Baba Mohalla, Bijbehara

Baba Mohalla Bijbehara Is Imp. Part Of Historic town of kashmir . Bijbehara was one of the ancient capitals of Kashmir whose title, he suggested, had evolved from ‘Vijaypora’ (the city of victory) Situated at a distance of 48 kilometers from the main city of Srinagar, this historic town falls under the jurisdictions of the southern district of Anantnag. Bijbehara has a comparatively longer and interesting historical career when compared with other historic towns and cities within the ambit of the valley. The first archaeological survey of the town was carried out in 1889 AD by Aruel Stein when he came across several ancient artifacts in the town. This survey was followed by a systematic excavation at Sempthan-Bejbehara undertaken here in the year 1982. It was an interesting discovery in the archaeological history of Kashmir.
The ‘Burzhama’ and the ‘Gufkral’ (Two archeological sites in Kashmir valley) sites excavated earlier had already revealed the Paleolithic and Neolithic settlements in Kashmir. But the excavations hinted at a huge gap in the archaeological history of this land only to be aptly filled by the Semithian excavations. To quote the co-excavator of Semithan site, `Semithian excavation was a step forward in bridging the gap between the Neolithic and Kushana periods in Kashmir’. The finds of Proto Harappian pottery, (700-500 BC) NBP (500-200 BC) and Grecian type pottery and coins (200 BC to 1st Century AD) were the magnificent discoveries at the site.
Besides archaeological sites, Bijbehara also possesses a marvelous architectural heritage. The most interesting monument in here is the Khanqah of Baba Naseeb-ud-Din Gazi, (RA), a Muslim Sufi Saint. The Khanqah, in well-preserved condition, is seen at Baba Mohalla in Bijbehara. The erection of the mosque is attributed to the Sultan Sikander (1390-1415 AD).
The mosque is square in plan and measures 40 x 40 ft. It is a double storey mosque; the ground is raised of Deveri-stones, coated externally in red lime plaster, while upper storey is constructed of wooden balks. The space between the balks is filled by well-finished bricks. The roof renovated was actually made up of mud and birch-bark leaves. The upper-storey has two open-air balconies, one in north and the other in south side, usually supported by four columns. The varandha’s are enclosed with jail Screens formed of small pieces of wood. This upper storey has also four windows filled with trellis.
The most famous is the tomb of Baba Naseeb-ud- Din Gazi (RA). This shrine is also square in plan. The plinths formed of local-Kashmiri stone is covered over with cement plaster. The central chamber housing the mausoleum of the saint is raised of bricks and wood. The exterior of the chamber showcase the Persian and Arabic writings in beautiful calligraphy styles. The pillars imposed over the verandah, around the central chamber support the ceiling as well as the roof. The whole structure is covered over by a low pyramidal roof built in three tiers, with size diminishing in each successive tier. A lovely octagonal steeple of Ahrami order is raised over the center of the roof. The final of the steeple is covered over with a silver object.
A grand festival to mark the birth anniversary of the saint is held here in spring season every year with great enthusiasm. The worth seeing episode of the festival is the Kashmiri traditional dance called Dhamali around the mausoleum. The other architectural monuments of Bijbehara include the magnificent Mughal Garden on the banks of river Jehlum. The garden known as Padshahi Bagh was laid here by Dara Shikoh (1632-58 AD). The ancient graveyards of Bijbehara also carried excellent inscribed gravestones in Persian, Arabic and Sharda. Due to negligence as well as poor maintenance, these grave stones are losing their brilliant inscriptions.
Unfortunately the town during the past few years has been pushed towards oblivion and no steps are taken to preserve its heritages. The artifacts found here have already gone out of this town and the historical sites here also reveal the apathy of the state authorities. The people of this town and its adjoining areas have been demanding setting up of a Site Museum in this town for all the artifacts that have been excavated from here. They also demand that the artifacts be brought back for restoring the glory of this historical town.