Islamabad the capital of Pakistan is surrounded by beautiful mountains extending through east of Taxila covering Margalla Hills National Park connecting with North of Islamabad. The mesmerizing beauty not just inspire the spectator from far away, they offer some fine hiking trails for hiking enthusiasts. In this blog post we are covering the northern belt of Islamabad ‘Bari Imam Hike’.
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Bari Imam a historical perspective
Bari Imam is located on the northern foothills of Margalla Hills National Park. The site is associated with a spiritual Sufi saint ‘Bari Imam’. The full name of Bari Imam is Syed Abdul Latif Kazmi born in 1607 in Karsal Sayyed family hailing from district Chakwal in Punjab. The 17th century Sufi ascetic was from Sunni school of thought.
Bari Imam Shrine
The famous Bari imam shrine in Islamabad is situated in Nurpur Shahan village built by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir in 17th century. Centuries passed and now the shrine is taken care by Government of Pakistan, ministry of religious affairs. Thousands of devotees use to visit the shrine daily for their belief that their wishes be fulfilled by praying at Bari Imam Shrine.
Bari Imam bazaar
The main Bari Imam bazaar encompasses general stores, food stalls, taxi stand, flower shops, restaurants and routine shops found in any other main market in Islamabad. One can either park the vehicle in main bazaar to start Bari Imam Hike or one can continue towards the village passing the narrow street along the peer house, park the vehicle at Nurpur Shahan village and take the Loh e Dandi track for your enchanting Bari Imam Hike experience.
Loh e Dandi Track
The Bari Imam Hike is a staircase having almost 11000 steps. Along the track are some tea stalls, handicraft and jewelry shops. Loh e dandi track is frequently traversed track visited by hundreds of devotees daily coming from different parts of the country. Busy track makes Bari Imam hike a feasible option for solo hikers, women, families and foreigners.
Bari Imam Chillagah
After moderate to intense Bari Imam Hike for about 40 – 50 minutes depending on the pace of every individual, one reaches the Chillagah. This was the place where Bari Imam sarkar use to meditate or in other words it is the place of worship used by the Sufi saint Bari Imam.
Bari Imam Langarkhana
Bari Imam Hike takes you to Langarkhana, a place where people use to sit and enjoy free food distributed by the caretakers of the shrine. People believe that the food has medicinal and spiritual properties. Devotees after a long Bari Imam hike sit here to relax and regain their energies. Usually the food distributed is simple sweet rice, bread with some curry, lentils etc.
Knitting thread and bangles around the window
Bari Imam Hike takes you to the chillagah and Takht Mubarak, where one witness lot of threads and bangles knitted and hanging around the window. Locals and devotees from different parts of the country believe that their wishes be fulfilled by tying the knot at this window. The concept is similar to the “Trevi fountain”, a wishing well in Rome where thousands of devotees throw and toss a coin into the fountain believing that one day they would return again.
Oil lamps and Ash depot at Bari Imam Chillagah
The oil lamps made of clay pot present at the Chillagah is another attraction. Devotees and tourists visiting the site are offered to massage oil on their forehead and neck. It is believed that any pain from the body would vanish by applying the oil. At the end of the Chillagah, there is a huge depot of Ash which is believed to be the cure for tongue stammering in kids and alleviating mental illness in adults.
The story of giant leg hanging from mountain
Coming out from the Chillagah is a place which is dedicated for ‘women ONLY’ and men are not allowed. This is the giant stone hanging from the mountain gives a feeling of a leg. Folklore of this giant leg is that there was some super-natural force, a “DEO” and Bari Imam sarkar with his spiritual power orders it to become static. Now local women came here and pray. It is believed that if a drop of water from this giant leg fell on the women standing below would have a baby-boy.
Cave of Bari Imam
Bari Imam Hike further for some 10 minutes above the chillagah one reaches the top of the mountain. A well marked staircase takes you to the cave where Hazrat Bari Imam sarkar used to meditate for about 12 years. The place is quite narrow and only one person can enter at a time, that too with difficulty and in a lean position. Around the cave there are some stones making a shape of an elephant and a lion mouth with tongue popping out. It is believed that these are the super-natural forces use to disturb Bari Imam sarkar and by his spiritual powers they become static stones.
Stoner’s peak at Bari Imam
The top of the mountain is considered as stoner’s peak. Young boys and men gathered at the top and smoke some joints. They believe that joints are herbal hash and have medicinal properties that alleviate their mood and relax the nerves. Bari Imam Hike becomes enchanting experience after few puffs of hash filled joints.
Conclusion
Bari Imam Hike is a safe opportunity for hikers and tourists around the globe to witness a marvel within the city limits. It offers a nice hiking experience along with religious tourism. The sufi mystic touch while hiking towards the Chillagah on Loh-e-dandi track is absolutely a different experience you never had before. It fills the wanderlust of your wandering nature and provides you with ecstatic experience. Just two cents to add while considering for Bari Imam Hike:
- Respect the local culture and beliefs.
- Do not litter and use bins to throw trash.
- It’s good to carry a hiking stick, water bottle and some snack items like biscuits with you.
- Avoid feeding animals on the way.
- If you are filming, be mindful that filming local women is not considered appropriate.
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