Malkha Cemetery

Malkha Cemetery (also spelled Malkhah) is a historic Muslim cemetery located at the foothills of Hari Parbat (Koh-e-Maran) in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. Considered among the oldest and largest graveyards in the Kashmir Valley, the cemetery has historically served as a major burial ground for the city's Muslim population. The cemetery also surrounds several major shrines, including that of Bahauddin Ganj Baksh (15th century sufi saint). Location Malkha Cemetery is situated in Hawal beneath Hari Parbat Fort in Srinagar. The cemetery lies in the Rainawari–Nowhatta area, east of Jamia Masjid. The surrounding locality of Malkha developed around the graveyard and has historically been associated with gravedigger families and caretakers. Malkhah preserves a few rare Bremji trees (Celtis australis), an ancient nettle species traditionally associated with Sufi saints and burial grounds. History The origins of Malkha Cemetery are disputed in historical and oral traditions. Historical accounts describe the area as originally being an orchard containing various fruit trees and vineyards, known as Bagh-i-Anguri (garden of grapes). Historical records describe gardens and lands in the vicinity of present-day Malkha being allocated for the maintenance of institutions such as the Dar-ul-Shifa college near the Kubrawi khanqah in the before 16th century. According to Kashmiri writer and environmentalist Zareef Ahmad Zareef, the land was endowed as a waqf by Baba Ismail Kubrawi (d. 1511). Zareef states that prior to the establishment of the cemetery, Kashmiri Muslims of the city often had to bury their dead at distant locations. According to this account, the cemetery was initially reserved for a limited number of families, including those associated with the Mirwaiz lineage, but expanded during periods of plague and mass mortality. Some historical narratives also associate the area with donations linked to Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani while other accounts attribute the establishment or later expansion of the cemetery to land donations connected with Miram Bazaz, described as a Turkic trader who settled in Srinagar. Local tradition holds that he donated land for burials following a spiritual vision involving his murshid (spiritual guide). Over time, Malkha became the principal burial ground for large sections of Srinagar's Muslim population. Contemporary condition and significance Malkha cemetery historically covering around 700 to 1,300 kanals of land, though its area reportedly declined due to encroachments and residential construction. Local residents and historians have alleged that parts of the cemetery were converted into housing colonies despite fencing erected in 2007 to prevent further encroachments. The cemetery holds religious significance during Shab-e-Barat, when large numbers of people visit to offer Fateh Khawani (prayers for the deceased). On this occasion, the cemetery remains open to the public and becomes a centre of devotional activity. In recent decades, Malkha has faced criticism over poor maintenance and reports of gambling, drug use, and other anti-social activities within the cemetery grounds. Through the cemetery is a communal, unlike many public cemeteries in the broader Islamic world, plots within Malkhah have gradually been split, compartmentalized, and claimed as inherited family property. Families use concrete boundaries to demarcate their specific ancestral plots. Notable burials Bahauddin Ganj Baksh (15th-century Sufi saint). Khawaja Mohamad Azam Didamari (d. 1765); historian. Farooq Nazki (d. 2024); poet and broadcaster. References