Aishmuquam Shrine by Ahanger HOBO

On the road to Pahalgam perched on the scarp of a hill amidst the fragrant pines sits the most famous of shrines, Aishmuquam. The location of this shrine is simply stunning and it is recommended you bring a picnic. Also located behind this shrine, are caves which were used in Buddhist times for meditation and prayer. The shrine was built for Baba Zia-ud Din. According to a popular legend, when Zia-ud-din was a child, he fell severely ill. When the chances of his recovery started thinning, his mother began crying and praying to the almighty to save her son. A man, believed to be an angel, appeared and agreed to help save her son on the condition that if he recovered both boy and mother must start propagating the teaching of Islam. She agreed and her son recovered but she soon forgot her promise. When the child’s condition began to deteriorate again, she went to seek the help of the famous sage Nund Rishi. When she saw him, she was stunned to find that he was the same man with whom she had made a promise. She pleaded with the revered saint to forgive her negligence. Nund Rishi forgave her, the son recovered, and mother and son began preaching Islam. He became a disciple of Nund Rishi who sent him to Aishmuquam to teach and heal, later he was to become very famous in the whole region.