Maghar

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This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS.

Maghar in 1908

Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.

Village in the Khahlabad tahsil of Basti District, United Provinces, situated in 26° 45' N. and 83° 8' E., on the Bengal and North- Western Railway and on the road from Gorakhpur to Fyzabad. Population (1901), 2,633. The village is celebrated as containing the tomb of Kabir, the religious reformer, who is acknowledged as a prophet or saint by both Muhammadans and Hindus. The tomb is said to have been built about 1450 ; but the original building was replaced or restored by Nawab Fidae Khan in Akbar's reign. Maghar was occupied from the close of the seventeenth century by a Muham- madan garrison, and under the Oudh government was an important military post up to the cession in 1801.

Significance

Maghar the place of burial of poet-saint Kabir: 8 things to know, June 28, 2018: The Times of India

The UP Tourism department has initiated to promote Maghar as a tourist destination where Hindus have built a temple in memory of Kabir, while Muslims have constructed a mausoleum in his memory.

8 things to know about Maghar's significance:

• Situated in Sant Kabir Nagar district, close to Gorakhpur, Maghar stands in contrast to Varanasi with respect to religious beliefs. Historically, it is the 620th year of Kabir's birth at Varanasi and the 500th year of his death at Maghar.

• ‘Maghar against Varanasi’: Sant Kabir fought against the belief that dying in this town leads a person to hell, while ‘moksha’ can be attained only in Varanasi.

• It was said that if you die in Varanasi you will attain salvation and if you die in Maghar you will die a donkey's death, which meant dying here would send one to hell.

• Maghar has a mausoleum and a samadhi sthal dedicated to the 15th century poet, who breathed his last here.

• Followers of Kabir, popularly known as 'Kabir Panthis', are mostly from the Dalit and backward Hindu castes, with their maximum concentration in eastern Uttar Pradesh.

• When Sant Kabir died, there was a dispute between Hindus and Muslims on whether to cremate or bury him. There was almost a war-like situation between the disciples Nawab Bijli Shah of Maghar and Raja Veer Singh Baghela of Varanasi.

• According to legend, at that moment, there came a voice that asked them to look under the sheet covering the poet's body. To everyone’s astonishment, instead of his body, there were two flowers. One each was then taken by either side and the two memorials came up which have been following their own traditions for 500 years.

• According to another tale, Maghar was an extremely barren land, resembling hell. There was believed to be a road here, which when travelled upon led to the person/people being looted.

See also

Kabir

Kabirpanthi

Maghar