Like most other royal woman, she owned lot of jewellery. But unlike most others, this Chak dynasty woman didn’t hesitate to sell all her precious ornaments to get the Khanqah-e-Mu’alla shrine in Shahr-e-Khaas reconstructed. This is the story of Bibi Sualeha wife of Sultan Muhammad Shah 904 Hijri Chack ruler of Kashmir.
History says the centuries old shrine of Shah-e-Hamdan (RA) on the Jhelum bank was reconstructed thrice. And it was for the second time of its construction that Bibi Sualeha’s role came to play.
In his Tareekh-e-Awliyaa-e-Kashmir, noted historian, Khwaja Muhammad Azam Deedmari, mentions this aspect of Kashmir history.
It’s believed that Bibi Sauleha’s husband had got the shrine dismantled to raise a new building in its place.
Those days the shrine was single storey and the Sultan wanted to double the floors with more carpet area and improved facilities for devotees.
But when the first structure was dismantled, there was financial trouble with the treasury and the Chack ruler couldn’t manage revenue for the fresh construction.
Fearing that delay in the work could be detrimental for the spread of Islam, Bibi Sauleha volunteered to donate her jewellery. And this was how the new shrine construction got money from.
The research scholar with Department of Archeology, late G R Bhat from selina rambagh, has written in his article “during the reconstruction, Sultan Muhammad Shah’s treasury stabilized to some extent and he tried to extend financial help for the work undertaken by his wife.
“However, she (Bibi Sauleha) refused to take any money doubting the nature of the finances being used for the religious cause,” Bhat told
Bibi Sauleha is believed to be the sister of prominent Chak ruler, Qazi Chak. It’s said her brother too had offered financial assistance for the Khanqah work. But she refused.
She was a pious Muslim woman who would spend most of her time in prayers.
The historians said the precious jewellery she donated was from two sources. One, the marriage gift from her father and the remaining part was that of Mehr paid by the Sultan. She donated both for the shrine.
“But before donating the jewellery, she got the Zaqat entitled on it paid so that the donations were free from any liability,” said a historian.
When the work was completed, Bibi Sauleha was so elated that she not only paid the pending wages to the labours, she also gifted them costly clothes.
But there’s an irony with the history as to where the royal philanthropist was laid to rest after her death. Nobody knows.
No historian has a firm reply to this question, nor has any comprehensive research ever been done.
Some believe she could be buried in the graveyard in the premises of Khanqah-e-Mu’alla. But then her grave hasn’t been identified!
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