Bihar Sharif

Bihar Sharif is the headquarters town of Nalanda district of Bihar in India. It is situated at about 30 km south of Bakhtiarpur on NH-31. This is also a railhead on the Bakhtiarpur Rajgir branch line of the Eastern Indian Railway. This town is known as Bihar Sharif, owing to its many Muslim tombs that still retain traces of its former importance as a Muslim pilgrimage.

There is a hill called Pir Pahari, about one mile to the northwest of the town. At its summit is the dargah or mausoleum of the Saint Mallik Ibrahim Bayu, round which are ten smaller tombs. It is a brick structure surmounted by a dome and bears inscriptions showing that the saint died in 1353.

Another great dargah is that of Mokhdum Shah Sharif ud-din, also called Makhdum-ul-Mulk, died here in 1379. The inscription over the entrance shows that his tomb was built in 1569. This tomb, which stands on the south bank of the river, is held in great veneration by the local Mohammedans, who assemble here on the 5th day of Sawan, a month in Hindu calendar, to celebrate the anniversary of his death. This tomb is called Bari Dargah. There is also a smaller tomb called the Chhoti Dargah which is the shrine of Badruddin Badr-I-Alam, famous saint who died here in 1440.

However, the most famous Chhoti Dargah of Bihar Sharif is the Dargah of Makhdum Hazrat Sultan Ahmed Charampose. This is the biggest and the oldest building of Mohalla-Amber in the Bihar Sharif town. This is the Tomb of Hazarat Makhdum Sultan Saiyad Shah Ahmed Charampose Teg Barhana Rohmatulla Alaib. He was born in the year 1236 and passed away in 1335 (according to Islamic calendar 657-776 Hizri). He is ranked to a very high order among other Sufi saints and Auliahs.

Thousands of people participate in the ‘Urs’ celebrated here in memory of the Saint every year.