PAKHARPORA SHRINE
The Shrine is located at Pakhapora situated about 40 kms to the South West of Srinagar district Badgam. Syed Muhammad Ali was born in Balkh. According to a tradition, Syed was directed in dream by Prophet Muhammad to leave Balkh for Kashmir for the propagation of Islam. Syed Muhammad Ali came to Kashmir during the reign of Sultan Sikandar.After seven months Syed reachedHaripura, a village in District Pulwama. Here he met MosaMagray and made him his disciple and then reached at PhalliPather (now called Pakharpora).
lt is said that Syed performed certain miracles. There is a popular belief that the Syed by dint of his spiritual merits brought his ancestral graveyard from Central Asia (Balkh) toPakharpora. This graveyard is called Poshwar. After his death, the Saint was buried in the Poshwar graveyard. the shrine of the Saint is located few metres away from the graveyard. Atta Muhammad Khan gave finances to theShrine for its upkeep. The Shrine was renovated during the prime Ministership of Bakshi Ghulam Muhammad.
To commemorate the Saint, the annual Urs is being celebrated in the month of August. The Urs lasts for more than a month and the people from every nook and corner of Valley flock the Shrine to pay homage to the great Saint. The holy relics of the Saint are put to display on the occasion. On the eve of Urs different activities performed are, Bacha Nagma (this is a kind of dance in which a teen aged boy is dressed in a ladies dress), Bandeh Paether(dramatization of events with dances and songs), Dambali (folk dances, performed Bywaters; they beat the drum and dance). It is believed that after the end of Urs, a heavy rain fall occurs.
The affairs of the Shrine are run by Wakf Board. The local Babas are also looking after the management of Shrine and provide the facilities of food and accommodation to the pilgrims and assist them in religious chores. In return they are paid by the pilgrims in cash or in the form of gifts and presents. Two schools imparting religious education to both male and female students are run on the income of Shrine. Moreover, there are institutions like orphanages which are also run from the funds of Shrine. The people have firm faith and belief in the saint and pay visit to the Shrine to relieve their soul from the burden of worries. They believe that the Shrine is a place where immediate justice is imparted to the parties involved in dispute. In this sense, the Shrine acts as a Court because it is a firm belief among the people that whosoever swears by the Saint wrongly would die at the very moment.
