ABOUT

Masjid Khaki is one of the oldest mosques in the town and is situated in Reshi Bazar of mohalla Kakhi sahiban in Anantnag town.It is more than 600 years old and is named after Hazarat Sheikh Baba Dawood Khaki the chief disciple of Hazarat Sheikh Hamaza Makhdoom. Sahib Baba Dawood Khaki has also been the chief Qazi of Kashmir and a scholar of great repute. It is said that Shah Hamdan the great saint of Hamdan in Iran who had come to Kashmir about 600 years back, visited the town and offered prayers at a platform where now the present mosque of Hazrat Sheikh Baba Dawood Khaki stands. The ground floor of the mosque was completed in 800 Hijri (1397 A.D) by Mir Mohd Hamdani, the son of Shah Hamdan. It is reported that Baba Dawood Khaki undertook the construction of the first floor of the mosque in 987 Hijri (1579 A.D) while the second floor of the mosque was completed in 990 Hijri(1582 A.D) under his own supervision. The saint propagated the ideology of Islam and constructed number of mosques in different villages of Anantnag district, which even now remains named after him. The saint died in 995 hijra(1587 A.D) after staying in the district for about ten years. The legend as it is, that after a period of three weeks of the death of the saint, then Mughal Governor of Kashmir had a dream in which he saw Mukdoom Sahib directing him to bring the body of Babd Dawood khaki to be laid his side at Srinagar .The Governor therefore secretly planned to bring the body of Baba Dawood back to Srinagar .He proclaimed that the Royal party from Srinagar would be visiting the town and that the ihabitants of the town should remain indoors till the Royal party had returned Srinagar. The party was accompanied by an army contingent. They visited the shrine of Reshi Sahib and dug out the body of Baba Dawood in complete secrecy and placed it in a coffin and left for Srinagar. When the party had just reached Khanabal-a place on the outskirts of the town a-word went round among the inhabitants of the town that the body of the saint Baba Dawood Khaki has been stealthily removed from his grave by the Royal party and that they were on there way to Srinagar. A big crowed of townsmen rushed to meet the Royal party to snatch away the coffin. A big scuffle ensued. Finally it was decided that the body would be awarded to the group which could lift the coffin from the grounds. Inspite of all efforts the inhabitants of the town failed to lift the coffin. The Royal party on the other hand lifted it comfortably and carried it away to Srinagar where the body of the saint stands buried by the side of the grave of Hazart Sheikh Hamaza Mukhdoom Sahib.