Charar-e-Sharief_shrine
Charar-e-Sharief shrine
Sufi muslim shrine in Budgam district
Charar-e-Sharief (also spelled Charar-i-Sharief, Charari Sharief, Chrari-Sharif, etc.) is a Sufi Muslim shrine and mosque situated in the town of Charari Sharief in Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir union territory, India.[1][2] It is one of the oldest and sacrosanct shrines of Indian Muslims, including Kashmir Valley dedicated to a Kashmiri Sufi saint Nund Rishi.[3] It was built in 1460 to pay homage to Nund Rishi. It was rebuilt after the conflagration of 1995.[4] The incident is related to the escape of Pakistan based terrorist Mast Gul.[5]
It has religious significance in the cultural heritage of Kashmir and is considered the holiest place of Muslims.[6]
It is believed that 9 lakh people gathered at the shrine of charar within two days of his death, in 1438AD. The king Sultan Zain-ul-Abedin also took part in his funeral procession.[1][7] Besides Muslims, the shrine is also visited by Hindus.[8] After Sufi shrine gutted in fire, it was later reconstructed by the authorities however, local people accused the local government for not taking measures to prevent fire incidents.[9]