Piran Kaliyar Sharif is the dargah of 13th-century Sufi saint of Chishti Order, Alauddin Ali Ahmed Sabir Kalyari also known as Sabir Pak and Sabir Kaliyari. It is situated near Haridwar on the banks of Ganga Canal and one of the most revered shrines for Muslims in India and is equally revered by Hindus and followers of other religions. The dargah shrine was built by Ibrahim Lodhi, an Afghan ruler of Delhi Sultanate.[1]
Sabir Pak was a 13th-century Sufi saint in the Chishti Order, succeeding Baba Farid and establishing the Sabiriya branch of the Chishti Order.[2]
Alauddin Sabir Kaliyari was born on 19 Rabi al-awwal, 592 Hijri (1196) in Herat to Jamila Khatun, who was the elder sister of Baba Fareed. After the death of his father Syed Abul Rahim, in 1204, his mother brought him to Pakpattan to Baba Fareed, who then made him his disciple and put him in charge of the langar.[3]
When Alauddin's mother visited him after a long time, she found him weak, prompting her to demand an explanation from Baba Fareed. Baba Fareed explained that he was made in charge of the kitchen and hence had no shortage of food.
Alauddin explained that although he was in charge of the kitchen, he refrained from eating from it. Instead, he sustained himself by foraging in the jungle during his free time. Impressed by his perseverance, he was then given the title Sabir (lit. patient).[4] [5]
In 1253 AD, after being appointed as the protector of Kaliyar Sharif by Baba Fareed, Alauddin Sabir Kaliyari reached Kaliyar and remained there for the rest of his life, passing away on the 13th of Rabi al-awwal, 690 Hijri (1291).
Situated on the outskirts of Roorkee town, the shrine is a revered destination for both tourists and devotees, renowned for its mystical powers and attracting millions of devotees from various religious backgrounds, both within India and from abroad.[6]
Over the centuries, a small town developed around the shrine and came to be known as Piran Kaliyar. In later history, India's first steam engine, Mary Lind, (specially shipped from England moved on rails in India) ran in Roorkee on 22 December 1851, between Roorkee and Piran Kaliyar, two years before the first passenger train ran from Bombay to Thane in 1853. Operated by the Bengal Sappers, the railway line was built to carry soil used for the construction of the Upper Ganges Canal aqueduct from Piran Kaliyar, 10 km (6.2 miles) from the city.[7]
The campus of Piran Kaliyar Dargah is home to a notable Gular tree, which holds significance for pilgrims visiting the shrine. Pilgrims often take the tree's fruits as Tabarruk or Prasad, believing them to possess mystical powers. It is said that the revered saint used to meditate under the shade of the Gular tree before attaining salvation.[8] Piran Kaliyar is also an Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly constituency, part of the Haridwar Lok Sabha constituency.[9]