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Hajj: An Indian Experience in History
 - Dr Ausaf Sayeed*
 The region of Hijaz is a repository of rich Islamic heritage and siteof Islam’s two holiest cities -- Makkah Al-Mukarramah andMadinah Al-Munnawara. Al-Hijaz is a witness to many religiousand politically significant events in the history of Islam and is,thus, an object of great fascination for Muslims all over the world,including those from India. The prominence of the Jeddah Port, as the Gateway to Makkahand as the leading port for maritime trade through the Red Sea,attracted merchants and pilgrims alike in large numbers everyyear. The people of Hijaz were also fascinated by India’s spices,pearls, precious stones, silk, sandalwood,
oudh
and perfumes andlooked forward to the arrival of Indian ships. The earliest visit by Indians to Makkah for Hajj pilgrimage is amatter of conjecture but it is very likely that such visits pre-datethe Muslim conquests of Sindh (664-712 AD).During Mughal times and until the eighteenth century, pilgrimsfrom India had the option of travelling to Makkah either byoverland caravans or by sailing ships. The Indian pilgrimschoosing to travel by land route via the northwest of India had topass through long, difficult and hazardous terrains, which alsoinvolved crossing the hostile Shia territories controlled by theSafavids. The Indian pilgrims, most of whom were Sunnis,preferred to go by the sea routes, primarily through the Red Sea,and occasionally through the Persian Gulf. However, rampantpiracy and the strict Portuguese control over the Indian Ocean inthe sixteenth century made passage through the Red Sea anonerous task. Most ships travelling from India to the Red Sea in
 
2
the sixteenth century were forced to carry a Portuguese
cartaz 
orpass. In fact the conditions at one point of time became so un-conducive for Hajj that religious scholars at the Mughal court evendeclared pilgrimage to Makkah as non-binding under thecircumstances (Al-Badaoni, as quoted in
 Ain-i Akbari
).  The Mughal rulers had patronised the
Hajj
and sent several shipsto undertake the voyage, providing free passage and provisionsfor the pilgrims. On their part the Ottoman Caliphs, who hadassumed the title of ‘
Custodians of the Holy Places
’, spent largesums in providing and protecting the vast caravans that visitedHijaz from different countries like Syria and Egypt. The ancientport of Surat in Gujarat, which was described variously as
Bab-ul-Mecca
or the
Bandar-e-Mubarak 
(blessed port), was one of theleading ports of embarkation for the Indian pilgrims during theMughal times. Rulers of the Bengal, Bijapur and Golconda alsoused various other Deccan ports on the east and the west coastsfor Hajj sailings (M.N Pearson, 1994).Akbar was the first ruler to organise Hajj pilgrimage at stateexpense and provide subsidy to pilgrims. He also founded ahospice for pilgrims in Makkah (Suraiya Faroqui, 1994). After 1575when a treaty was signed with the Portuguese to allow safepassage of pilgrim ships in the Red Sea, Akbar ordered that acaravan be sent from Hindustan every season like the caravans of Egypt and Syria. He appointed a senior noble as a
Mir Hajj
(leaderof the pilgrims) and also directed a top noble of his court AbdurRahim Khan-i-Khanan to set aside three of his own ships the
Rahim
i, the
Karimi
and the
Salari
for the free transportation of pilgrims to Jeddah. The contemporary traveller John Fryer Keane(Hajji Mohammed Amin) mentions that these pilgrim shipsweighed between 1400 to 1600 tons and often carried 1700pilgrims each.Support to Hajj pilgrimage continued to a lesser degree during thereigns of Jahangir and Shah Jahan, the later was known to beinvolved in sending regular charity to Mecca and appointing
Mir Hajj
for the pilgrimage. One particular incident of great historical
 
3
significance was the capture of the ship
Rahimi
owned byMaryam-uz-Zamani (Jodha Bai), the mother of Mughal Emperor Jahangir, in 1613 AD by the Portuguese despite having their
cartaz 
.
Rahimi
was believed to be the largest vessel of any kindsailing in the Indian seas during its time. It had an estimatedcapacity in the range of 1500 tonnes with a room for carrying1500 passengers. It was known in Europe as “the greatpilgrimage ship”. The Mughals, who had depended on thePortuguese to escort their annual pilgrim voyages across theArabian Sea to Makkah, regarded the capture of the royal ship asan affront to the Mughal Empire and a deliberate act of religiouspersecution by the Portuguese. The incident led to the softeningof the Mughal stand over the British, who had been making vainattempts since 1608 AD to gain the Mughal favour, whichprovided ground for the ultimate grant of royal permission to theBritish East India Company for establishing itself in India.Aurangazeb, who enjoyed the reputation for being the most piousand orthodox among the Mughal emperors, was particularly lavishin his patronage of the Hajj. Every year two royal ships of Aurangazeb travelled to the Red Sea carrying lords and ladies of Hindustan,
fakirs
and pilgrims. J.B. Tavernier observed that theseships carried passengers free of charge. Several women from theEmperor’s harem and many of his nobles sent regular charity toMakkah.Aurangazeb’s daughter Zebunnissa also extended her support toHajj. She sponsored the Hajj pilgrimage of a scholar Safi bin ValiAl-Qazvini as a reward for authoring a
tafseer 
of the Holy Quranby the name
 Zeb ut-Tafsir 
. Safi Al-Qazvini set sail for thepilgrimage on board the ship
Salamat Ras
on 15
th
Shawwal 1087AH (1676 AD) and arrived in Makkah on 3
rd
Dhul-Hijja. Qazvinigives a detailed account of his voyage in his work
 Anis Al-Hajj
,which is an important treatise on the history of Hajj and ispreserved at the Prince of Wales Museum in Mumbai (SadashivGorakshkar, 1983).During the Mughal times, people were sent on Hajj for various
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