Makhdum ShahSharfu'd Din i Bihar (Cave of)
25.016700,85.472200
Description
A low, sacred rock shelter (temple cave) below gravitationally (quartzite?) boulders, large enough to sleep and sit inside (mind your head), now (December 2001) in the back of a walled and roofed enclosure, and painted with a thick coating of aluminium coloured enamel. The venerated cult spot is said to have been used as a troglodyte hermitage by the Pir (Muslim saint) Hazrat (note 1) Makhdum Shah Sharfu'd Din-i Bihar (in short: Makhdum Saheb), a Sufi of the Salik class. SITUATION: Near Laxmi Narayan temple (note 2) and above the Makhdum Kund (note 3), a hot spring in a sunken, tiled hollow much frequented by male soap users. On the north-eastern flank of Vipula hill, less than a kilometer due south of New Rajgir town and above the north gate.
NOTE 1: The Arabic (and Farsi / Persien, etc.) title "Hazrat" corresponds to Reverend, or Superior (CROOKE, William, editior of Meer HASSAN ALI, B. [Mrs.] 1832 edited 1917 letter 7 note 19). "Hazrat Musa" (the Christian's Prophet Moses) is a "Kalimullah" or Kalim-u'llah (He that spoke with God). NOTE 2: »Hazrat Mukhdum Shah Sharfuddin Ahmed Yalia of Maner, the king of Salikas (a class of [life avoiding Sufi] faquirs) has made a special chilla … There is an idgah (monument) just near to the Laxmi Narayan Temple where they offer Namaz (prayers) during Id« (NARAYAN, Sachindra 1983: 11, verbatim repeated on p. 93). NOTE 3: KURAISHI (1939 edited 1944, 1951, 1956) repeated by KURAISHI & GOSH (1958 edited 1975: 40) note: »… Stone 'with blood stains'… not too far east of Devadatta's stone house [indicated on the accompanying location map] … still be seen above the Makhdum Kund, the detached hot spring on the north side of the Vipula hill. A small cave in an upper enclosure approached by a broad flight of steps here is said to to have been frequently used by the Muslim saint, Makhdum Shah Sharfu'd-Din of Bihar, for purposes of meditation, during his sojourn of twelve years in the jungles of Rajgir. The stone is higher up on the south and is approached by a flight of steps.« [indicated by Manfred Moser 1998].
Documents
Bibliography 17/04/2016History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 2001.12. 28: H. Daniel Gebauer visited.
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.3 | DEVADATTA STONE HOUSE, Rajgir | ||
| 0.5 | PIPPALA CAVE | ||
| 0.6 | SNAKE-ROCK POND, Rajgir (Cave of the) | ||
| 1.0 | BUDDHA SAMADHI CAVE, Rajgir | ||
| 1.0 | GAMBHIRA GUHA | ||
| 1.7 | SATTAPANNA GUHA | ||
| 1.7 | SONBHANDAR GUHA | ||
| 1.9 | SATTAPANNA GUHA (Stein 1901) 2nd | ||
| 2.6 | SATTAPANNA GUHA (Beglar 1873) |