Khanqah E Moula Mosque
On 15th July 1819: Sikhs led by Akali Phula Singh entered Srinagar in great triumph after winning Kashmir. The first act Phula Singh did was arrange his guns to blow up the Khanqah-e-Moula Mosque of Srinagar.
When Kashmiri Muslims learned of it, they pleaded with Hindu minister Pandit Birbal Dhar to use his influence with the Sikhs to dissuade them from destroying the mosque. Birbal Dhar moved swiftly in the matter. He told Sikhs that God is worshiped in that Mosque and its destruction could cause misfortunes. Birbal Dhar even presented Phula Singh with cash and precious jewelry to conciliate him. The Mosque was spared.
Fast forward to June 30, 1990: Raj Nath Dhar, the direct descendant of Pandit Birbal Dhar, was shot dead by Islamic terrorists in Srinagar.
PS: This Khanqah-e-Moula Mosque was built in the 14th century after destroying the temple of Goddess Kali and killing its priests. Elderly Kashmiri Hindus still call this shrine its original name ‘Kali Mandir’. Islamic Chronicles gloatingly describe how a Sufi named Sufi named Ali Hamadani destroyed the temple and built a mosque in its precincts. To this day, one can see on the outer walls of this Mosque a saffron mark that Hindus had put up to worship Goddess Kali.
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