The tomb of Baba Hyder Reshi popularly known as Harda Reshi or Reshi Molu, the saint at whose anniversary local people of the area abstain from flesh eating for one week, is visited by both Muslims and Hindus alike. The shrine is one of the famous places frequented by people from all over the valley. It is Situated in Mohalla Reshi Sahib in Anantnag Town. The body of the saint is enshrined alongwith 21 of his disciples in the tomb.
Born on 29th Rajab, 909 Hijri ( 17-1-1504) A.D. in
village Dandar of Tehsil Anantnag in the house of Sheikh Abdulla a blacksmith by
profession, Baba Hyder Rehsi is said to have performed graet miracles in his very
childhood. He used a look after cultivation, tend cattle, and spent his life in
complete celibacy. His spiritual guode had been Hazrat Sheikh Hamza Makhdoom Sahib,
a great saint of Kashmir whose shrine is situated on the hill of Hari Parbat located
in Srinagar city. From him, he is said to have received religious education
and spiritual inspiration.
Baba Reshi came into prominence when the then ruler of Kashmir Ali Shah Chak and
the prince Yousuf Shah Chak started paying courtesy calls on him. The one time graet
scholar and chief Qazi of Kashmir Baba Dawood Khaki also used to visist him. Rehsi
Saheb possessed graet spiritual powers and abstained throughout his life from eating
meat and onions. Some of the miracles attributed to him are given below:
An eighty tear old devotee of the saint Ab.Rahim Badal who was a
rich man had no
issue and had given up all hopes to have one. One day he visited the saint asked
for what was apparently impossible. The saint offered an apple to his devotee. After
nine months a male child was born in his house who was named Mohd Sharief. However,
the child’s mother died. The child refused to suckle any other breast. When brought
before him, the saint put his own finger into the child’s mouth which he at once
started sucking. The child in his own adulthood attained spiritual enlightment and
later joined as one of the disciples of the saint. The saint is said to have passed
away in 976 Hijri ( 1568 A.D.) at the age of 67 years in deep meditation. The relic
has been passed from Khalifa Hazrat Ali to Shiekh Shahad-ud-din Sohrawardi and afterwards
it is said to have been presented to Baba Reshi by Hazrat Makhdoom Sahib when the
former accepted him as his spiritual guide. There is also a rosery and a walking
stick of the saint preserved in the shrine of Reshi Sahib.