"Where Kashmir invokes its guardian saint, and seekers find refuge in centuries of devotion"
Masjid Dastgeer Sahib
Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Rising from the heart of Srinagar's Khanyar quarter, Dastgeer Sahib houses a hair relic of Abdul Qadir Gilani, founder of the Qadiriyya Sufi order. For over two centuries, Kashmiris have come here seeking the saint's intercession. The invocation to him is the third most common in the valley, after God and Prophet Muhammad.
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Quick Facts
Location
Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Tradition
Site Type
Year Built
1806
Coordinates
34.0933, 74.8172
Last Updated
Jan 8, 2026
Learn More
Dastgeer Sahib traces its lineage to Abdul Qadir Gilani, the 12th-century Baghdad saint whose Qadiriyya order spread across the Muslim world. The shrine was established in 1806 after a merchant brought the saint's hair relic from Kandahar. Over two centuries, it has grown into Kashmir's most important Sufi shrine, surviving multiple fires and continuing as a center of active devotion.
Origin Story
The story begins in 12th-century Baghdad, where Abdul Qadir Gilani established the Qadiriyya order and earned the rank of Ghawth, the supreme helper among Sufi saints. His influence spread far beyond his lifetime and geography. Though he never visited Kashmir, his veneration took root there through the transmission of his spiritual lineage.
The Qadri order's presence in Kashmir dates to 1767, when Hazrat Syed Mohammed Fazil Gilani and his brother arrived in the valley. They settled in Khanyar, which became the center of the Silsilai-Qadria, the Qadri lineage.
The shrine itself emerged from an unexpected gift. In 1806, a merchant traveling from Kandahar brought with him a hair relic of Abdul Qadir Gilani. He presented it to Sardar Abdullah Khan, the governor of Kashmir. Recognizing its significance, the governor entrusted the relic to Syed Buzargh Shah, a Qadri Sufi. From this act of entrustment, the shrine began to grow.
The exact circumstances of the relic's journey from Baghdad to Kandahar to Kashmir remain matters of oral tradition rather than documented history. What is certain is that the relic's arrival transformed Khanyar into a pilgrimage destination and established Dastgeer Sahib as the heart of Qadiriyya Sufism in the valley.
Key Figures
Abdul Qadir Gilani
عبد القادر گیلانی
founder
Known as Dastgeer (Holder of the Hand) and Ghawth-e-Azam (the Greatest Helper), Abdul Qadir Gilani founded the Qadiriyya order in 12th-century Baghdad. His spiritual influence extends across the Muslim world. For Kashmiris, he is a living presence who responds to those who invoke him with sincerity.
Syed Buzargh Shah
historical
The Qadri Sufi to whom the saint's hair relic was entrusted in 1806. His acceptance of this responsibility led to the establishment of the shrine.
Mir Husain Qadri
patron
Major benefactor whose patronage funded the shrine's expansion between 1845 and 1854, giving it the substantial form it maintained until the 2012 fire.
Ali Ibn Abi Talib
علی ابن ابی طالب
historical
The Prophet Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, revered by all Muslims and particularly central in Shia Islam and Sufi lineages. The shrine houses a Quran believed to be written in his hand, in 6th-century Kufi script.
Spiritual Lineage
The Qadiriyya order traces an unbroken chain of transmission from Abdul Qadir Gilani to the present. In Kashmir, this lineage established itself through the arrival of Syed Mohammed Fazil Gilani in 1767 and was anchored by the relic's arrival in 1806. The shrine has been maintained by custodians who inherit responsibility through spiritual and often familial succession. Administration transferred to the Central Waqf Council in 2003, but the devotional traditions continue through the community of practitioners who gather for zikr, the monthly Ghyarvi Sharif observances, and the annual Urs. The lineage is not merely administrative. In Qadiriyya understanding, there is a living connection between the saint in his current state—beyond physical death but spiritually present—and those who practice within his tradition. The shrine functions as a node in this network, a place where that connection can be accessed.
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