| Hazratbal Shrine | |
|---|---|
 The shrine in 2010 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Sunni Islam |
| Rite | Sufi |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Mosque anddargah |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Hazratbal,Srinagar,Srinagar District,Kashmir Valley,Jammu and Kashmir |
| Country | India |
  Location of the mosque and dargah inJammu and Kashmir | |
| Administration | Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Waqf Board |
| Coordinates | 34°7′45″N74°50′32″E / 34.12917°N 74.84222°E /34.12917; 74.84222 |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Mosque architecture |
| Style | Islamic |
| Completed |
|
| Specifications | |
| Length | 105 metres (344 ft) |
| Width | 25 metres (82 ft) |
| Dome | One |
| Minaret | One |
TheHazratbal Shrine, popularly calledDargah Sharif (lit. 'Holy Shrine'), is aSufidargah andmosque, located inHazratbal locality ofSrinagar, in the union territory ofJammu and Kashmir,India. The site contains A Holy Relic,Moi-e-Muqqadas, The Blessed Hair of The Holy ProphetMuhammad صلی اللہ تعالی علیہ وآلہ وسلم.[1] It is situated on the northern bank of theDal Lake in Srinagar, and is considered to beKashmir's holiest Muslim shrine.[2]
The name of the shrine is a combination of theArabic wordhazrat (lit. 'respected') and theKashmiri wordbal (lit. 'place').[3]
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Hazratbal Shrine was established by Inayat Begum, the daughter of Khwaja Nur-ud-Din Eshai and the custodian of the relic. The first building of the shrine was constructed in 17th century by Mughal subedar Sadiq Khan during the emperorShah Jahan's reign.[3] This was initially called Ishrat Jahan. The building was ordered to be converted into a prayer hall in 1634 by Shah Jahan. Construction of the present day structure was started in 1968 and took 11 years to complete, finishing in 1979.[5]
The relic was first brought to Kashmir by Syed Abdullah Madani, a purported descendant of The Holy Prophet Muhammad عليه الصلاة والسلام who leftMedina Munawwarah (in present-day Saudi Arabia) and settled in theSouth Indian city ofBijapur in 1635, at a time when the IslamicMughal Empire was rapidly expanding across India.[6]
Following Abdullah's passing, his son Syed Hameed inherited the relic. The region was conquered by the Mughals shortly afterwards, and Hameed was stripped of his family estates. Finding himself unable to care for the relic, he passed it to Khwaja Nur-ud-Din Eshai, a wealthyKashmiri businessman.[7][8]
When theMughal emperorAurangzeb was informed of its existence and transfer, he had it seized and sent to the shrine ofSufi mysticMu'in al-Din Chishti inAjmer, and imprisoned Eshai inDelhi. After nine days Aurangzeb had a dream of The Holy Prophet Muhammad عليه الصلاة والسلام with four caliphs:Abu Bakr,Umar,Usman andAli رضي الله عنهم. In the dream, The Holy Prophet Muhammad عليه الصلاة والسلام ordered him to send theMoi-e-Muqaddas toKashmir from Ajmer.[7] Then Aurangzeb returned it to Eshai and allow him to take it to Kashmir. However, Eshai had already died while imprisoned. By 1700, the relic had been transported to Kashmir, along with the body of Eshai. There, Inayat Begum, the daughter of Eshai, became the custodian of the relic and established the Hazratbal Shrine. Since then, her male descendants have been caretakers of the relic at the mosque.[9] Begum's male descendants belong to what is known as the Banday family. As of 2019[update], three main members care for the relic: Manzoor Ahmad Banday, Ishaq Banday and Mohiuddin Banday.[10] The relic is displayed for public view only onspecial Islamic occasions, such as The Birthdays of The Holy Prophet Muhammad عليه الصلاة والسلام and His four main companions.
TheMoi-e-Muqqadas was reported to have gone missing from the shrine on 27 December 1963. Following its disappearance, mass demonstrations were held all over the state, with hundreds of thousands of protesters out in the streets.[citation needed][11] On 31 December, Indian Prime MinisterJawaharlal Nehru made a broadcast to the nation on the disappearance of the relic, and sent a team from the Central Bureau of Investigation into Jammu and Kashmir to probe the suspected theft. It was recovered by Indian authorities on 4 January 1964, at the instigation ofSayyid Meerak Shah Kashani and others. Shah Kashani said he had seen the relic many times and could easily identify it.[12] Identification by its caretakers and other investigation made by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir (law and order), special identification team says its authenticity is indeed original. A public viewing of the relic was held on 6 February 1964 in remembrance ofAli bin Abu Talib.[9][13][12][14][15] The incident led to communal tensions and riots in the Indian state ofWest Bengal andEast Pakistan (now Bangladesh), due to which India saw a refugee influx of around 200,000 people between December 1963 and February 1964.[16] Demands were made that it be officially identified by the elders. It was charged that political bosses had stolen the hair so they could later come to power by taking credit for restoring it.[17]
In the 1970s, the earlier shrine withthatched roof built in a vernacular Kashmiri architecture was reconstructed in marble in a Mughal-inspired design, with a dome and minaret added to it.[18] It was rebuilt under the leadership ofSheikh Abdullah, who used the construction as a means to maintain his waning political legitimacy after theIndira–Sheikh Accord.[19]
A ₹45-crore beautification and development project led by the Jammu & Kashmir Waqf Board and funded through the PRASAD scheme.[20] The initiative was sanctioned in 2014–15, formally launched by then Chief MinisterMehbooba Mufti in 2017,[21] and key components were inaugurated by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi in March 2024.[22] The ₹45-crore project blended traditional Kashmiri artistry such askhatamband and calligraphy with modern upgrades, including air conditioning, digital sound systems, and expanded pilgrim facilities.[23]
Shortly after the shrine’s reopening duringEid-Milad-un-Nabi, on 5 September 2025, a plaque featuring theIndian National Emblem was vandalized by devotees who viewed it as inappropriate.[24] Police detained 26 alleged vandals after reviewingCCTV footage of the incident.[25] The incident led to heightened security around the shrine and a political controversy. Opposition leaders, includingOmar Abdullah, questioned why a national emblem was installed inside a mosque, whileWaqf Board Chairperson Dr. Darakhshan Andrabi condemned the vandalism as a “terrorist attack” and called for strict punishment. Union MinisterKiren Rijiju and other national leaders urged calm, emphasizing the shrine’s importance as a symbol of peace.[26][27]
Media related toHazratbal shrine at Wikimedia Commons
