HARIPUR:
Shrouded in mystery, the shrine of Nogaza Baba in Mirpur village of Pandak union council in Haripur draws people not only from surrounding villages but also from other areas of the district.
Although the exact origin and ethnicity of Nogaza Baba is debated, followers flock to the nine-yard-long (27-foot-long) grave of the saint who was said be of the same height. It is unclear if the saint is the same as Naugaja Baba whose tomb in the northern state of Haryana in India is visited by Hindus and Muslims alike and is a personality revered by adherents of all faiths. Yet, the mysterious memorial is a fountain of fascination and folklore.
Although the exact origin and ethnicity of Nogaza Baba is debated, followers flock to the 9-yard-long grave. PHOTOS: MUHAMMAD SADAQAT/EXPRESS
Haider Zaman, an octogenarian from Mirpur, said he first visited the grave as a child with his father before the creation of Pakistan.
Zaman told The Express Tribune his father used to quote Zaman’s grandfather saying the saint was nine yards tall and used to sit at the spot where the shrine is today. Zaman added his grandfather even claimed to have seen the saint.
A resident of Kahal village, Nazeer, said the place served as the saint’s baithak (seating place) and that the original shrine is somewhere in Azad Kashmir. Nazeer added there is a similar grave in Khalabat Township that is also said to be the seat of Nogaza Baba.
The shrine in Mirpur is a place where people distribute offerings of sweet and rice. “Whenever I have prayed for something at Baba’s grave, God has fulfilled my wish,” said Manzoor, who visits regularly and also cleans the shrine.
Yet another devotee, Nawaz said women and children also visit to get their prayers heard.
The faith in Baba Nogaza may be blind, but his mention elicits a twinkle in the most earnest of eyes.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 3rd, 2014.
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Their are a number of Naugazai Babas in and around Peshawar, these were the fighters who fought against the Sikhs under the command of Syed Ahmad Shaheed and later on under the command of his followers. After the Martyrdom of Syed Ahmad Shaheed his followers were hunted down; since they did not had time so they were buried in mass graves and that is why the People of Peshawar give them a lot of respect- this is a common knowledge among the older generation of Peshawar and surrounding villages. A couple of decades back I was told by an elder that a fortress of Syed Ahmad Shaheed stood next to gora qabristan, the ruins were in quite good shape and was on the property of the people of Tehkal- they sold it to the British in 1946 who had it demolished and included it in their cantonment- According to Maulana Deen (as he was popularly known), "I pleaded the elders of Tehkal not to do so, soon we are getting independence and this is of a lot of historic value to us, but despite my advice they sold it and we lost the such an important monument". So instead of making mysteries lets read the history and talk to the elders and document what is not documented.
I also feel that the name of Arbab Road be changed to Arbab Behram Khan road, you have already published an article on him captioned, Forgotten heroes: The man who would be king wanted to reform Peshawar’s warring tribes" By Riaz Ahmad / Photo: Riaz AhmadPublished: July 15, 2014
There are countless nogaza baba's dotted around the country. In one in outskirt of peshawar, i saw 4 9 gaz graves in the same tomb (ashab baba).
Barring a few, the "mysterious" ones are usually just fraud, and most certainly none of them were 9 yards tall. It is just a ploy to capture more land space and room to adjust many devotees around the grave.