Naguran Swami is the controller of our five senses, sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste. He is the remover of sickness and the Giver of inner strength. Nagurain Swami also brought peace between Hindus and Muslims in India. Legends says – He fought alongside Mother Kali in the war against the demons. For this reason, whenever Mariamma’s poosai is performed obeisance is paid on to Him as well.
Nagour Mira or Naagur Mina is a popular concept of divinity worshipped by people of South Indian/Hindu descent in some Caribbean islands and parts of South America. Known by various names such as Naguran, Naguri, Nagourmina, Nagoorin, and Nagourmeah, this divinity is an integral part of most of the “Madrassi” or South Indian Hindu temples in this region. In French Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, Nagour Mira is worshipped in the form of a boat and mast decorated with colorful flags. The sacred Islamic number 786 can be found engraved on the boat.
Poosaadi Nagappin, Guadeloupe’s leading Hindu priest, usually sings a prayer song attributed to this divinity as part of the services in his temple near Saint François, the southernmost town of Guadeloupe. The song, originally written in Tamil, has been infused with many words from Urdu, French, and African languages, many of which are not easily understood. The Tamil component of the song is a prayer to Nagore Mina seeking His intervention to save passengers caught in a rough sea. The ocean is angry, and the boat is passing through a terrible storm; the passengers seek the kindness of Nagore Mina to save them from imminent peril and help them arrive safely.
Dr. Gerry L’tang, an anthropologist from Martinique University who has been researching this divinity, told me during my visit to that island that this practice originated from a region called Nagore near Karaikkal, a South Indian port city, where the body remains of a great Sufi Saint Mira Sahib are worshipped in a Muslim shrine or Dargah. A Dargah is a Sufi Islamic shrine built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often a Sufi saint or Dervish. According to him, indentured laborers carried this belief to the islands, where it became one of the principal deities in the South Indian Hindu temples in these islands.
Nagore Mira Sahib's son, Youssaf Valia Abdul Khadir, as he was called by his parents when he was a young boy, was a brilliant student of religion. He studied all the sacred texts of Islam and, at the age of eighteen, had a huge appetite for knowledge. He was known for being alone from his family and friends, always in deep thought and meditation. Unlike other boys, he was not interested in mundane things but was always keen on learning spiritual issues, particularly about achieving perfect knowledge. He was very pious and non-violent and began performing miracles, particularly in healing the sick and those afflicted with strange diseases.
At eighteen, he realized the need for formal training under a teacher who would help him understand and achieve perfect knowledge. His father advised him to go to the city of Gwalior, a center of learning at that time, where he would meet his future teacher. After a long and arduous journey, he arrived at the entrance of the city but was not yet sure of who his guru would be. He prayed, and in his sleep, a messenger of Allah appeared, gave him a new name—Shahul Hameed—and showed him the guru: Hazrat Sayyid Mohammed Gouse Shathari.
The guru, in turn, was also informed about the arrival of his new disciple, who would change the world. The next morning, while walking towards his future guru’s home, Mira Sahib met a young man from Turkey, Muinudeen, who had also been destined to meet Mira Sahib and his guru. Muinudeen became the principal disciple and lifelong associate of Mira Sahib.
Shahul Hameed spent ten years with his guru, learning everything from God to religion. His sharp intelligence and ability to understand complex issues made him famous in the city.
Meanwhile, the wife of the guru offered him the opportunity to marry his daughter. The proposal did not appeal to Shahul Hameed, as he wanted to devote himself to celibacy. He resolved against the ideas of marriage and family, wanting to devote himself entirely to the service of Allah. The marriage proposal led him to leave his guru and reluctantly abandon his studies to embark on a pilgrimage to Mecca.
When he asked permission to leave, the guru exalted him, explaining that according to Islam, what one receives from the earth should be given back, and marriage for procreation is necessary for fulfilling duties towards Allah. Shahul Hameed questioned why one should marry just to procreate a child, agreeing to have a son but without a sexual relationship with a woman.
The guru was surprised and asked for an explanation. Shahul Hameed referred to Jesus Christ, who was born of a virgin through non-sexual means. The guru finally permitted him
to go to Mecca and allowed four of his best disciples and four hundred other ordinary disciples, all former bandits who had once ravaged Ayodhya and Manickapur, to accompany Shahul Hameed.
After several months of travel, during which he preached Islam, challenged many in open debates, and converted many, he reached his ancestral city. He made a brief stay before continuing to Mecca. During his stay in his hometown, people flocked to him for blessings. When a marriage proposal arose, he told his parents that he had decided to devote his life to the service of Allah. Soon, he left his family and journeyed west to Mecca.
On his way, he stopped in Lahore, where a rich merchant, concerned about his lack of children after many years of marriage, met him. Mira Sahib promised to fulfill the merchant's wish on the condition that the firstborn child would belong to him. After the condition was accepted, he chewed a betel leaf and pan masala, gave it to the merchant's wife, and instructed her to swallow it. She obeyed and soon became pregnant without a sexual relationship. Mira Sahib honored his commitment to his guru in Gwalior and left for Mecca, advising the parents that when the child turned seven, he would join Mira Sahib in Mecca.
The child, named Yusuf as wished by Mira Sahib, was raised by the merchant's family. At the age of seven, Yusuf had a vision of his real father, Mira Sahib, and left for Mecca to unite with him. Yusuf remained with his father until Mira Sahib's death in Nagore.
Upon spending several years in Mecca, Mira Sahib, Yusuf, and their followers journeyed to spread the message of Islam peacefully. They traveled to the Maldives and Lakshadweep and then visited various cities in the interior of South India by land. He continued to perform miracles and heal many, gaining fame and attracting numerous disciples.
While traveling in South India, the ruler of the Kingdom of Thanjavur, Rajan Achuthappas Nayakkan, fell seriously ill due to a mysterious disease. Unable to identify the cause or cure the illness, the kingdom faced serious threats from enemies. One of the king's ministers, hearing of Mira Sahib's miracles, sought his help. Mira Sahib discovered that the illness was caused by black magic, where pins were placed in a bird kept in a secret corner of the palace. He used his divine powers to remove the pins from the bird, curing the king instantly. As a reward, the king gave him 150 acres of land where the Dargah of Mira Sahib now stands. Before his death, he explained to his disciples the rites to be performed after his death.
Criticisms against Mira Sahib by Sunni Muslims:
Mira Sahib was a noble Shiite. This is also true for Yusuf and his followers. Currently, stewardship of the Dargah is entrusted exclusively to Sunni families. However, religious practices at the Dargah are strongly criticized by different Islamic sects, especially Puritans and fundamentalists. They claim that worship dedicated to the tomb of a person is not allowed by Islamic faith and condemn the pagan rites of Hindus, such as offering flowers and lighting lamps. They also criticize the open access to non-Muslims and the practices performed there. They argue that the origin of Yusuf's asexual birth is a myth, as Islamic Shariah requires physical union between a man and a woman for offspring.
Why is the Dargah open to non-Muslims?
The Dargah has been open to non-Muslims since Mira Sahib's time, symbolizing religious tolerance and syncretism. Puritans and fundamentalists see the stories about the Dargah and Mira Sahib as products of imagination maintained by the family fortune. They argue that the family lives at the expense of so-called miracles, which are contrary to the spirit of Islam. They acknowledge Mira Sahib's role in spreading Islam in southern India but criticize the practices at the Dargah as inconsistent with Islamic teachings.
For most Caribbean Hindus, Mira Sahib is regarded as a great saint or incarnation of God, on par with many deities in the Hindu pantheon. Therefore, offerings made to him are not seen as exceptional. The Dargah itself resembles a temple, with oil lamps, flowers, incense burning, and rituals similar to those in Hindu temples. Some Hindus even regard Mira Sahib as an incarnation of Vishnu or Shiva. Despite criticisms, no one seriously questions the power exerted by Nagore Mira on those who visit the Dargah. Offerings: Oil lamps, flowers, a tasbih, bananas with sugar sprinkled on top, sehra with a thambulam (a paan leaf topped with a coin, a dried turmeric, a supari, and some whole cardamom/cloves) and silver representations of your desires.
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