Alamdar-E-Kashmir (Flag-Bearer Of Kashmir

ALAMDAR-E-KASHMIR (FLAG-BEARER OF KASHMIR) Sheikh Nooruddin Noorani was a great Sufi saint of Kashmir. Among the people of Kashmir, he was commonly known as “Alamdar-e-Kashmir” (Flag-Bearer of Kashmir). Hindus lovingly called him Nand Rishi. Both Hindus and Muslims equally revered him. His shrine was located in the town of Charar Sharif (Kashmir), about 20 kilometers from Srinagar. Tragically, this shrine was reduced to ashes in a devastating fire in May 1995. Sheikh Nooruddin Noorani was a contemporary of Feroz Shah Tughlaq. He was born in 1377 in a village in Kashmir and passed away in 1439 in Charar. In the early 15th century, the then ruler of Kashmir, Zain-ul-Abideen, built a grand mausoleum over his grave. Later, during the 19th century under Pathan rule, the shrine was further expanded, and a mosque was built alongside it. The shrine at Charar Sharif also contained the graves of eleven other Sufis. In addition, it housed many sacred historical relics—including some attributed to Fatima— all of which were destroyed in the fire.