Nagore Dargah

The Nagore Dargah is the largest and most important dargah in Tamil Nadu, and one of the most significant Sufi pilgrimage sites in south India. The complex is built over the tomb of Meeran Sahib, a 16th-century Sufi saint of the Qadiri order, and it draws pilgrims from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Sri Lanka — Muslim and Hindu alike.

The Periya Minara, the great tower built in 1760 on the orders of the Thanjavur king, rises 40 metres and is the most visible landmark in town. Inside the complex, the saint's tomb is enclosed in a building with silver doors, its dome gilded. Three subsidiary shrines stand within the same walled campus. The scale of the complex relative to the small town around it makes clear how significant this site has been for centuries.

Entry to the outer courtyards is open to all visitors; the inner shrine has a dress code (head covering required; shoes removed at the entrance). The atmosphere inside is busy with petitioners and pilgrims — incense, flowers, cloth tied to grilles, people sitting quietly or in prayer. Non-Muslim visitors are generally welcomed as long as they observe the basic protocols with respect.

things to do sight
A story
Meeran Sahib (Shahul Hamid Badshah) arrived in Nagore from Manikpur in Uttar Pradesh in the 16th century and spent the rest of his life here as a Sufi teacher and healer. His fame spread so widely that when he died in 1570, the Thanjavur Nayak king Achyutappa ordered a tomb built over his grave. Two centuries later, another king added the great Periya Minara tower. The saint's appeal has always crossed religious lines: the Portuguese donated one of the silver lamps inside, and Hindu kings built much of the complex.