dargah in 2006]]
{{as of|2009}}, the six-hundred-year-old<ref>{{Cite news|author=Thomas, Shibu |date=25 July 2009 |title=Court dismisses plea challenging Haji Ali revamp |newspaper=[[the Times of India]] |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4817937.cms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130717033936/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Court-dismisses-plea-challenging-Haji-Ali-revamp/articleshow/4817937.cms?intenttarget=no |archive-date=17 July 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> dargah structure was subject to constant erosion due to saline winds and the impact of {{circa|80,000}} visitors per week.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Mumbai: For the Tourist |publisher=Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport |url=http://www.csia.in/mumbaimasala/thetourist.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110213013916/http://www.csia.in/mumbaimasala/thetourist.aspx |archive-date=13 February 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Extensive renovations were completed in 1960 and 1964,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Siapa Sangka India Punya Masjid Suci di Tengah Laut |date=1 July 2015 |language=id |publisher=Detiktravel Inside |url=http://travel.detik.com/read/2015/07/01/161251/2957644/1520/siapa-sangka-india-punya-masjid-suci-di-tengah-laut |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150920191927/http://travel.detik.com/read/2015/07/01/161251/2957644/1520/siapa-sangka-india-punya-masjid-suci-di-tengah-laut |archive-date=20 September 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> and a structural upgrade of the dargah commenced in October 2008. The plans at that time were that the dargah will be beautified with first and second quality white marble, from [[Makrana]], [[Rajasthan]], the same place from where marble for the [[Taj Mahal]] was brought. In 2010, it was reported that the repair and structural work was envisaged to take 24 months, over two phases.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Restoration of Haji Ali Dargah |publisher=Haji Ali Dargah Trust |url=http://www.hajialidargah.in/hajiali_restore4.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100604073314/http://www.hajialidargah.in/hajiali_restore4.html |archive-date=4 June 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> "Phase One" involved reconstruction of the mosque and [[minaret]]s; while "Phase Two" involved renovation of the sanitarium building. Upon completion, it was expected that the holy shrine will have the feel of a ''taj'', in Mumbai's brackish sea water.

== Accessibility ==
[[File:Haji Ali 3.jpg|thumb|An aerial view of the causeway and dargah during [[low tide]]]]
[[File:The Haji Ali Causeway.jpg|thumb|The causeway, close to [[high tide]]]]
The dargah is accessible only during [[low tide]]. As the causeway is not bound by railings, when the causeway gets submerged during [[high tide]] it becomes inaccessible.{{Citation needed|date=March 2013}} During the high tide, the dargah seems completely isolated with no access. The walk on the causeway, with the sea on both sides, is a highlight of a trip to the shrine.

On Thursdays and Fridays, the shrine is a major pilgrimage site. Irrespective of faith or religion, people visit the dargah to receive the blessings of the holy saint. Sometimes, especially on Fridays, various Sufi musicians perform a form of devotional music called ''[[Qawwali]]'' at the dargah.{{cn|date=June 2020}}

== 'Haji Ali for all' movement ==
The 'Haji Ali for All' is a [[feminist movement]] launched by [[Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai/scholars-divided-over-allowing-women-in-haji-ali-dargah/story-i4xqsED5CNXYznod3kafcI.html |title=Scholars divided over allowing women in Haji Ali dargah |date=21 October 2015 |website=Hindustan Times}}</ref> and [[Bhumata Brigade]] to secure equal 'right to pray', near the ''[[sanctum sanctorum]]'' (or traditional [[patriarchal]] prohibited areas).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-04-29 |first1=Hemal |last1=Ashar |first2=Maleeva |last2=Rebello |title=Haji Ali for all: Preeti, Deepti or Trupti... where is she? |url=https://www.mid-day.com/news/india-news/article/Haji-Ali-for-all--Preeti--Deepti-or-Trupti...-where-is-she--17180179 |access-date=2021-02-20 |website=www.mid-day.com}}</ref> On 26 August 2016, the [[Bombay High Court]] ruled that women could enter the ''sanctum sanctorum''.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/bombay-high-court-verdict-on-women-entering-haji-ali-dargah/article9035710.ece |title=Women can enter Haji Ali sanctum, rules HC |first=Sonam |last=Saigal |work=The Hindu |date=27 August 2016 |access-date=27 August 2016}}</ref> Women were allowed to enter the shrine on 29 November 2016, lifting a ban imposed in June 2012.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.ndtv.com/mumbai-news/women-set-to-re-enter-mumbais-haji-ali-dargah-after-5-years-1631584 |title=Women Re-Enter Mumbai's Haji Ali Dargah After 5 Years |work=Hindustan Times |date=29 November 2016 |access-date=23 May 2017}}</ref>

==Popular culture==
* ''"Piya Haji Ali"'' song, from movie [[Fiza]], was filmed in the dargah.<ref>{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4uYjMpE1l8 |title=Piya Haji Ali Full Video - Fiza |author1=Roshan, Hrithik |author2=Bachchan, Jaya |editor=Rahman, A. R. |date=2012 |via=[[YouTube]] |access-date=2025-01-27 }}</ref>
* ''[[Mumbai Meri Jaan]]'', a 2008 Indian film, set a scene in the dargah.
* The climax of the super hit Hindi movie [[Coolie (1983 Hindi film)|''Coolie'' (1983)]] was shot in the dargah.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Basu |first1=Anustup |title=Bollywood in the Age of New Media |date=14 March 2012 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=978-0-7486-8676-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bb9vAAAAQBAJ&dq=Haji+Ali+Dargah+Coolie+1983&pg=PT35 |language=en}}</ref>
* There are several references to the mosque in ''[[Shantaram (novel)|Shantaram]]'', the 2003 novel by [[Gregory David Roberts]].
* In the 2025 Indian film [[Kuberaa]], a character visits and eats at the mosque.

== See also ==
{{stack|{{portal|India|Islam}}}}
* [[Islam in India]]
* [[List of mosques in India]]
* [[Moinuddin Chishti]]
* [[Ashraf Jahangir Semnani]]
* [[Nizamuddin Awliya]]
* [[Turabul Haq Dargah]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Haji Ali Dargah}}
* {{official website|http://www.hajialidargah.in}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ3E1Vuvyj0 Short clip of Qawwali at the Dargah]

{{Mosques in India}}
{{Mumbai topics}}
{{Tourist attractions in Mumbai}}

[[Category:15th-century mosques in India]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1431]]
[[Category:Chishti Order buildings and structures]]
[[Category:Dargahs in Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Indo-Islamic architecture]]
[[Category:Mosque buildings with domes in India]]
[[Category:Mosque buildings with minarets in India]]
[[Category:mosques completed in the 1430s]]
[[Category:Mosques in Mumbai]]
[[Category:Religious buildings and structures in Mumbai]]
[[Category:Sufi mosques in India]]
[[Category:Sufism in Maharashtra]]

Haji Ali Dargah - Revision history

Frankieren at 16:20, 12 March 2026