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Wandering on the Canal road of Lahore, Pakistan was looking far away at the remaining split clouds after rainfall.
I started shooting the Rifai Silsila about 18 years back followed them from the Urus of one Holy Saint to the other ..and those early years it was tough shooting them as they were wary of the camera , and the camera left nothing to the imagination , it caught them smoking hash..that was the integral part of their spirituality ,,
Than every year since 2005 I started shooting the Madarriya order of the Dam Madar Malangs of Ajmer ,, and than finally in 2011 I decided to become a Malang too,, along with a Belgian friend and there was no looking back I became part of the Aqsan order of Madrriya malangs affiliated to the Holy Shrine of Zinda Shah Madar Makanpur ,, I made one trip to Makanpur during the Urus of Zinda Shah Madar 2013 and seriously began documenting Madarriya life style rituals and culture .
Jurnalpolitik.com – Pemkab Malang memberi jawaban soal berita menghebohkan tentang anggaran fantastis Dinas Pendapatan Pengelolaan Keuangan dan Aset Daerah (DPPKAD) Kabupaten Malang untuk pengadaan sejumlah peralatan kantor dan mebel. (Baca: Wow! Anggaran Satu Unit Printer di Pemkab Malang ...
This is the main junction , that you need to reach to connect to Haji Malang a Sufi Shrine an abode of Peace and Love visited byy all communities popularized by the hijdas transgenders rafaees, or body piercers and bloggers like me.
I am in a very bad shape as I write this , its a rough trip, be prepared for it.
Once you disembark from the train,you take a rickshah, avoid it , its an expensive option, unless you take a sharing one.
Just hop in to a Haji Malangad bus a distance of 16 km, from the station , the fare Rs 10.
From Haji Malang foothill, you have to walk up a rough slope that has rough steps or smooth ones , at places , it took me about 2 hours or more ,depending on your youth and vitality you can reach in an hour too, on the way there are stops you can rest relax on benches attached to restaurants, bisleri water , snacks and drinks, food too.
The first Dargah on the path is the Shrine of the Holy Seer Bakthawar a Sufi Saint.This known as First Salami. or First Salute..
All along the path are beggars..
The nest stop is the second salami of Sultan Shah Baba and you have in a few minutes reached Haji Malang Dargah..
Its a single small lane of a central road lined with hotels or lodges .
Flower shops , gemstone shops, restaurants photo studios , but no footwear shop, so guard your shoes with your life..
I lost my slippers and had to walk down barefeet , 7 km, I am a diabetic too so you know what I have gone through, normally I do walk without shoes or slippers but not for search long or rough treks..
But than this is a miraculous place , so the Holy Saint protects you as lacs of people old , lame , crippled climb up to pay homage to him.
This place is a Hijda paradise, hijdas have bought houses here , to be close to this loved saint.
This is a Muslim or Sufi Shrine , but it is managed by the Ketkars a Hindu family, I am blessed by my friendship to Kumar and Abhijeet Ketkar my hosts who dont charge me for the night I stayed here in their hotel.
There was an attached toilet, but to bathe you have to go distance with your towel and soap,its nippy, a small bucket of water is Rs15 you bathe in a tiny cubicle.
There are barber shops ..Rs 15 for a shave.
The place dominates with a spirituality of peace , Hindus from Maharashtra throng this place along with the Muslims stand in long lines for darshan or ziyarath..
Qawwalis are held here , on the night of the Urus is the Palki, last night was the Dhamal , body piercings , etc I skipped, today is the Urus of Sultan Shah Baba , tomorrow is the Gusal, washing of the tomb and by 14 Feb all functions come to an end.
The crowds will disappear ..
I came back early, as I have a shop to take care of, my wife is not in Mumbai, I did not carry my mobile as there is hardly any network in the mountains.
As this is a disputed site , the government has done nothing to alleviate the hardships and the sufferings of the pilgrims.Its a sad case of political apathy to a Sufi shrine the only one in India run by Hindus and pre empts Hindu Muslim amity.
It saddens me to see old people very small kids walk this difficult trek..
This is the most neglected Sufi Shrine close to Mumbai..what a shame.
Dr Glenn Losack MD the American photographer too had walked up to the Shrine last year.
This year Dorothea a German nation who made the transgender film In Bewtween Lines was Laxmi Narayan Tripathis guest..
She was having a ball and was in my company I took her to Gopal Haji Babitas new house at Haji Malang..
Also it was my dear friend Sakib the Florist who took good care of me.
This set at Flickr , I am posting only the Dargah pictures , all the Hijda pictures and very daring ones too, will be on my Hijda set, cross blogged to my hIjdaeunuch blogs at Word Press.
This is about two and a half memory cards ..over 10GB I think..
from wikipedia
Malang Gad (Haji Malang)
Climbing up to the Malang Gad is an exciting and a hard trek. A motorable road takes you to "Malangad" which is about 13 kms, from Kalyan railway station. The shrine has been drawing pilgrims and sheer trekkers for a long time. You can also reach Malang Gad by Buses or Rickshaws a good road gets you there with no problems. After you leave the vehicles a 1-½ hour climb takes you straight to the Dargah. Shops on either side for the entire stretch try or coax you in to buying something. There are also stalls that sell soft drinks, sugarcane juice, etc, which also offers you a place to sit and rest a while if you are so inclined.
History[edit]
History:
In Thane district of the state of Maharashtra a king by name "Nal Raja" ruled. The atrocities on the common folk and the havoc created in his state by the demons reached unbearable proportions. The cry from the oppressed had reached to God abd God ordered Baba Malang to pay a visit to the place from where these crimes against the society are committed and to ensure safety and wellbeing of the common man by eliminating these demons.
Baba Malang and his followers reached the small village called Brahman wadi near this mountain. On reaching, he felt very thirsty and asked for water from a house belonging to a Brahman Ketkar Family. The Brahman, realizing that Baba Malang and his followers are tired, arranged for a place to rest and offered them Milk instead of water. This holy act of the Brahman was duly appreciated by Baba and he blessed him. He took leave from the Brahman in order to complete the work ordered by the God at the earliest.
They found a small and cleaner place where Bakhtawar wanted to put so Baba Malang blessed him, and said "that during "Kalyug" this place will be known as "first Step" and will be treated as sacrosanct."
According to legend the King and Queen have been turned to stone and even today are stoned by believing public. A climb to the mountain includes being carried by a rope across two peaks for Rs. 20.00 After this you carry on climbing and try to stone the peaks and it is believed that if your stone hits one of the peaks then your wish will be granted as long as you do not wish for the throne of Delhi.
URS Once a year it is time to celebrate a big festival on this mountain named after Baba. This year on the 3rd of February is the annual Urs or the birth centenary of Baba Malang. The devout followers of Baba from every caste and creed attend to the celebrations with great fervor. During these annual celebrations Baba's Palkhi is carried out and it forms the Juloos. The Palkhi route covers the entire mountain and is then brought back to the Dargah. The bursting of crackers and lightening of the mountain highlight the night on which this Palkhis makes round. The fireworks display from the mountain is a delight to see. The pilgrims desiring to stay overnight can hire temporary huts on small rentals. From the Dargah, a further hike of 45 minutes to 1 hour, takes you to the graves of " Panch Peer " which are of the disciples of Baba who came with him. Along this stretch, one visits the place of "Chasma". It is believed that from a spot where Baba's horse leg touched, water spouted.
Till today water is still coming and people take this water home and drink it with good faith. On the eastern side of this mountain, trekking is good. An eight-hour walk by the natives, which translates into at least 10 for us lesser mortals, keep you still overlooking Panvel, Badlapur, Kalyan etc. Shacks can be arranged which have been erected for this purpose. Some animals like Peacocks, Leopards, and Huge Snakes are spotted, though you are quite safe. Light snacks should be taken from the Dargah itself for the journey.
Buses back from the shrine ply till quite late though it is better to inquire about the last bus back.