Stairway to Malang

The Stairway

Beer at your own will

In case you feel you're lost

The passageway

The Grave

Goats doing the journey with you

Get a perspective of the height

Embrace the altitude

You always have replenishers

With creepy and disheveled men pleading for hand-shakes to divine intervention bestowed from a supreme force, this Dargah is pitched on dazzling extremes of a wide spectrum.

As a sign of exception to the hindu-muslim disparity and for those whose faith is in encrusted in the fissures of the earth, this magnificent tomb of Hazrat Haji Malang Sha Sarkar Rahymattullha Taala Alhy, more popularly christened as Haji Malag, is nothing short of auspicious and thereby has its doors open to people of all religious outlooks. People usually do pilgrimages. People walk for days and days But here, only people with unabashed grit and determination make it to the top most point of the peak of the mountain where lay the grave(Mazaar) of Haji Malang.

This Dargah is located on the top of hill and is about a whopping 789 m above sea level. Why the number is astonishing is not because of its size or some superstition attached to it. Simply because that’s the distance you will walk to pay homage to the revered sitting atop the hill. But not to fret as reinforcements keep happening on the way at multiple stops. You can consume the most refreshing drink, the Nimbu Paani, or the newly added drink to most menus, Glucon-D which seems to rejuvenate not only your physical strength but also gives you the mental impetus.

So to begin this trip you can hop onto any train that will lead you to Kalyan Station on the outskirts of Mumbai. Well, you can take a bus also but why would you want to do that since trains are easily available through all times of the year and are way cheaper. Now, once you’ve got to the station you might run the risk of getting a tad fleeced by the rickshah wallas as they claim the destination is an obscure land. You could now think of using the bus which will also take approximately the same time and will be less harsh on the wallet.

So there you are riding through the dusty town of Kalyan until the gates of the brown-weeded landscapes with well-etched svelte roads welcome you. The plateau region banked on either sides of the road will seem like a desert with its raw charm having absorbed your eye balls onto the peculiar vegetation that adorn the place. After an hour of the journey you would have arrived at the foot of the hills. Ideally this expedition is best considered during the wee hours of the morning or the languorous hours of the night to witness the glimmer and shimmer of the moonlight on the rocky landscape and to avoid profuse loss of bodily salts. Notwithstanding, this still makes for a perfect picture to a rural locale with stereotypical cows carrying hay in their mouth.

Then, you begin your ascent onto the hill where you might contradictorily find a wine shop. You obviously don’t consume any of it. It’s meant for the locals who stay there. Yes, people actually stay in dingy huts on the half-cooked road leading to the top that seem supremely intriguing. This is where you might encounter men asking you to take their blessings by shaking their hands. Advisable would be to ignore and move on unless you’re really looking for some drama. The people selling sugarcane juice may also be somewhat unfriendly. But be patient. You need them for the refreshments. Now, you would have reached the first set of three graves after a grueling climb of 1 and half hours. The largest and grandest one of them is of Haji Malang. You can take your footwear off, take a quick wash at the ablution center and enter the tomb. Suddenly the moment of epiphany – The entire journey gets forgotten and a wave of serenity hits you hard in the belly and you almost freeze. You can’t even remember how long it took you to climb the hill. You will just want to bask in the spirit of the holy. Drinking some water at the tomb, you can witness the chandelier sprinkling its straggling golden light in all directions on the grave and the Arabic inscriptions engraved on the walls. The feeling is simply ecstatic and lends a new definition to soothing.

So untying yourself from the benevolent energy in the Dargah when you make your exit, you might feel a bit weak in the knees while walking down. You might just be in love. Or maybe not! But you surely can grab a bite at the small veg and non-veg restaurant beside the pond that is situated behind the tomb. Also, don’t bother asking people where the dustbin is. You’ll get a puzzled look from the locals expecting you to throw it off the hill. So find a dustbin or keep remnants in your bags.

Be There: The only reason you should visit the place is the sheer peace-value attached to it. The grand fragrance that wafts through the Dargah might just convulse you to collapse.

Beware: Don’t encourage the locals and give in to their whimsies. Keep your belongings safe and walk on the stone path. Walking off it might be easy on your thighs but not on your life. You might fall off the cliff. But then again that’s the adventure. It’s a trek at the end of the day. So gear up with shoes and track pants preferably.

Reside: You can even stay overnight in the compound of the Dargah which is lain with cool marble. This will give you a chance to see the entire city from a summit in the moonlight.

Closest from: Kalyan station, Mumbai.

Photo Courtesy: Siddharth Vasani.