Haji Ali Dargah : An epitome of communal Harmony

The Haji Ali Dargah is a mosque located on a small island off the coast of Worli in the southern part of Mumbai metropolitan city of India. Built in the year 1431 in memory of a Saint Sayyed Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari, the Dargah has served as a cynosure of communal harmony for generations. Saint Haji Ali Shah Bukhari was a wealthy merchant from present Uzbekistan, who gave up all his wealth to serve the humanity. A narrow causeway of about one kilometer links the shore with the island of Haji Ali Dargah. The cause way gets submerged during high tides and during low tides, the Dargah becomes accessible to lakhs of visitors coming from different religious backgrounds and communities. On Thursdays and Fridays, the shrine is visited by an enormous number of pilgrims. Irrespective of faith and religion, people visit the Dargah to get the blessings of the legendary saint. India has remained the epicenter of many such sites that strengthen the bond of secularism, as people from all faiths rising above all the ethnicities, castes- creeds and religiosity, gather at one place, spreading the message of peace and brotherhood.