Nagore Dargah Shariff
Nagore Dargah also called Nagoor Dargah or Hazrat Syed Shahul Hameed Dargah is a dargah built over the tomb of the Sufi a saint Hazrath Nagore Shahul Hamid (1490 – 1579 CE). It is located in Nagore, a coastal town in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Outer doors kept open always. Internal doors opening time is from 04:30 am to 07:00 am and 06:25 pm to 09:30 pm. Friday alone additionally kept open from 12.00 pm to 02:30 pm also. Shahul Hamid is believed to have performed many miracles in Nagore, and cured the physical affliction of king Achutappa Nayak, a 16th – Century Hindu ruler of Thanjavur. He is locally referred to as Nagore Andavar, meaning the “God of Nagore”. Nagore dargah as it stands now, is believed to have been built by ardent devotees of Shahul Hamid, with major contribution from Hindus. There are five minarets in the dargah, with the Hindu Maratha ruler of Thanjavur Pratap Singh (1739 – 1763 CE), building the tallest minaret. The dargah is a major pilgrimage centre that attracts pilgrims from both Islam and Hinduism, symbolizing peaceful coexistence between the two religions.
History of Nagore Dargah
Achutappa Nayak, the king of Thanjavur during the 16th century, donated 200 acres (81 ha) of land to the entourage of Shahul, after the saint cured the king’s affliction. The dargah was built on a part of the land donated by Nayak. Shahul Hamid is believed to have predicted his death and advised his adopted son Yusuf about his burial location and rites to be performed after his death.
Yusuf performed the rites as per the instructions and decided to stay there for the rest of his life. A mausoleum was constructed over the grave. Devotees of Shahul, who continued to believe in his powers after his death, venerated the site of the burial. The shrine was initially a smaller one and gradually gained prominence.
Pratap Singh (1739 – 1763 A.D.) the Hindu Maratha ruler of Thanjavur prayed for a son and built the tallest of the five minarets called Periya Manara locally with a height of 131 ft (40 m) once his wish was fulfilled.
The Marathas of the later period were patrons to the dargah, with the Maratha king Thuljaji, the son of Pratap Singh, donating 4,000 acres (1,600 ha) of agricultural land to the dargah. During the last quarter of 18th century, when there was conflict between European powers, the Nawab of Arcot, the Maratha kings and Tipu Sultan of Mysore over Thanjavur region, the dargah was considered strategically important by all of them.
Connectivity
Nagore is located near the Sea-Shore of Bay of Bengal near Nagapattinam Town in Nagapattinam District.
Airways :
The nearest airport is Tiruchirappalli Airport which is (146 Kms) from Nagore Dargah.
Railways :
Nearest Railway Station is located at Nagapattinam Railway Station which is (7.6 Kms) from Nagore Dargah.
Roadways :
Nagore Dargah is (88.6 Kms) from Thanjavur Old Bus Stand, (95.3 Kms) from Thanjavur New bus stand, (147 Kms) from Trichy Central Bus Stand.#nagoor N
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