Haji Ali Mosque, Mumbai

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Some people I met in Mumbai told me not to miss Haji Ali Mosque. So, the next day I took the bus to that part of the city. From Flora Fountain the bus was 8 rupees (June 2010). After a long time on the bus I asked some other passengers for the stop as I was a bit worried to miss it, but many other passengers were also going there.

Arriving at HajI Ali Mosque it turned out it was closed because of the weather conditions. The mosque is situated on a rocky islet out in the Arabian Sea and can be reached by a long causeway. The waves were splashing over the causeway making it inaccessible to visitors.

HajI Ali Mosque, that was built in the 19th century over a previous mosque from 1431, is visited by thousands of pilgrims daily. Within the mosque is the tomb of the Muslim sain HajI Ali. He died while visiting Mecca and the casket with his body is said to have floated over the Arabian Sea to this spot where his tom is.

The mosque can only be visited during low tide as the causeway can be under water during high tide. I had been told to come after 16.00 as that was the time it was opening, but as said above this day the weather was just too bad.

I guess in a causeway / religious kind of a way the Haji Ali's Mosque is to Mumbai what Mont Saint Michel is to France or St. Michael's Mount is to the UK.

A floating shrine for saint Haji, it was built in the 19th century. The story says Haji Ali died en route to Mecca and this is where his casket floated to.

The causeway is lined with beggars and obviously when the (Arabian) sea sweaps in there is no access at all.

Plans are to remove the deteriorated structure and replace it with a glowing white, marble one.

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Haji Ali Mosque is situated in Mahalaxmi, Mumbai city: This marvelous mosque appears to be floating on a small island in the Arabian Sea. The approach causeway to this beautiful mosque gets submerged during high tide. Hence you can go to this place only during low tide. For returning from here, you probably have to wait for next low tide. This mosque is the Dargah (tomb) of a rich merchant, Haji Ali Shah Bukhari, who gave up his wealth after a pilgrimage to Mecca. The history of the Dargah dates back to the 15th Century. The amazing white mosque was built in 1940. The tomb lies at its centre and devotees touch their heads to the heavily embroidered chador (ceremonial cloth) placed on the tomb of this great man. Female devotees sit behind a Jalli (a kind of Stone Screen).

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India is a country of multiple faiths and the Haji Ali mosqueis a very good example. This s a very venerated shrine as well as landmark of Mumbai.
History says that this mosque was built to honor the muslim saint Haji Ali. It was built in the middle of the sea with only a narrow path leading to it giving it an ethereal look. As per the Muslim traditions separate praying rooms for ladies and gents are provided here to pay their respects. It is set 500 meters into the sea and can be reached only in low tide. The Haji Ali mausoleum has an offshore location, opposite the Mahalakshmi racecourse. During high tide, the connecting causeway is submerged in water giving the impression that the mosque and tomb are floating out at sea in splendid isolation. This is The Haji Ali Dargah, the floating tomb of a wealthy Mohammedan merchant who renounced his worldly ways before embarking on a pilgrimage to Mecca. Surely worth a visit. You will need aprox. an hour to have a good visit.

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This mosque, built in the 1940's, lies on an island in northern Mumbai and is approached by a long causeway that gets submerged at high tide. Within the mosque complex lies the dargah (tomb), built in 1431, of a rich 15th century merchant, Haji Ali Shah Bukhari, who renounced all his wordly possessions before making a pilgrimage to Mecca. Legend has it that Haji Ali died on his way to Mecca and his body, in its casket, floated back to Mumbai. However, some believe that Haji Ali drowned at the place where the dargah stands today. Be warned, that there are a lot of beggars on the causeway. See my warning tip about this.

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Just offshore from one of Mumbai’s busiest traffic intersections lies the Haji Ali Mosque built in the early 19th century. The mosque is accessible via a beggar-lined causeway which can be covered during some high tides. The Muslim saint Haji Ali, whose tomb is located within the mosque, was a local businessman who renounced the material world after returning from a haj - pilgrimage - to Mecca.

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The tomb of a Muslim saint who died while on pilgrimage to Mecca. It is believed that a casket containing his mortal remains floated and came to rest on a rocky bed in the sea, where devotees constructed the tomb and mosque. Can be visited only at low tide.

Situated at the end of a long causeway poking into the Ariabian Sea is a whitewashed fairytale mosque containing the tomb of the Muslim saint Haji Ali.
The mosque and the tomb were built by devotees in the early 19th century but its origin are shrouded in mystery.
The saint is believed to have been a wealthy local businessman who renounced the material world and meditated on a nearby headland after a pilgrimage to Mecca

The long causeway leading up to Haji Ali's Mosque is a sight in itself, but the mosque is also worth a visit. The tomb inside (where Haji Ali remains) is 15th century work, but the surrounding mosque wasn't added until the mid-20th century.

You need to cover your head to take a closer look inside (you can't go in as far as the tomb), but you'll be rewarded with a view of thebeautiful decorative engravings in the marble. The island also offers a view of the Mumbai coast ~ how good the view is depends heavily on the smog that day.

The causeway to Haji Ali's Tomb is almost as interesting as the mosque itself (almost, but not quite!). . .it is lined with people ~ some pilgrims, some devotees, some beggars and a variety of salesmen (trinkets, puja offerings, etc.) as well.

The man pictured here is selling change ~ he'll give yu coin for rupee notes, so that you can have a smaller denomination for an offering at the mosque. A small fee applies, of course.