Saint Haji Ali of Bombay

Among all the people who have come to this island city few are remembered. Many make their mark but are lost in oblivion while others have their stories distorted - subjected to generations of Chinese Whispers.

Here too is the story of an Iranian Saint who came to the shores of Worli, Mumbai to preach the Good News of the Islamic Faith and whose tomb lay on the tourist map of today but whose story is seldom remembered.

Haji Ali Durgah

Haji Ali Dargah is one of the most popular religious places in Mumbai, visited by people of all religions alike. Haji Ali Dargah is one of India’s most famous and prestigious landmarks situated about 500 yards from the Mumbai shoreline in the middle of the Arabian Sea off Lala Lajpatrai Marg.

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 The structure was erected on a set of high rising rocks and was given its present day shape in the early 19th century after the Trust was legally formed as an entity in 1916.

 Haji Ali Dargah is the complex housing the tomb of the Muslim Saint Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari (R.A.). Along with the tomb, there is also a Masjid at Haji Ali.

But who is Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari??

Among the many Islamic sages who left their homes in Arabia and Persia, Pir Haji Ali, a Sufi Sage,  too found his calling on the shores of Worli in the 19th Century. Having left his mother and brother back home in Iran, Haji Ali made it his mission to preach the word of God to all who seek his message.

Considering that the saint was unmarried and had no descendants, his life stories are mostly passed down by word of mouth. One such popular story was that of a woman back home in Iran who was weeping miserably as she passed the saint. He called her near and on enquiry learnt that she had spilled some oil from her Urn and that her husband would beat her hearing of this. He asked her to take him to the sight of the spillage and on pressing his thumb into the site the oil oozed out like a fountain and filled the Urn much to the delight of the woman!

​​​​But among the varied stories, that of his death remain in popular belief. Before his death he has 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. 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 was perched on a small mound of rocks rising above the sea. The Tomb and Dargah Sharief were built in the years to come.

Miracles after his death:

Pothole story
During the monsoon season almost all the roads of Mumbai become rough and have potholes. The shore line along the Hornby Vellard (Lala Lajpat Rai Marg) has been damaged numerous times due to the fury of the seas but up till today the pathway of the Dargah has never been damaged or become unsafe for the people to reach the Dargah Sharief even though it is situated in the middle of the Sea. The pathway has been spared by the fury of the sea and the monsoons. This is one of the biggest miracles of the saint, hundreds of years after his death.

Today people of all faiths visit the tomb to pay their respects.

Location of the Durgah : Worli – Near Mahalaxmi Temple / Race Course

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Source: http://www.hajialidargah.in/hajiali_miracles2.html

Tale of The Royal Opera House - Bombay

Royal Opera House, also known as Opera House in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), is India's only surviving opera house. Situated on Charni Road, near Girgaum Chowpatti beach, the adjective ‘Royal’ was prefixed to ‘Opera House’ to reflect the fact that its foundation stone was laid during the British Raj in 1909, and King George V inaugurated the building in 1911 while the building was still under construction. Work on the Royal Opera House was completed in 1912, although additions were made to the building up to 1915. After years of neglect following its closure in 1993, restoration work started in 2008. 

The Royal Opera House was conceived in 1908 by Maurice Bandmann, a famous entertainer from Calcutta, and Jehangir Framji Karaka, who headed a coal brokers’ firm. A baroque design incorporating a blend of European and Indian detailing was chosen for the structure. A long frontage was created to let carriages drive up to the entrance. Twenty-six rows of boxes behind the stalls were put up for the best view of the stage. The ceiling was constructed to enable even those in the gallery to hear every word uttered by the performers.

It was built with exquisite Italian marble on a leased land close to the Kennedy and Sandhurst bridges. A pair of unique crystal chandeliers, called the ‘Sans Souci’ were donated by the David Sassoon family. The chandeliers, which were earlier located in the Sassoon mansion, were shifted to the foyer of the opera house. At the main entrance, the dome is segmented into eight different parts "as a tribute to poets, dramatists, novelists, literati and people from art and culture."

Maharaja of Gondal - For Representation only​
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Inaugurated in 1912, the Opera House was acquired in 1952 by Maharaja Bhojrajsingh of Gondal, Gujarat [Today]. The Maharaja took the property on a 999-year lease and attempted to run it as a self-sustaining commercial enterprise.