|
Syncretic posters at the Sailani baba shrine in Maharashtra: Exploring portability of religious iconography through networks of circulation |
The dargah (shrine) of Sailani baba, in Sailani village (Buldhana district, Maharashtra)
Political map of India. The state of Maharashtra is seen in western India, in light yellow. Sailani is marked in a red square in the state.
Front cover- Shaan e Sailani Savane Hayaat, compiled by Sheikh Afsar Sheikh Mujawar. Buldhana: 1995.
![Back cover- Shaan-e-Sailani [The back cover mentions ‘Jamunwaale baba’. It is used to refer to Sailani baba, since he used to sit under the jamun (purple berry) tree.]](../images/essay_16/gallery/30201310194351.jpeg "Back cover- Shaan-e-Sailani [The back cover mentions ‘Jamunwaale baba’. It is used to refer to Sailani baba, since he used to sit under the jamun (purple berry) tree.]")
Back cover- Shaan-e-Sailani [The back cover mentions ‘Jamunwaale baba’. It is used to refer to Sailani baba, since he used to sit under the jamun (purple berry) tree.]
‘Sharaab ka doodh kiya’- Converted alcohol into milk..
‘Sailani baba sher ko chai pilaate they’- Sailani baba made lions drink tea.
'Baagh jaali mein prarthana mein magan’- Engaged in devotion near the baagh jaali- the web of the tigers.'
'Baba Sailani’
Sailani baba in the company of wild animals in the forest
Mujawar ke khet mein baba’- The baba in the Mujawar’s fields
Haji Bektash. (image sourced from the internet - http://www.thecenters.org/searchgroups.aspx?groupid=4)
Sailani baba depicted seated atop a camel
‘Guru aagya bina Sailani nikal pade they, Murshad ne aatm-shakti se waapas bulwaya’
(Sailani had left without the permission of his teacher, his guide willed him to come back.)
An illustrative painting of Khairuddin Muzarrat, Sailani baba's pir (guide), summoning him back when Sailani baba left for his travels. Sailani had met Khairuddin Muzarrat in Dharangaon Chopra in Jalgaon district in the state of Maharashtra. Muzarrat took him under his tutelage and also gave him the name Sailani, knowing that he would travel far and wide and remain a wanderer.
‘Raipur ki baithak. Yahaan baba raha karte they.’ (The sitting area of Raipur. Baba lived here.) An image of Sailani baba is superimposed digitally onto a photograph of the place where he is believed to have lived.
‘Dilli se Pimpalgaon (Sailani) ek pravaas’ (A journey from Delhi to Pimpalgaon (Sailani))
A painting depicting Sailani baba’s journey from Delhi (depicted here by the arched Delhi Gate) to Pimpalgaon (later called Sailani, depicted here by the Sailani shrine), both painted onto a landscape of mountains.
Framed posters and paintings kept in the Sailani museum
Shop near the shrine of Sailani baba, retailing popular visual paraphernalia associated with the saint.
Shop near the shrine of Sailani baba, retailing popular visual paraphernalia associated with the saint.
Shop near the shrine of Sailani baba. Among other popular visual paraphernalia, it retails stickers associated with Sailani baba
Sailani baba with the mythical beast Burraq that the Prophet Mohammad rode to heaven during his ascension
Sailani baba with Imam Hussain’s horse, Duldul
Sailani baba with Medina mosque
Sailani baba against a backdrop of Mecca.
Sailani baba with children reading the Qur’an. Mecca is also seen in the background.
Sailani baba with a typical image of Muslim piety- a woman dressed in make up and jewelery, raising her hands in a gesture of supplication. The figure of Sailani baba has been inserted in the direction of her hands, uplifting him to the status of the power she is praying to.
A woman pays homage to the shrine of Saint Abdul Qadir Jilani in Baghdad (Iraq) who is considered in high esteem by all Sufis in South Asia. The saint’s miracle (of saving a drowning boat) is depicted in the backdrop. Sailani baba has been inserted onto the scene. Framed poster being sold in a shop near Sailani shrine.
An imaginary gathering of four saints. Sailani Baba seen with Gajanan Maharaj of Shegaon (seen in red robe on the left), Waris Shah (in green robe, center) and Sai Baba (in white robe). The image of Sailani Baba has been superimposed on this popular poster.
Sailani baba painted over plants, rivers and animals. This painting attempts to illustrate that Sailani baba continues to live in, and act through them..
Framed poster with an image of Sailani superimposed on the shrine. The image attempts to illustrate that the Saint lives on in his shrine.
Sailani Baba is portrayed sitting in the company of five celebrated sufi mystics and their shrines (clockwise from bottom left): Baba Farid, Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, Hazrat Ghuas-e Azam, Hazrat Bu Ali Sharif, and Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia. Also visible are the shrines of Mecca and Medina on the top.
Seen here is a poster assembled in the Sailani museum. It shows Sailani baba with other a few saints and holy men - Hazrat Khairu Shah baba, Hazrat Iman Shah baba, Hazrat Mohammad Shah Baba, Hazrat Sayyed Khairu Shah Baba, Hazrat Naseeb Shah Baba, Kol gaon wale Baba, Sayyed Ali Shah, Hazrat Khairuddin Shah Auliya. The Saints are not so popular and recognized in visual iconography, but here, the familiar figure of Sailani baba makes this an instantly identifiable poster.
Sailani baba superimposed on an image of Lord Shiva.
Sailani baba superimposed on an image of Lord Shiva.
Popular, current day representation of Sailani baba.
A black and white image of Sailani baba, often claimed to be an ‘original’ photograph of the saint.
Studio backdrop of Sailani baba.
Popular gestures of Muslim piety find their way into image making practices in photo studios.
Popular gestures of Muslim piety find their way into image making practices in photo studios.
A sticker of Sailani baba affxed to a poster with a moral lesson.
A sticker of Sailani baba affxed to a poster with a moral lesson.
Sailani baba and the Taj Mahal.
| Back to Essay |
| Visual Pilgrim Home - Gallery |