There was once a prosperous businessman named Haji Ali Shah who came from the ancient city of Samarqand. (It still stands in modern day Uzbekistan.) With one immense decision he gave up all his material possessions and made a pilgrimage to Mecca. Later in life he settled on the island of Worli – an island just off the coast of modern day Mumbai. In the time of Haji Ali Shah, Worli was ruled over by the Delhi Sultinate. The Islamic Empire controlled vast portions of the Indian subcontinent, and Haji Ali Shah Bukhari dedicated the rest of his life to spreading Islam in the area.
When Haji Ali Shah died, his followers cast his body into the sea – as had been his wish – and where his shroud came to rest now stands the Haji Ali Dargah, a mosque of white Rajasthan marble stationed out in the lapping water beside Mumbai, and accessible via a narrow trail of rock which becomes utterly submerged during high tide. The mosque is now over 600 years old having been built in the fourteenth century.
This story was unknown to me as I sat in a café on the border of Bandra, enjoying an incredibly tasty masala cheese omelette with spicy mint sauce. And this story would have remained unknown to me had Mohsin not repeatedly urged me to make the long journey across the city to this fascinating monument.
Despite the tidal waves of heat and the intense mugginess, I made it half way across the city to the 600 year old structure, and made the crossing without getting completely soaked. (I was lucky I turned up at low tide because I did not check beforehand). Before I crossed the 800m path into the sea, several people insisted upon tying a handkerchief around my head. Covering ones head for worship is customary in India and shows respect when entering certain religious sites. Within the white walls of Makrana marble I was able to remove my shoes, enjoy some sweet chai and gaze at the tomb of Haji Ali Shah Bukhari.
Over 40,000 pilgrims visit the Haji Ali Dargah every year to offer chadar and pray. Unfortunately, but also understandably, I was not allowed into the prayer room. I did however, attract some significant attention. Upon seeing me, one man became very excited and went scrambling around for his children who he lined up next to me so he could take photos of us.
My journey to the Haji Ali Dargah was followed by a more relaxed experience at a nearby Hindu temple. I’d been trying to get to the Hanging Gardens, however the taxi drivers were either refusing to take me or claiming they didn’t know what or where the Hanging Gardens were, so I gave up on the prospect and wandered into the nearby Hindu temple instead.
Within the temple, one of the Hindu priests gave me a spoonful of sugar, showed me around and gave me a brief run down of this trio of Maharshtrian gods – though I cannot remember their role and significance, the temple was dedicated to them. After that, a guy and two girls invited me to sit with them and we admired the many peculiar paintings splashed across the ceiling above us. They told me about different places I could visit in India but advised me against Goa as it will be too hot this time of year. The more advice I get on where to go the less sure I am about my next destination.
Later, I went to the cinema. PVR is a cinema chain in India. The one I went to was located in Mumbai’s greatest shopping mall. Phoenix Market City.
My first trip to Phoenix Market city occurred yesterday when Mohsin showed me an incredible eatery called SMOKE – the sizzler. Mohsin got oriental spiced chicken with rice while I got a humongous portion of mac n’cheese which made me very happy indeed.
Today, after a tasty helping of dal, rice and roti with sweet lassi from the Punjab Grill, Mohsin and I went to the cinema and watched 65 in 4dx. I wanted to watch a Hindi film with English subtitles, and Mohsin and I both believed that’s what we’d booked, although it turned out we’d actually just booked an English film with English subtitles. Mohsin had never seen a film in 4dx before and was laughing his head off when the seats began to shake us around.
The cinema was mostly like any cinema I’ve been to before with two simple yet stark differences. The security – just like everywhere else in Mumbai – was insane. After already passing through metal detectors and having our bags scanned and poked through on our way into the mall, we had to pass through the same procedure yet again to reach our screen. The second difference – which took me very off guard – was the Indian national anthem which played before the film. Everyone in the auditorium stood for the national anthem. Standing for the national anthem is compulsory, Mohsin explained to me.
