By Sadia Dehlvi
In the early fourteenth century, the eccentric Sultan of the Delhi, Muhammad bin Tughlaq issued a decree requiring the population of the city to migrate to the Deccan. This drastic move caused immense turmoil in Delhi, its elite and nobility suffering the consequences. About 1,400 eminent Sufis were forced to move to Daulatabad in the Deccan
Prominent among them were members of the Chishti Order led by Khwaja Burhanuddin Gharib, a disciple of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. They settled in Khuldabad and their cluster of dargahs is one of the most remarkable centres of Sufi pilgrimage in South Asia. These whitewashed tombs, 25 kilometres from Aurangabad, still draw pilgrims to the beautiful valley.
At Hazrat Nizamuddin’s khanqah at Delhi, Shaykh Burhanuddin was in charge of supervising the preparation of food. Unfortunately, the senior disciple once fell out of favour with the Master who was informed that the 70-year-old disciple sat on a folded carpet, contrary to the Chishti traditions of humility. On having annoyed the Master, Shaykh Burhanduddin was overcome with grief as he had to leave his residential quarters at the khanqah. Later, Hazrat Nizamuddin pardoned the disciple through the intervention of the Master’s favourite poet-disciple Amir Khusrau.
Zaynuddin Shirazi, initially a critic of Sufism, converted under the influence of Shaykh Burhanuddin and became his chief disciple. His diaries record the teachings of Shaykh Burhanuddin that focused on dhikr, remembrance of God and music assemblies. He had a large circle of followers including members of the court, mystics and commoners. Some women among the Shaykh’s devotees such as Khwan Bibi became known for their piety.
Extremely fond of musical assemblies, the Shaykh invented a particular form of dancing which came to be known as the Burhani style. His followers were highly educated and familiar with a broad range of subjects including Islamic theology and Sufi philosophies. Although the Chishti doctrine did not allow political indulgence, the Deccan Sufis gave audiences to state figures instructing them on matters of religion and spirituality.
Documents of the early fourteenth century do not give any indication that these Sufis were engaged in deliberate contact with non-Muslims, nor did they show any interest in the conversion of Hindus to Islam. Nevertheless, the open kitchen at their centres and the annual Urs festivals must have encouraged the local Hindus to regard the Sufis with reverence.
The dargah of Shaykh Burhanuddin enjoyed the patronage of the Bahmani rulers, who sent regular offerings after declaring independence from the Delhi Sultans. The Faruqi rulers of Khandesh were also devoted to the Deccan Chishti Sufis. Malik Raja (r. 1382–99 AD) named the Faruqi capital city Burhanpur after Burhanuddin Gharib and the satellite town Zaynabad after his companion Zaynuddin Shirazi.
On conquering Khandesh in 1601 AD, the Mughals took over the patronage of these dargahs and strengthened their claim over the Deccan through these important pilgrimage centres. Fifteen farmans (royal decrees), dating from 1605 to 1832 AD, which have been preserved in Khuldabad, document the extensive patronage of the Mughal rulers, from Akbar onwards, to the time of their successors, the Nizams of Hyderabad. The most famous royal tomb in Khuldabad belongs to Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, who lies buried within the dargah complex of Zaynuddin Shirazi in a simple grave.
Khwaja Burhanuddin died on 8 Safar 737 Hijri/1337 AD. Other than the tombs of Shaykh Burhanuddin and Shaykh Zaynuddin Shirazi, there are a number of important dargahs in and around Khuldabad, that include Jalaluddin Ganj- e – Ravan, Khwaja Hussain, Khwaja Omar and the Panch Bibiya, five sisters of Shaikh Burhanuddin.
Another popular pilgrimage site is the dargah of Momin Arif, another thirteenth century Sufi buried in Daulatabad. Close to the dargah of Shaykh Burhanuddin is the tomb of his mother, Bibi Hajra and that Sonabai, a Hindu princess who became his disciple.
The original tomb of Shaykh Burhanuddin was constructed by his disciples around 1334 AD, and designed on the model of Hazrat Nizamuddin’s tomb in Delhi. Since then, the tomb has been renovated and remodelled by successive Deccan Sultans. There is a mosque in front of the dargah. Within the shrine are preserved some hair of the prophet’s beard.
Although Hazrat Nizamuddin did not confer a formal khilafat-nama to Maulana Burhanuddin, the senior disciple played a vital role in popularizing the Chishti Order in the Deccan.
