The Thiruparankundram Dargah is at the top of the

Thiruparankundram Thiruparankundram, also spelled Tirupparankundram or Tiruparangundram, is a town in Madurai district in Tamil Nadu, India. It is about from Madurai city and constitutes the southwest part of the greater Madurai city (Municipal Corporation). The ...

hill in

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 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It is a famous Islamic

dargah A dargah ( fa, درگاه ''dargâh'' or ''dargah'', Turkish: ''dergâh'', Hindustani: ''dargah'' दरगाह درگاہ, bn, দরগাহ ''dorgah'') is a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often ...

(shrine), with the grave of

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 ...

ic saint Sultan Sikandhar Badushah shaheed.

History

Sulthan Sikandhar Badhusha Shaheed

Sikandhar Badusha, who was the governor of

Jeddah Jeddah ( ), also spelled Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; ar, , Jidda, ), is a city in the Hejaz region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the country's commercial center. Established in the 6th century BC as a fishing village, Jeddah's pro ...

, came along with Sulthan Syed Ibrahim Shaheed Badushah who came to

in particular

Ervadi 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 ...

from Madinah during the late 12th century.

Sikandhar Badhusha's rule in Madurai

Badusha Sulthan Syed Ibrahim shaheed Labswh 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 ...

won the

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 ...

province against the King Thiru Pandiyan who refused to convert to

and made Sulthan sikandhar Badusha the emperor of

. King Tiru Pandiyan went to

Tirupati Tirupati () is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Tirupati district. The city is home to the important Hindu shrine of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple and other historic temples and is refe ...

, met all his friends and briefed them about the

invasion An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing con ...

of the

Arabs The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Wester ...

. They helped him form a large

troop A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Troop Ro ...

War after Tirupandiyan's return

After forming a big and healthy troop to face the Arabs, King Thiruppandiyan started towards Madurai. The emperor, who was unaware about this turnaround, concentrated in spreading Islam and in the welfare of the people rather than strengthening the army. Tiruppandiyan's strong army fought with Sulthan Sikandhar Badhusha vigorously. Thousands of soldiers were killed on both sides. The Arabs needed more troops to face the Pandiyas. Sulthan Sikandhar Badhusha sent nine of his soldiers to inform Sulthan Syed Ibrahim Shaheed the ruler of Bouthiramanikkapattinam (now

) to inform about the war and the need of more troops. Afraid of more soldiers arriving from

, King Thiruppandiyan sent a large number of his soldiers to stop the Arabian soldiers. Syed Salaar Sha Shaheed was killed at Palli chandai near

Keeladi Keezhadi ( ta, கீழடி, kīḻaṭi) is a village near the village of Silaiman, on the border between Madurai and Sivagangai districts, in Tamil Nadu, India. The Keezhadi excavation site is located in this area: excavations carried out by ...

Silaiman and Syed Ibrahim Shaheed Razi at Karseri near Sakkimangalam. The remaining seven soldiers fought and continued their journey towards Ervadi. Again a large group of Pandiyan soldiers followed them up and a rigorous war held at

Manamadurai Manamadurai is a Municipality Town in Sivaganga district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Manamadurai falls under Manamadurai Legislative assembly. Upgradation of Manamadurai to Municipality Municipal Administration Minister KN Nehru made ...

in which five of the Arabian soldiers called as Khamsatu Shuhadaas (Anjanamaar - Paanch Peer) were killed. The remaining two soldiers traveled hard to convey the message to the Emperor of

. Umar Khattab Shaheed was killed at Kilavaneri near Meesal. The only soldier alive was seriously injured by the Pandiyas. He managed to reach Bouthiramanikkapattanam and conveyed the message of Thiuppandiyan's invasion back to

. Sulthan Syed Ibrahim Badusha was saddened by this and sent a large troop towards Madurai. Before the troop could reach Madurai, the war came to an end and Thiruppandiyan recaptured the throne.

Martyrdom at Thiruparankundram hills

The plaque displaying the name of the saint and the year He was martyred- 2013-12-26 13-41

Sulthan Sikkandhar Badhusha Shaheed rested at Thiruparankundram caves for prayers and peace. Even after capturing the throne, King Thiruppandiyan suspected the resurgence of Sulthan Sikandhar Badusha and the Arabian forces. He searched for Sulthan Sikandhar badhusha shaheed. Thousands of soldiers were sent, and finally they could see a rock flying up and settling down regularly in the Thirupparagundram hill. When they followed that, they saw an Arabian horse which they confirmed to be of Sulthan Sikandhar badhusha. A few soldiers reached the cave where they found the rock to fly up while Sultan Sikandhar badhusha stood for prayers and settle down when he was prostrating. One of the mal'oon from the soldiers of Pandiya killed Sulthan Sikandhar Badhusha Shaheed during his

prostration Prostration is the gesture of placing one's body in a reverentially or submissively prone position. Typically prostration is distinguished from the lesser acts of bowing or kneeling by involving a part of the body above the knee, especially t ...

in prayers.

Miracles

Realising the sudden blindness to be the

miracle A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divin ...

(

Karamat In Sunni Islam, ''karamat'' ( ar, کرامات ''karāmāt'', pl. of ''karāmah'', lit. generosity, high-mindedness) refers to supernatural wonders performed by Muslim saints. In the technical vocabulary of Islamic religious sciences, the sin ...

) of Sulthan Sikandhar badhusha, the assassin begged and lamented for forgiveness. Accepting their forgiveness, Mustajab Ad

Dua In Islam, ( ar, دعاء , plural: ' ) is a prayer of invocation, supplication or request, even asking help or assistance from God. Role in Islam Muslims regard this as a profound act of worship. Muhammad is reported to have said ...

Sikandhar Badhusha prayed and gave back his vision. As intended, they did the funeral of Holy Jasada Mubarak at the top of the hill as per Islamic regulations. A big rock flew and covered the Qabr of Sulthan sikandhar badusha. There are other miracles ( Karaamaat) of Sulthan Sikandhar badhusha happening day to day in the dargha and other the locations as believed by the visiting people.

Site of religious harmony today

Irrespective of

religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

, people from many parts of

and from

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

visit this durgah. People who visit th
Ervadi Durgah
in

Ramanathapuram district Ramanathapuram District, also known as Ramnad District, is one of the 38 districts an administrative districts of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. The old Ramanathapuram District consists of Present day Virudhunagar Virudhunagar is a c ...

are supposed to visit this durgah. Many poems are written in praise of Sultan Sikandhar Badhusha, by Syed Abdussalam Ibrahim Saalim

Madurai Maqbara Madurai Maqbara ( ta, மதுரை மக்பரா; ar, مدهر مقبرة) refers to the Dargahs of three Sufi saints: Mir Ahmad Ibrahim, Mir Amjad Ibrahim, and Abdus Salaam Ibrahim situated in Kazimar Big Mosque, Madurai, India. Th ...

, the third in the list o
Madurai Hazrats
and his maternal grandson Syed Abdus Salaam Ibrahim Saahib. It is seen that people who come here with a wish see it answered in a very short time, and so he is called Mustajab ad Du'aa Sikandhar Badhushah. Mustajab Ad Du'aa in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

translates as "a saint whose prayers are immediately answered by

Allah Allah (; ar, الله, translit=Allāh, ) is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from '' al- ilāh'', which means "the god", an ...

Urus Santhanakoodu Festival

The

anniversary An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded in a previous year, and may also refer to the commemoration or celebration of that event. The word was first used for Catholic feasts to commemorate saints ...

Urs Urs (from ''‘Urs'') or ''Urus'' (literal meaning wedding), is the death anniversary of a Sufi saint, usually held at the saint's dargah (shrine or tomb). In most Sufi orders such as Naqshbandiyyah, Suhrawardiyya, Chishtiyya, Qadiriyya, etc ...

festival of Sulthan Sikandar Badusha Shaheed is commemorated on the 17th night of the Islamic month of

Rajab Rajab ( ar, رَجَب) is the seventh month of the Islamic calendar. The lexical definition of the classical Arabic verb ''rajaba'' is "to respect" which could also mean "be awe or be in fear", of which Rajab is a derivative. This month is re ...

every Hijri year. Thousands of people visit the dargah at the hill top on this day. Arrangements are made by the dargah committee and the local police for the welfare of the pilgrims.

Town view from Dargah

Thirupparankundram Dargah and Temple- view from long distance

References

{{reflist
thiruparankundram
Thiruparankundram Ziyarat Mosques in Tamil Nadu Mosques in Madurai Tourist attractions in Madurai Religious buildings and structures in Madurai Dargahs in Tamil Nadu Erwadi-related dargahs Madurai district bpy:থিরুপারানকুন্ডরাম it:Thiruparankundram ja:ティルッパランクンダム pt:Thiruparankundram ta:திருப்பரங்குன்றம் தர்காஹ்