Ehsan Fazili/Srinagar

Keeping up with the annual practice that marks the beginning of farming season in the region, thousands of people participated in the “Zool”(illumination) festival at the shrine of Sufi saint, Baba Zain-ud-Din Wali at Aishmuqam in Anantnag district of South Kashmir Saturday evening. The torch-light festival involves burning of wooden twigs called phrov in Kashmiri, not only added lights around the shrine of the Sufi saint at the hillock but lit up the town and also the road to the tourist resort of Pahalgam.

About 5000 people with torchlights are allowed to enter the premises area on occasion every year, but the numbers were kept very low this time. “These measures were taken as part of the safety measures as woodwork is in progress in and around the shrine”, said Ashiq Hussain Bhat, Administrator of the J&K Wakf Board at the shrine. He told Awaz-The Voice that another safety measure has been taken by dint of which women are not allowed to enter the premises after Assar prayer.

Torchbearers of faith and devotion at the Aishmuqam shrine

While a large number of people participated in the torchlight festivities at the shrine, nearly 10,000 others drawn from different parts of the valley and elsewhere joined the festivities in the township of Aishmuqam. This led to the closure of traffic on the road which continued from the (Saturday) evening till around midnight, the officials and locals told Awaz-The Voice. The day is important for the locals as it marks the beginning of the farming season in spring after a long cold and harsh winter.

The Zool festival on Saturday evening followed, as per practice, night-long prayers at the shrine of Baba Zain-ud-Din Wali on Friday. The night-long prayers were observed on the 12th day of the month of Shawwal, according to the Islamic calendar, as it is held on the 12th day of the current month falling in April, according to the Wakf official.

“This is the observance of second night-long prayers, or Shab-e-Doum”, said Ashiq Hussain Bhat. Similarly, Shab-e-Awwal, or the first night-long prayer observance was held on the 12th of the Islamic month of Ramazan in March, ahead of the annual festival.

Local youth waiting with their makeshift torches for the sun to set

As per practice, the annual Urs is celebrated during March on a day corresponding to the 12th day of the running month according to the Islamic calendar. An important occasion is the “Phrov” or  Zool, the burning of Mashaals every year, as a mark of respect to the Sufi saint, which marks the beginning of farming (paddy) season in Kashmir. Like the annual Urs, it is also observed on the 12th day of the month, according to the Islamic calendar, falling in April.

aba Zainuddin Wali, according to Reshi Nama, a historical document compiled by Baba Mustafa about 220 years ago, was born at Palmar village in Bounderkote area in Kishtwar district in Jammu region, quotes the Wakf Board official.  The Sufi saint died in 1440 AD and was one of the closest disciples of Sheik Nooruddin Wali, or Nund Reshi or Sheikh-ul-Alam, whose shrine is located at the holy township of Chrar-e-Sharief.

Baba Zainuddin Shah was born in the Rajput family and was named Zai Singh, and is believed to have been born after the death of his father. The child was not physically doing well and had been advised to get faith healing by the Sufi saint, Sheikh Nooruddin Wali, who was then residing in the area.

Zool festival

The child healed up and his mother was advised to take him, for having distinguished characteristics, to a spiritual personality near Anantnag, where he got the Sufi preaching by his peers by the teachings of Sheikh Nooruddin Wali.  It was here that Zainuddin Shah Wali meditated at this cave for 12 years on the instructions of Sheikh Nooruddin Wali.

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The practice of Zool, however, dates back many centuries before the Sufi saints, which marks the power of the truthful to the evil or the demon.