Moula Ali Dargah not yet ready for Urs

Moula Ali Dargah not yet ready for Urs
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With festivities of Urs drawing closer, caretakers of the Hazrat Ali Dargah are in tight waters as the shrine on the hills of Moula Ali remains to be in a dilapidated state. 

Moula Ali: With festivities of Urs drawing closer, caretakers of the Hazrat Ali Dargah are in tight waters as the shrine on the hills of Moula Ali remains to be in a dilapidated state.

With boulders around the Dargah crumbling down and even the cement peeling off from the ceilings and walls, the Koh-e-Shareef has been left in a state of neglect by both the State government and the Waqf Board along with a one Mutawalli Zaheer Khan whose clan has been the official caretakers of the shrine since 1754.

The 450-year-old Dargah which will be celebrating the birth anniversary of saint Hazrat Ali, son-in-law of Prophet Mohammed-e-Mustafa on March 31st this year attracts thousands of devotees across various states of the country irrespective of their religion, caste and creed.

But since there is insufficient space to accommodate the huge crowds uphill Moula Ali, organisers are trying to find alternative solutions in order to avoid stampede-like situation during the main day of the Urs celebration.

" We are left with fewer days to prepare for the grand carnival of Urs. The eight days of the festival are very important to us and many people from distant places come to take the blessings of the saint. But there are no halls or shelters at the top of Moula Ali to take in the sea of devotees.

There is an Ashoorkhana near the Dargah which a considerable option could be but with the lack of maintenance over a long period of time, it lies dysfunctional with wild grasses growing all around it. Moreover, the roads leading midway to the Dargah for the convenience of the elderly, women and children, are under construction for drainage works." shares Meer Ashraf Ali Razvi (Syeed), Superintendent of the Dargah.

Sharing his attachment with the Moula Ali shrine, Ex-councillor Md Ayub Ali Khan narrates that the Hazrat Ali shrine has brought joy and peace not just to him and his family but also in lives of several devotees who visit it. "

The shrine is in an immediate need of restoration as the building structure which is predominantly made of lime mortar is slowly weakening from the exteriors and in several places, it has also collapsed. Although a few organisations like the Al-Kausar are trying to restore portions of the shrine-like its entrance arch, it is sad that no other stakeholders of the heritage property are taking up any responsibility towards it" sighs Ayub.

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