The Haji Ali Dargah Trust, which manages the Haji Ali shrine in the Arabian Sea in Worli, on Saturday completed 100 years and plans to commemorate the centenary year with a host of events.
“Haji Ali Dargah is nearly 600 years old, but the deed of the Haji Ali Dargah Trust completed 100 years on Saturday. It was signed on February 20, 1916, and the trust has since looked after the dargah,” trustee Suhail Khandwani told The Hindu.
To commemorate the occasion, the trust has invited a Sufi Qawwali group, Fanna-Fi Allah from California to perform at the shrine. “This qawwali group is unique. It is the first international qawwali group comprising westerners,” Mr Khandwani said. The trust will also lay the foundation stone for the restoration of the Dargah premises.
The Haji Ali Dargah houses the tomb of an Iranian Sufi saint Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari and is located in the middle of the sea off the crescent-shaped Worli waterfront. The shrine is revered by followers of all religions, and is accessible only during low tides through a stone pathway connecting the shores.