Goripalayam Mosque is a large mosque in Goripalayam (part of

Madurai Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in ...

City) containing two graves (tombs) of Sultans of

Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...

namely Khaja Syed Sultan Alauddin Badusha Razi and Khaja Syed Sulthan Shamsuddin of the

Madurai Sultanate Ma'bar Sultanate ( fa, ), unofficially known as the Madurai Sultanate, was a short lived kingdom based in the city of Madurai in Tamil Nadu, India. The sultanate was proclaimed in 1335 led by Jalaluddin Ahsan Khan declared his independenc ...

. There is also one invisible grave of Khaja Syed Sultan Habibuddin Razi who is also known as Ghaibi Sulthan who came to India to spread

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

. Its dome is in diameter and in height and made of a single block of stone which was brought from the Azhaga Hills. It is said that it was built by

Thirumalai Nayak Tirumala Nayaka ( Tamil: ''"Thirumalai Nayakar"''; 1623–1659) was the ruler of Madurai Nayak Dynasty in the 17th century. He ruled Madurai between A.D 1623 and 1659. His contributions are found in the many splendid buildings and temples of M ...

for his Muslim subjects.

Origin

The name Gorippalayam comes from the

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

word ''gor'' which means ''grave''. This area is called as Goripalayam because the graves of the two famous saints of

and rulers of Madurai Sulthan Alauddin Badusha (Radiyallah) and Sulthan Shamsuddin Badhusha (Radiyallah) are here. A beautiful green tomb can be seen from the A.V. Bridge, which is the Gorippalayam Dargah located in the northern banks of

Vaigai River The Vaigai is a river in the Tamil Nadu state of southern India; it passes through the towns of Theni, Dindigul and Madurai. It originates in Varusanadu Hills, the Periyar Plateau of the Western Ghats range, and flows northeast through the K ...

. People from all over

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

come here to seek blessings and go back fruitfully. The two rulers were brothers who ruled the northern part of Madurai after coming from

Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...

during the 13th century to spread

after hearing about the travel of Qutb Sulthan Syed Ibrahim Shaheed Badusha of

Erwadi Erwadi is a village in Ramanathapuram District, Tamil Nadu, a state in South India. It belongs to Kilakarai Taluk and town panchayat. The village is the location of the grave and shrine of Qutbus Sultan Syed Ibrahim Shaheed Badusha, the previou ...

and his victory in south India followed by the established Islamic rule in Madurai and Ramanathapuram provinces.

Kazi Kazi may refer to: * Kazi (given name), * Kaji (Nepal), Nepalese prime ministerial position (later reduced to ministers) * Kaži, cat in Vepsian * Qadi or ''Kazi'' or ''Qazi'', an Islamic legal scholar and judge * KAZI-FM, an FM radio station in Au ...

Syed Tajuddin Radiyallah, the founder of

Kazimar Big Mosque Kazimar Periya Pallivasal or Kazimar Big Mosque is the oldest mosque in Madurai city, Tamil Nadu, India constructed in the year 1284AD (Hijri 683) and continues to be in existence for more than 7 centuries till today. The mosque was founded by ...

and who lived in

Kazimar Street Kazimar Street is an ancient street in Madurai, India, dating from the 13th century. Kazi Syed Tajuddin is the one who settled here after preaching Islam in South India. 99.2% population of this street are Muslims and 0.8% Hindus. The famous ...

was government Kazi (Islamic legal advisor and jury) to the Sultans. The descendants of Kazi Syed Tajuddin are still living in Kazimar Street and the Kazimar Big mosque is being maintained by them. From the time of Sultans the Kazis to Madurai city are appointed from the descendants of Kazi Syed Tajuddin and this tradition was followed by the Pandiya Rulers, the Nayak rulers, the Nawab rulers and the British rulers. Even today the post independent democratic state government of Tamil Nadu appoints Kazi to Madurai only from the descendants of Kazi Syed Tajuddin who was the Kazi to the Madurai Sultans. An ancient

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

inscription Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...

can be found planted on the outer campus of the

Maqbara The Arabic word ''Maqbara'' ( "mausoleum"; ''plural'': ''Maqâbir'') is derived from the word Qabr, which means grave. Though maqbara refers to the graves of all Muslims, it refers especially to a Muslim cemetery. In some Islamic cultures (espe ...

of the dargah campus:

Inscription

The descendants of Sulthan Alauddin Badusha, and Sulthan Shamsuddin Badusha (called as Sultans of
Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
) purchased from the then King Koo(n) Pandiyan the land of Gorippalayam Dargah for a Feet of Gold piece and other six villages (namely Bibi Kulam, Chokkikulam, Cholikudi, Chirudoor, Kannanendal, Thiruppalai) at the rate of 14,000
Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
pieces for the maintenance of Gorippalayam Dargah. During the reign of King Veerappa
nayakkar The Nayak is a historic Indian title conferred on Sardars, who were governors of feudal states in the Middle Ages. Today it is also a surname. Nayaks are mostly Hindu and few Sikhs, who follow Hinduism and Sikhism respectively. As a surname Tod ...
of the Madurai Nayak rulers, a dispute arose between the Huqdars of the Durgah and the employees of the Nayakkar Government regarding the six villages. The case was taken to King Veerappa Nayakkar, who inquired and verified the documents written by King Koo(n) Pandiyan and gave his verdict in the year 1573 A.D. as the Six villages and the Dargah land belongs to the Descendants of Sultans and it should be in their enjoyment till the existence of Sun and Moon and who violates this will be liable for the sin of slaughtering a cow in the bank of river
Ganga The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...
.

This inscription is considered a piece of evidences to prove the existence of the Dargah since 13th century.

Anniversary Urus Festival

The anniversary Urus festival of this dargah is held on 15th night of the Islamic month of Rabi al-awwal on every hijri year.

References

{{Mosques in India Tourist attractions in Madurai Religious buildings and structures in Madurai Mosques in Madurai Mosques in Tamil Nadu Dargahs in Tamil Nadu Madurai district

Origin

Inscription

Anniversary Urus Festival

See also

References