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Shaykh al-Mashāʾikh Makhdūm Shaykh Jalāl Mujarrad bin Muḥammad Kunyāī (Arabic: شيخ المشائخ مخدوم شيخ جلال مجرد بن محمد كنيائي), popularly known as Shah Jalal, is a celebrated Sufi Muslim figure in Bengal. Shah Jalal's name is often associated with the Conquest of Sylhet and the spread of Islam into the region, part of a long history of interactions between the Middle East, Turkestan and South complexes and religious places have been named after him, including the largest airport in Bangladesh, Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. The Shah Jalal Dargah (Bengali: শাহজালাল দরগাহ) is the shrine and burial place of the 14th century Muslim saint Shah Jalal, located in Sylhet, Bangladesh. The site, known as a dargah, was originally constructed c. 1500, though many additions and alterations were made to its structures over the following centuries. It became a religious centre in the region, respected across multiple ruling administrations and greatly venerated among Bengalis, with local folklore and legends developing around it. The extensive surrounding compound serves several functions and includes four mosques, a religious school and a public cemetery among others. The Dargah is presently the largest and most visited religious site in Bangladesh. Located on a low hillock (known as the Dargah Tila) in the Dargah Mahalla neighbourhood of north Sylhet, the mausoleum complex is the largest religious compound in main entrance, known as the Dargah Gate, opens into a large plaza, ahead of which lies a section dedicated to services for women. Shah Jalal's burial place itself lies in the centre of the compound and is reached via a flight of stairs to the right of this section, though only men are permitted to enter. The steps terminate at a broad flat platform, in front of which is the Bara Gumbad mosque, through which visitors pass to access the tomb. The latter is masonry constructed and open-roofed, with its four corners marked by large tapering pillars which support a cloth canopy, with the grave itself being considered notable for its unusually large size. The burial places of some of Shah Jalal's companions, such as Shahzada Ali, Haji Yusuf, Haji Khalil and Haji Daria, as well as his Chilla Khana, are located nearby. The saint's talwars, Quran, robes, wooden kharam, deerskin-prayer rug, copper plates and Arabic-enscribed bowls and cups are also preserved. As well as containing a madrasa and a khanqah, on the opposite side of the plaza to the tomb is a large Langar Khana (kitchen) to serve the many poor who visit the Dargah and originally made to be a shelter for visitors. This is now closed due to environmental reasons and so there is a small hut built to its east which serves this purpose. Located in the Langar Khana are three brass degs (cauldrons), the largest being 5 feet in height. Each of these cauldrons can simultaneously cook 7 cows and 7 maunds of rice. On their edges are Persian inscriptions that mentions that they were made by Shaykh Abu Sa'id ibn Muhammad Zafar ibn Yar Muhammad of Jahangirnagar and sent by Murad Bakhsh to the Dargah in Ramadan 1106 AH (April/May 1695 CE). An extensive graveyard occupies the area behind the tomb, with it being a popular desire among Muslims to be buried near Shah Jalal's remains, though the lots are very expensive. Also present are a Jalsa-house, established during the Mughal period, and an elevated domed clock-tower to its south. To the tomb's west, at the foot of the hillock, is a natural well named Chashma which stands within a spacious brick enclosure. According to legend, Shah Jalal himself ordered its digging, and its sacred water, which is drank by visiting pilgrims, is the same as that of the Zamzam Well in Mecca. Legends also exist regarding the catfish and great snakeheads (known as gozar) that inhabit the shrine's tank reservoir, which are commonly fed by visitors. They are said to be the defeated soldiers of Gour Govinda, cursed by Shah Jalal to be eternally reborn in this form. Alternatively, they have also been claimed to be descendants of fish which had been bred by the saint. In December 2003, an unidentified group poisoned and killed over 700 of the fish. In response, the following month, 24 gozar were brought from the shrine of Shah Jalal's companion, Shah Mustafa, in the neighbouring Moulvibazar District and released into the Dargah reservoir. Presently, the population has once more risen to the hundreds. Local folklore further states that the Blue Rock Pigeons seen in and around the Dargah (known as Jalali Kabutar or 'Jalal's pigeons') are descended from a pair gifted to the saint by Nizamuddin Auliya. Source: Background Music: 🔻 You’re free to use this audio track in any of your videos, including videos that you monetize. No attribution is required. 🔺 ► My Website:
