Earlier on January 22, Monday, PM Narendra Modi completed the Pran Pratishtha of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya’s Bhavya Ram Mandir. Several saints, seers and dignitaries from all walks of life reached Ayodhya to celebrate Shri Ram Lalla’s homecoming. Now that the Pran Pratishtha ceremony is completed, all these guests will visit various places in Ayodhya under tight security. One such must-visit place in Ayodhya is the Mani Parvat.
At a distance of 3 km from Ayodhya Junction, Mani Parvat is a tiny hillock situated in Kami Ganj in Ayodhya. It is one of the popular religious places to visit in the holy town. According to Ramayana, to heal Lakshman, who had been injured in a battle by Ravana’s son Meghnath, Lord Hanuman is said to have uprooted a whole mountain that had the revitalizing sanjeevani booti. It’s thought that a portion of the mountain fell in Ayodhya. This mound or the hillock came to be known as Mani Parvat. Mani Parvat lies close to another hill called Sugriv Parvat.
Besides this, there exist numerous legends from the region that describe the origins of the Mani Parvat. Some believe that King Janak, the father of Goddess Sita had gifted a lot of gold and jewels to Sita when she got married to Lord Ram. Raja Dashrath, however, was not greedy for the wealth Sita got with her and ordered that it be stored in the southern direction of the Ram Koth. The quantity of the jewels was so much that they transformed into a hill and this hill came to be known as Mani Parvat.
Another story is that Mata Sita once urged Prabhu Shri Ram to provide her with a place where she could hang around with her sakhis (friends). Shri Ram, in turn, asked Garud to get a portion of a hill from the Vaikunth parvat. As ordered by his master, Garud brought a small hillock from the Vaikunth Parvat and placed it in Ayodhya. This hill was then used to store all the jewels King Janak gifted Sita and started being referred to as Mani (Jewels) Parbat (Hill). Over time, several attempts have been made to deface this sacred site.
According to legend, Lord Buddha gave his sermons about the Law of Dharma from Mani Parvat during his six-year sojourn in Ayodhya. The hillock also houses a stupa built by Emperor Ashoka and a Buddhist monastery.
The OpIndia team visited this spectacular place in the holy town. Mani Parvat is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and is built at 65 feet above sea level. The priest at the Mani Parvat Temple here, while speaking to OpIndia, said that this was the same spot where Lord Ram and Goddess Sita enjoyed swinging together. Until today, every year, during the month of Shravan, the ‘Jhulan Utsav’ of Ram Sita which is celebrated all across Ayodhya, begins from Mani Parvat.
When the OpIndia crew visited this holy location, we were horrified to discover dargahs constructed on three of its sides. By looking at the construction and the paint on the walls, one could easily make out that these structures had come up recently. Besides, we saw that the construction of a new dargah was also underway. We also saw many concrete graves made over some ancient structures in the vicinity.
Folk songs on holy Mani Parvat are still sung by women in Ayodhya and the nearby villages. One of these folk tunes has the words “Jhalua pada mani parvat pay… Jhulay jabay na hum sakhi”, which can be roughly translated as “I’ll go to Maniparvat and swing with my friends because there’s a swing there.” These folk songs were played on tape recorders in every home back in the old days. You may still listen to these old folk tunes on YouTube. Devotees from around the nation gather for a fair on Maniparvat every Sawan, even today.
Hazrat Sheesh Alhai Salam’s mazar situated on the southern fringe of Mani Parvat Temple.
The Hazrat Sheesh Alaihis Salam Dargah is located on the southern side of the temple in Mani Parvat. This dargah is less than a hundred meters away from this sacred site. Saying that this place is almost adjacent to the Mani Parvat temple boundary wall would not be incorrect.
Moreover, a signboard bearing the name and directions to the dargah has been installed on the main road. The names and mobile numbers of Maulana Mohammad Asif Firdausi and Halal Ahmed are also mentioned on the board.
We saw a Maruti Ertiga car parked outside the dargah with a Gujarat registration number. All sides of this white dargah were surrounded by concrete walls. Notably, extensive clearance work was taking place in the Dargah’s environs leading to the Dargah’s expansion.
More than half a dozen tombs are made along the boundary
There were roughly five Muslim individuals inside the Dargah when the OpIndia team went in. This dargah is composed of at least five distinct sections, each housing more than six tombs. Some of these tombs were about the size of an average human being, while the length of one particular tomb was about 10 feet.
These tombs had names of Hazrat Baba Jalil Naqshbandi, Naziruddin Qadri Baghdadi Mazar, Iran’s Princess Hazrat Biwi Syeda Zahida, Hazrat Sheesh Mazar, Hazrat Sheesh Ki Begum and her children etc. inscribed on them. When we visited the tomb, we learned that Princess Syeda Zahida of Iran had visited this place and settled here after that.
Hazrat Sheesh’s dargah has existed since the world came into existence: Local Khadim makes bizarre assertions
This place’s Khadim claimed that the Dargah has existed since the creation of the universe. According to him, Hazrat Sheesh is the third son of his prophet Hazrat Adam and the first human being in mankind. He made another bizarre claim that Hazrat Sheesh was seventy yards (210 feet) tall which is almost the height of Mani Parvat.
The Khadim further said that Hazrat Sheesh’s grave ought to be as old as the Mani Parvat. Khadim added that visitors to the Dargah came from all around the country and outside as well. Khadim asserted that these individuals also included local leaders. Every year, Urs is also held here. Funds are provided to the staff of this dargah to support its upkeep.
Kotwal Baba’s dargah on the eastern side of Mani Parvat Mandir
Another dargah was discovered in Maniparvat’s eastern region when OpIndia was exploring the area. This Dargah was constructed by enveloping a tree. They had built a high platform and placed a concrete tomb on it. Named, the Dargah of Kotwal Baba, the structure had been painted green and a new chadar was placed on it. A tap had also been installed in the tomb.
Another tomb named Syed Shah Baba was also constructed next to Dargah of Kotwal Baba. A Muslim woman looks after these dargahs. The woman said that both the dargahs were built by her husband while he was alive. At present the woman is getting a pension from the government.
While talking to locals we learnt that Kotwal Baba was a former police officer who had been posted at the Ayodhya police station. The house of the woman who takes care of these two dargahs was about 3 kilometres away from here. Moreover, we learnt that every year, Urs is celebrated at the Kotwal Baba dargah in which a lot of donations are collected. It is claimed that people from as far as Nepal visit this Dargah.
It is said, that the caretakers of the dargah are gradually removing all the trees from the forest that borders this dargah.
On the northern fringe of Mani Parvat lies the Shamshuddin Shah Baba mazar
On the northern side of Mani Parvat, there is another dargah called Hazrat Ali Syed Shamshuddin Shah Baba. This dargah is also constructed surrounding a tree. This Dargah is situated at the foot of the stairs that descend from Mani Parvat. It is constructed on a high cemented platform and is also painted green. There are stairs leading up to the high cement platform.
There’s a green sheet covering the tomb made on an elevated structure. In the open space next to Dargah Hazrat Ali Syed Shamshuddin Shah Baba, another dargah has been constructed. Though the name board of this particular shrine is not visible it appeared well maintained. We could not, however, spot any caretakers at either of these places.
Mass graves found in this region
Between Sheesh, Shamshuddin, and Kotwal Baba, the three dargahs mentioned above, hundreds of graves made of concrete are visible. By the look of it, one can make out that these have been recently constructed. Below these newly constructed tombs, one can also see some old constructions. Additionally, there are some Arabic inscriptions on these tombs. These tombs appeared to be freshly painted in green.
The caretaker of Hazrat Sheesh Dargah claimed that the entire area is a functioning graveyard where local Muslims are still buried. In a nutshell, Mani Parvat’s western and southern regions are home to mass graves.
New dargah coming up in Ganesh Kund
While the present administration is working around the clock to modernise Ayodhya, preparation to build new dargahs inside the pilgrimage destination is also happening in full swing. When the OpIndia team was exploring the area near the Kotwal Baba Dargah we noticed another area called the Ganesh Kund. Ganesh Kund has recently been beautified by the Uttar Pradesh Government Tourism Department.
In one location, close to Ganesh Kund, we noticed that some soil was dug out. This pile of soil was in the shape of a grave. The woman caretaker of the Kotwal Shah Dargah came over to us when we were inspecting this location and advised us not to touch the soil.
The woman said that she wants to build a new dargah at that place, for which money is being raised. The Dargah has already been named Rahmatullah. The woman also claimed that the dream of building Rahmatullah Dargah was that of her late husband, which she wanted to fulfil.
PAC wing of the UP Police has a large camp next to these tombs
The OpIndia team explored Maniparvat and its environs. The woman looking after Kotwal Shah claimed that there were many more tombs hidden in the shrubs. Adjacent to these shrines are other revered and mythological sites such as Ganesha and Vidyakund, which have a direct connection to Lord Rama. All of them are located in Ayodhya’s primary pilgrimage area or religious city area.
The PAC wing of the Uttar Pradesh Police has a large camp next to these tombs. This camp serves as the soldiers’ housing, parking lot, and storage facility for weapons. Mani Parvat, which is surrounded by mazar on three sides, is not only sacred to Hindus but also highly sensitive to security issues.
Dargah Hazrat Sheesh near Mani Parvat and the Dargah close to Dasharatha Samadhi maintained by the same Muslim family
In its ground report dated January 2, 2024, OpIndia disclosed the existence of a dargah 14 kilometres from Ayodhya City, close to the Raja Dashrath Samadhi site. Subsequently, OpIndia reported that Dargah’s name, Belhari Sharif, originated from its association with the mythological region of Bilwarhari Sharif.
An investigation into the vast Dargah Hazrat Sheesh near Mani Parvat has yielded new information. The family of this Dargah’s Khadim also maintains the Dargah close to Dasharatha Samadhi. Put simply, the same Muslim family is in charge of the dargahs constructed at two different religious places in the holy town of Ayodhya.
