In Haryana,devotees offer clocks to a peer to be on time On the Grand Trunk Road,it isnt unusual to see trucks and buses parked on the roadside,as drivers and commuters stop by for meals at dhabas or queue up to pay taxes. But on the stretch from Ambala to Shahbad Markanda in Haryana,almost every driver halts his truck,not to eat or pay transport dues,but to pay obeisance at the dargah of nau gaja peer,the shrine of Syed Ibrahim Badshah,a saint who is believed to ensure safe journeys and completion of all works in time. The offering that most truck drivers make to the peer is a wall clock,which symbolises the drivers wish to reach his destination and get back home on time. Just a few yards from the dargah,a row of shops sell wall clocks,and other offerings such as mustard oil,garlands,and cloth pieces. As his name suggests,nau gaja peer was supposed to be so tall that his corpse needed nine yards of cloth to be covered. A green cloth,which is also part of the offering made at the dargah,is a full nine yards. A bottle of mustard oil completes the offering. As one walks down a flight of steps to reach the dargah,one is greeted by the noisy tick-tock of clocks and the fragrance of incense sticks and mustard oil lamps. Inside,the dargah looks no different from other dargahs,with its white tiles,garlands,incense sticks and a rush of devotees. Except,of course,it has many colourful clocks most of them with pictures of the holy mosques at Mecca and Medina,and all tuned to the same time that rest beside the elevated mazaar of Syed Ibrahim Badshah. Rishipal,the manager,says some 50 clocks are offered every day on average,but the dargah doesnt hoard them. Some are given back as prasad to devotees who come here,some are donated to girls of poor families for their marriages,and some clocks are gifted to schoolchildren on Republic Day and Independence Day, says Rishipal. When did the ritual of offering clocks begin? Rishispal doesnt have a specific date. It began many years ago. It was in place during my predecessors time as well. Apparently,a driver,whose truck would always break down every time it crossed the dargah,visited the mazaar one day and donated the peer the first clock,so that his journey could be smooth and on schedule. He reached his destination on time,without any hassle. Since then,donating clocks here has become a ritual, he says. Very little is known about the peer,except that he lived in the times of Sher Shah Suri,who ruled northern India between 1540 and 1545. The peer was born in Kalyana village,where he was also buried. When the GT road was built during the reign of Sher Shah Suri,the peer was buried here to protect travellers, explains Ali Sheikh,the caretaker.
