Mausoleum of Shah Sultan Mahisawar Balkhi

A special attraction of Mahasthangarh is the Mazar or Mausoleum (holy tomb) of Shah Sultan Balkhi Mahisawar (according to a popular legend a dervish who came to this region riding on a fish shaped boat) on top of the garh (fort). Through the entrance named Buri ka Darwaza visitors can access the top of the high mound in the south-east corner of the citadel through an irregular stairway. The mound along with the tomb includes a mosque and a number of graves.

One of the graves has been identified to be that Harapala, the so-called sweeper of the so-called king Parasurama who in league with the Saint Shah Sultan Mahisawar Balkhi was instrumental in bringing the downfall of King Parasurama according to the local tradition. Saint Shah Sultan Mahisawar Balkhi was a dervish of royal lineage who came to the Mahasthangarh area with the objective to spread Islam among the non-Muslims.

Everyday thousands of men and women come from distant places to visit the Mazar. Many people come to the Mazar for their traditional religious vows, the so-called “mannat”.

The existence of a single domed Mughal mosque further emphasizes the religious importance of the place. The mosque with its unique corbelled Bengali pendentive to support the dome depicts the local masonry technique. According to inscriptional records, the mosque was built by One Khodadil in the year 1130 A.H (1719 CE.) during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Farrukh Siyar of Delhi. In the more recent past the prayer hall of the mosque was extended on all sides so that devotees can come and say their prayers.