“Since then, the place has been named after him as “Takiya Sangi Rishi”- meaning abode of Sangi Rishi. He busied himself into intense practices in complete isolation till his last breath to subdue the self (Nafs), and to attain the spiritual elevations”. Rishi is a person who immerses himself in the divine self. Taking heed of this Rishi philosophy, Sangi Reshi RA joined this order(Silsila) hundred years back by availing the spiritual support of Baba Dariydin RA who himself was allied with the Rishi lineage of Sheikh-Ul- Alm RA. It is believed that Baba Sangi Reshi was the resident of Pandach Nagbal. His real name was Abdul Samad. When he came to know about the presence of a Sufi saint, performing meditations (Zikr Azkar) in a cave at the foothills of a mountain that lies between Nagbal and Khalmula Ganderbal which is8 km away from Pandach. He approached there andwas inspired by his simple lifestyle, tolerance, righteousness, mercy, and divine love. He started rounds there asa honey bee hovering over a flower in search of nectar. He tested the nectar of spirituality from him and made his mind to dedicate his entire life to the service of this Sufi saint. As a true and obedient disciple, Baba Sangi- Reshi along with other colleagues – Baba Fatha Reshi RA Baba-Hasti Reshi RA served his Murshid as per their capacities. They used to fetch water for him for day-to-day needs and ablution from nearby villages because there was no availability of water there. It is said that one day, they brought that matter to his Murshid who recited the name of Allah and then struck his stick (Asa) on the ground, and water exuded from there. That source of water became the lifeline for the later residents who made the place as their permanent settlement. After the physical death of his Murshid,(Baba Dariya-Din), he shifted to another location that falls in the same area-Elaqiphak at Khimber which is almost 10 km away from Hazratbal and stayed there. He selected a particular place for mediation at the foothills of Khimber area popularly known as “PEERPAL”. That particular place was densely populated with wildbeasts and grass. Those wild animals were roaming there even during the daytime but never disturbed or harmed him in anyway. There are many other miracles attributed to his life.It was one of the locals from Khimber village that made his presence public who was wandering there in search of his missing cattle. As soon as the news spread in the locality, thepeople rushed to the spot requested the saint to take shelter in the nearby village (Khimber) but he refused.
After the consistent requests, he moved few yards down- where the present Shrine is located and selected the place for his eternal abode. “Since then, the place has been named after him as “Takiya Sangi Rishi”- meaning abode of Sangi Rishi. He busied himself into intense practices in complete isolation till his last breath to subdue the self (Nafs), and to attain the spiritual elevations. “He adopted all those virtues which give a unique identity to this Rishi Order like- living in isolation, complete acquiescence to the will of Almighty Allah, total surrender to Him, and belittling worldly affairs. consequently, he achieved the honor to bein the list of Sufi saints of this Reshi order that believes in complete harmony with other living and non-living entities. Imitating the complete lifestyle of his Murshid, he relied on wild eatables primarily-Dipsacaceous leaves (Wopul Haak) to curb his hunger. He not only kept himself at bay from worldly possessions but also stood against egoism, deception, selfishness, vanity, lust, greed, and arrogance. In this way, he retained the legacy of indigenous Rishiyat. Well-known historians-Hassan Shah Khuehami did mention his name in his historical book “Tawariqi Hassan’ with brief introduction. But there is no mention of his earlier life. If we do the comparative study of his period with that of the ruling dynasty of Kashmiri and his contemporaries, we can speculate the period falls in the 15th century AD.His mausoleum is located magnificently in the lap of the mountain atTakiya Sangi Rishi Khimber. The Structure is adequately maintained and managed by the local people. His annual day (Urs) is always celebrated with full religious honor and cultural gaiety in the month of February. People assemble there in large numbers. Special prayers are conducted on this particular occasion, locals prepare a special dish – Dipsacaceous leaves (Wopul Haak ) to commemorate his simple lifestyle, It is said that renowned Sufi poet Ahmad Sahab Batwari RA completed his forty days meditation there. After that, he moved to Baba Dariya- Dinfor further mediation to attain the higher level of consciousness.
(The author is a teacher by profession. Views are his own)
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