Badsha Pir Shrine
Badsha Pir arrived in South Africa as an indentured labourer in 1860. He was a member of the Qadari Sufi order (an unorthodox Islamic cult). It is believed that Badsha Pir was assigned to a sugar estate in Tongaat but was honourably discharged after two or three months when his employers recognised his sainthood. He is described by his followers as a mazwap, a saint who withdraws completely from the affairs of the world and lives in constant ecstasy or union with God and is reported to have performed a number of miracles. Badsha Pir died at the age of 74 and is buried at the Brook Street Cemetery. A shrine was built over his grave and thousands of people flock there every year in search of blessing and relief from illness. The Badsha Pir shrine is visited by Hindus as well as Muslims. Every year the anniversary of his death is observed by his followers who hold a procession through the Grey Street area to the Badsha Pir shrine in Brook Street Cemetery.
