Moorish Connection...India

The Ceylon moor link with india is not only through three saints but also through the steady stream of missionaries and devines who regularly visited Sri Lanka, and the visits of Ceylon Moors and other Muslims to the “Darghas” or shrine of saints in India.

For ever 90 years the muslims spiritual society, Colombo since iits establishment in 1884 has been reciting mawloods for ten days during the muslim month of Jamad-Ul-Akhir right up to the present day.it is in honour of the muslim saint of Nagore Sheik Shahul Hamid Magore Meeran Sahib. During this ten days period in that month the pilgrimage is made to the saint’s “Dargha” in Nagore. “Going to Nagore” is a popular phrase heard when the muslim month of Jamad-ul-Akhir approaches.

The saint visited to Sri Lanka on missionary work. On one of his viisiits here hhe was accompanied by Seyyad Shihabuddeen Oli-ullah and they made the trip to Adam’s Peak through ardous jungle paths beset by wild beasts. When they returned the Nagore saint returned to South India but the other saint, Seyyad Shihabudeen Oli-ullah, attracted by the scenic beauty of Sri Lanka and the Sylvan repositories it afforded for meditation and prayer, decided to stay back. His place of Meditation is the very spot on which the Meeran Maccan Mosque in Kandy now stands.

Yet another South Indian saint who visited Sri Lanka – in more recent times was his Hliness Al-haj Habeeb Mohamed Sathakathullah sahibo Oilullah Kilakarai, popularly known as Pallak Auliya.

He first visited Sri Lanka in his boyhood in the company of the muslimm savant and theologian, Al-Haj Seyed Mohamed Mapillai Alim Sahib, in 1932 he visited Sri Lanka and stayed for three months and again in 1936 he was here for a month (he was then 104 years old). His Sri Lanks host, Mr.A.M.Hasheem as directed by the saint, had mawlood recited in honour of the Holy Prophet Muhammad year after year without a break. It is been continued even now by his children.