Context: Madhya Pradesh High Court has rejected a plea seeking to conduct religious and cultural practices at the tomb of Sufi Saint Sheikh Muhammad Ghaus in Gwalior.
Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: About Tomb of Sheikh Muhammad Ghaus.
The High Court ruled that allowing religious practices at a Centrally Protected Monument was not permissible. Allowing such rituals could lead to a “national loss”, destroying the monument’s “originality, sanctity and vitality”.
Sheikh Muhammad Ghaus
- Sheikh Muhammad Ghaus was the 16th century musician and Sufi Saint of Shattari Order.
- He was the contemporary of 3 Mughal emperors: Babur, Humayun, and Akbar.
- He played an instrumental part in Babur’s conquest of Gwalior fort in 1526. The saint suggested tactics to Mughal Army chiefs to establish their presence in the city and provided privileged information to them which eventually enabled them to plan a secret night attack to capture the fort.
- He was also Humayun’s teacher.
About Tomb of Sheikh Muhammad Ghaus:
- The tomb of Sheikh Muhammad Ghaus was built in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh soon after his death in 1563.
- It is one of the earliest and most iconic examples of Mughal funerary architecture and is considered one of the most notable structures of Akbar’s reign (1556-1605 CE).
- The tomb has influence of Indian architecture, specifically from Gujarat and Rajasthan, which eventually evolved into Indo-Muslim architecture.
- It is listed as a Centrally Protected Monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958. It has been maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) since 1962.
- The grave of Tansen, legendary musician of Akbar’s Court, is located on the premises of the monument. Tansen was a disciple of Sheikh Muhammad Ghaus.
