Nagore Dargah

Nagore Dargah is a prominent Sufi shrine located in Nagore town in Nagapattinam District, Tamil Nadu, on the Bay of Bengal coast. Dedicated to the 16th-century Sufi saint Hazrat Syed Shahul Hameed Qadir Wali, it is revered by both Muslims and Hindus. The complex features five minarets, a gold-plated dome and Indo-Islamic architecture. It is best known for the annual 14-day Kanduri Festival attracting pilgrims from across India and abroad.

Visitors can expect a large whitewashed shrine complex with five tall minarets, domes including a gold-plated dome over the saint's tomb, arched gateways and courtyards. The central sanctum houses the tomb of Hazrat Syed Shahul Hameed. The surroundings include prayer halls, tanks, shops selling offerings, flowers and souvenirs, and pilgrim rest houses. The atmosphere is devotional with pilgrims offering prayers, chadars and incense, especially crowded during festivals.

The dargah is built over the tomb of Hazrat Syed Shahul Hameed Qadir Wali (1490-1579), a Sufi saint from Manikpur, Uttar Pradesh, who settled in Nagore. Believed to have been constructed in the 16th century after his death in 1570, the shrine was later expanded with contributions including from Thanjavur ruler Pratap Singh. It represents over 400 years of Sufi heritage on the Coromandel Coast.

The shrine is a major centre of Sufi devotion and a symbol of communal harmony, venerated by Muslims as well as Hindus who call the saint Nagore Andavar. The annual Kanduri Festival, observed for 14 days to commemorate the saint's death anniversary, draws lakhs of pilgrims of all faiths with rituals, processions, and offerings of sandal paste and chadars.