Thread by @dhavalkulkarni

The dargah of #Sufi saint Makhdoom Ali Mahimi at #Mahim in #Mumbai is revered by the #MumbaiPolice, who lead the ceremonies during the annual urs. A #thread on the patron saint of the police force and how this tradition came about. #history #heritage

Indians across faiths follow syncretic traditions. Recently, Tryambakeshwar, a jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva near #Nashik in #Maharashtra, hit the headlines after it was alleged that some Muslims tried to forcibly enter the shrine

Later, it was clarified that the men were following a decades-old tradition, where the devotees of the Sufi saint Hazrat Syed Ghulab Shahavali Baba stand outside the temple and blow the smoke from the loban (frankincense) into it as a mark of respect

#Maharashtra and India have many such shrines revered by devotees across faiths in a testimony to the syncretism of our society. The 16th- 17th century bhakti saint Sheikh Muhammed of Shrigonda in #Ahmednagar was born a Muslim but prayed to Lord Vitthala of Pandharpur.

Sheikh Muhammed movingly says: 'Sheikh Muhammed avindha, pari tyachya hridayi Govinda' (Sheikh Muhammed may not be a Hindu, but Lord Govinda resides in his heart) (PS: avindha refers to those who do not pierce their ears, rough reference to non-Hindus)

Similarly, the priest the Hazrat Angadshah dargah at Dehu near Pune is a Hindu. Hazrat Angadshah was a contemporary of the bhakti saint Tukaram, and Tukaram Maharaj’s palkhi camps at the dargah enroute to the temple town of Pandharpur during the holy month of Ashada.

Saint Tukaram composed few abhangs (poems) in Dakhani, the dialect of many Muslims in Maharashtra and the Deccan region.

The dargah of the 14th- 15th century Sufi saint Makhdoom Ali Mahimi at Mahim is also linked to a unique and syncretic tradition. The saint is seen as the patron saint of the Mumbai police, who lead the ceremonies during the urus and mela in December- January

Why? Because it is said that the police have traditionally turned to the saint for succor and benediction when confronted with a tough to detect case. This divine intervention by the saint is said to have worked!

#Mahim, where the dargah is located, is the medieval capital of #Mumbai. Bhima, the second son of the Seuna Yadava king Ramachandra (Ramadevraya) of Devgiri in present-day Aurangabad, came to Mumbai after the Yadava empire was overrun by Allaudin Khilji in 1296 C.E.

Bhima, who is also referred to as Bhimadeva, Bhimrao or Bimba, established his capital at present-day Mahim, which was also known as Mahikavati.

#Mumbai, which was then a clutch of islands, came under the suzerainty of the Muslim rulers of Gujarat from 1348 to 1534 CE, after which it was controlled by the Portuguese and then, the British.

During the Muslim reign, Makhdoom Ali Mahimi, a Sufi saint, was revered by the people of Mumbai and was based at Mahim. An Islamic scholar, he was said to be to be married into the family of Ahmed Shah-I, the ruler of Gujarat.

His baithak or chilla is said to have been located in the premises of the Mahim police station, which was built in 1923, making it among the oldest in Mumbai.

After the East India Company took over Mumbai in the 17th century, it established a force of irregulars called the ‘Bhandari Militia’ to police the city. Mahim, the northern tip of the island city, also had a subhedar for its protection, along with locations like Shivdi & Sion

This militia was the only protection for residents from criminals. It is said that the men and officers of the militia, which later evolved into the Mumbai police, prayed to the saint for benediction and for cracking many a difficult case. This included Europeans and Indians.

This tradition is said to have continued even into the British era. SSE Raymond, the inspector in-charge of the Mahim police station in 1935, was also a devotee of the saint.

The chamber of the senior inspector of the Mahim police station has an ante chamber, which in turn, has a green cupboard with silver ornaments and other valuables which are ceremoniously carried to the dargah, which is located nearby, during the urus, which begins in December.

According to ‘Mumbai Police: Urbs Prima in Indis,’ every Thursday, a group of police officers and the maulanas from the dargah conduct a ceremony in the ante-room, after which a section of the armed police from the police station march to the dargah for a salute.

On the first day of the ten-day long urus, the Mumbai Police lead the ceremonial procession to the dargah with the chadar that is eventually laid on it. The local DCP leads the procession, while the senior inspector of the Mahim police station offers the chadar at the dargah.

The Mumbai police band also performs during the procession. It is said that even today, policemen who are confronted with a difficult case often pay at the dargah for a breakthrough.