Nund Rishi

Wali Nund Rishi
Painting of Nund Rishi from a 17th-century manuscript known as Kashmiri Kalaam.
Personal life
Born	Noor Ud-Din c. 1377 Khee Jogipora, Kashmir
Died	c. 1438 Charar-i-Sharief, Charari Sharief, Kashmir
Resting place	Charar-e-Sharief shrine
Home town	Qaimoh, Kulgam
Religious life
Religion	Islam
Denomination	Sunni
Muslim leader
Influenced by Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani, Mir Sayyid Mohammed Hamadani

Nund Rishi (Kashmiri pronunciation: [nundɨ rʲoʃ] c. 1377 – c. 1438; born Noor-ud-Din) was a Kashmiri Sufi saint, mystic, poet and Islamic preacher. Nund Rishi was among the founders of the Rishi order, a Sufi tradition of the region, and is also known by the titles Sheikh-Ul-Alam (lit. 'spiritual guide of the world') and Alamdar-e-Kashmir (lit. 'flag bearer of Kashmir') by Muslims, and referred to as Nund Lal and Sahajananda by Hindus. He influenced many spiritual teachers and saints, including Hamza Makhdoom, Resh Mir Sàeb, and Shamas Faqir.

Early life

Painting of Sheikh Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Noorani, also known as Nund Rishi

Noor-ud-Din was born in 1377 in Khee Jogipora village near Qaimoh in today's Kulgam district of Kashmir to Salar Sanz and Sadra, also called Sadra Moji or Sadra Deddi. His grandfather Sheikh Salahuddin hailed from Rajput Royal Family Of Kishtwar. The legend has it that he refused to be breastfed by his mother after birth and it was Lalleshwari who breastfed him. His stepsons (Shash and Gundro) later tried to corrupt him into theft, but even when forced into burglary he refused to sin, reportedly composing a Kashmiri poem instead, In teenage years Noor-ud-Din was apprenticed to a couple of traders. He was married to Zai Ded who hailed from the village of Dadasara, Tral ,they had three children (two sons, one daughter), but all died in infancy. He renounced the world after the death of her children and became a hermit.

By age 30, Noor-ud-Din “became sullen with worldly life” and turned to asceticism. He withdrew regularly to solitude (his mother even pointed to a local cave in Qaimoh as a meditation retreat, the “Fikri Taing” mound). Under the influence of the Kubrawiya (through his patronage of the Persian saint Syed Hussain Simnani), he embraced a life of self-denial. He began wandering and preaching in the villages, using the Kashmiri vernacular (Koshur) to reach ordinary people. His goal was monotheism and universal brotherhood, criticizing caste, ritualism and communal divisions. As one contemporary scholar observes: He writes:

"We belong to the same parents, then why this difference? Let Hindus and Muslims worship God alone, we came to this world like partners.’”

He repeatedly urged tolerance and non-violence; for example, he proclaimed “Here the good alone can claim noble descent; in the hereafter caste will be extinct”​. He and his (often Hindu) disciples sought to make religious teachings accessible: Nund Rishi famously insisted on Kashmiri (rather than Persian) as the medium of his poetry, effectively preserving the local language at a time when Persian dominated the courts.

Spiritual Influence and Preaching.

Noor-ud-Din’s message attracted people across faiths. Biographers note that many local Hindu ascetics (sadhus, yogis and pandits) and Muslim missionaries gravitated to him. Bazaz observes that during his lifetime notable figures such as Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani's son Mir Mohammad Hamadani and Syed Hussain Simnani “all developed contacts with him” Hindu monks and Kashmir Shaivites also became his followers. Under the sobriquet “Rishi”, a Sanskrit term for sage, Noor-ud-Din drew on both Islamic and Hindu mystical traditions. In his ascetic phase as a pir, he subsisted on a cup of milk a day and finally on water alone.

With a message of tawhid (divine unity), Noor-ud-Din traveled the Kashmir Valley preaching peace. He established a network of followers, the nascent Rishi order, whose core values were simplicity, equality and non-violence. In his role as patron saint of the Valley, he is credited with making non-violence and religious harmony “the basic characteristics” of Kashmiri society According to one study, “In Kashmiri poetry, he holds a very important position”, and he is remembered as a bridge between Kashmir’s Shaiva and Sufi heritage He outlived (by a few years) his fellow saint-poet Lal Ded or known as Lalleshwari, and tradition holds that her verses and example deeply influenced him. (The legend that Lalleshwari nursed him as an infant symbolizes their spiritual kinship).

Philosophy

Noor-ud-Din was also a prolific mystical poet. His verses called shruks are brief Kashmiri sayings (usually 4–6 lines) that capture existential and ethical themes. Bazaz and others emphasize that Rishi’s poetry is steeped in negative theology: it speaks of God through negation, death, and the void For example, he often reminds devotees of life’s impermanence (“die before you die”) and praises annihilation of the ego. At the same time, his shruks address social issues in plain language. As one scholar notes, Nund Rishi used Kashmiri “as the piercing mode of expressing [his] poetry” to reach the masses The content of his poetry consistently stresses oneness and social justice. He explicitly denounces caste, hypocrisy and communalism, calling for equality before God. For instance, one translated verse declares:

“Here the good alone can claim noble descent; in the hereafter caste will be extinct”

Another counsels religious harmony:

“We belong to the same parents, then why this difference? Let Hindus and Muslims worship God alone; we came to this world like partners.”

His environmental awareness is also remembered in lore (e.g. the famous “Ann Poshi” verse, “Food will thrive only as long as the woods survive”), reflecting respect for nature and rural life.

In sum, Noor-ud-Din’s philosophy combined fervent monotheism with universal humanism. He rejected ritualism and violence, urging simple piety and compassion. He declared that all religions share one source, famously saying that Hindus and Muslims “came to this world like partners As one study concludes, “His thoughts have moulded the minds of [Kashmiris] for more than five centuries, establishing a culture of utmost religious tolerance with an abiding faith in the omnipresence of God.”. His poetry remains central to Kashmiri literature and spirituality; Kashmiri shruks (vernacular devotional poetry) owe much to Nund Rishi’s example.

On another occasion, when invited to a feast, Noor-ud-Din went in ragged dress, earlier than the appointed time. The servants, not recognizing him, would not permit him to enter, and he had to go back to take his food at home. When all had sat for the sumptuous dinner, the Sheikh was specially sent for. He came, this time in a flowing chugha (cloak) and was given the seat of honour. But the Sheikh instead of partaking of the food stretched forth his sleeves and put them on to the plates. The people were astonished at the sight and asked him the reason. He replied: "The feast was not really for Noor-ud-Din but for the long sleeves!"

Role in Kashmiri History and Sufism

Noor-ud-Din is foundational to Kashmiri identity and Sufism. He is traditionally considered the founder of the local Rishi order (a syncretic Sufi tradition blending Islam with Kashmir’s pre-Islamic mysticism) He and Lal Ded (Lalleshwari) are celebrated as Kashmir’s two great saints, heralds of a vernacular, devotional culture. Bazaz notes that Kashmiris revere Nund Rishi as “Alamdār-i Kashmir” (“flag-bearer of Kashmir”) and “Shaikh al-‘Ālam” (“teacher of the world”) Indeed, tales of his life cross religious lines: even Hindus fondly call him Nund Lal and many Kashmiri Pandit families trace oral traditions to meetings with him.

Under Sultan Zayn al-Abidin the Great's tolerant rule, Nund Rishi’s movement flourished. He is credited with safeguarding the Kashmiri language and culture at a time when Persian rule was ascendant By preaching in Kashmiri rather than Arabic or Persian, he validated local folklore and speech. His emphasis on non-violence, vegetarianism and egalitarian ethics also echoes Kashmir’s indigenous values.

Even foreign rulers recognized his stature. In the 19th century the Afghan governor Atta Muhammad Khan minted coins in Nund Rishi’s name to legitimize his rule (Later, Sikh governor J. S. Ranbir Singh likewise patronized a coin issue honoring the saint.) Today the Kashmiri government still awards the Sheikh-ul-Alam Award for contributions to cultural harmony, underscoring Nund Rishi’s lasting symbolic role. As one scholar observes, “The centrality of Nund Rishi… to Kashmiri cultural memory has never been in question.”

Literary works

Nund Rishi's poetry by Shafi Shauq named "NUND"

Noor-ud-Din spread his teachings or message through poems, commonly known as shruks. His poems have four to six lines each and evolve around religious themes, highlight moral principles and often call for peace. He strived for Hindu–Muslim unity. One of his prominent poems is Ann poshi teli yeli wan poshi, which translates as "Food will thrive only as long as the woods survive".

Kashmiri poet Lal Ded was Noor-ud-Din's contemporary and had a great impact on his spiritual growth. Some scholars argue that he was her disciple, and associate his poetry with the Bhakti movement, although others disagree.

Abir Bazaz's book on Nund Rishi

Noor-ud-Din witnessed several transmissions of Hinduism and Islam in the valley throughout his life, although he was actively involved in philosophical work and in writing Kashmiri poems. In his verses, he recalled some events, including the arrival of Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani to Kashmir.

Kalam Sheikh Ul Alam

There have been several books published on him, most notably Kalam-e-Sheikh ul-Alam. In 2023 academic Abir Bazaz wrote a book on Nund Rishi named Nund Rishi: Poetry and Politics in medieval Kashmir on the life and poetry of Nund Rishi. In 2024 Renowned poet and Professor Shafi Shauq released a book named Nund where he discussed the poetry of Nund Rishi with translations in English.

Noor-ud-Din is also credited with translating the Quran into Kashmiri language.

In 2015, the university of Kashmir published an Urdu book titled "Kalam-i-Sheikh-ul-Alam", comprising about 300 shruks of Nund Rishi translated into Urdu by Ghulam Muhammad Shad.

Kalam e Sheikh ul-Alam Prof Ghulam Mohammad Shad

Death

Noor-ud-Din died in 1438 at the approximate age of 63. It is said in the local tradition that on the first two days of his death, over 900,000 people showed up to Charari Sharief for his funeral. Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin commissioned a tomb for his body at Charari Sharief. The Charar-e-Sharief shrine is visited by pilgrims to this day, especially on the eve of Noor-ud-Din's urs. His Urs was observed on 23 October 2022, this day has been declared gazetted holiday by the government.

The Afghan governor Atta Muhammad Khan minted coins with Noor-ud-Din's name.

Noor-ud-Din's father Sheikh Salar-Ud-Din and two brothers Kamal-Ud-Din and Jamal-Ud-Din are buried near Dadasara while his wife is buried in Qaimoh.

Disciples and Legacy

Charar-e-Sharief shrine

Noor-ud-Din’s disciples were the early carriers of the Rishi movement. Many were drawn from the Hindu yogi and Pandit communities; indeed Bazaz records that his key disciples – Baba Bamuddin, Baba Zainuddin, Baba Latifuddin and Baba Nasiruddin, were “recent converts to Islam,” who then helped spread the Rishi order. (Local tradition adds female disciples such as Behat Bibi, Dehat Bibi, Sham Dyeed and Shangu Bibi. These followers propagated Noor-ud-Din’s teachings in Kashmir’s villages, blending Sanskritic and Islamic motifs in their own poetry and practices. In later centuries the Rishi tradition inspired other saints: for example, the great 16th‑century Sufi Hamza Makhdoom is often said to have been spiritually influenced by Nund Rishi’s legacy, even if he lived a generation later and was from Suhrawardiyya Order. Similarly, the Reshi Mir Saeb of south Kashmir and the 19th‑century Shamas Faqir belonged to the same syncretic tradition and honor Sheikh Noor-ud-Din’s example.

Through his disciples and literary heirs (who wrote down the shruks centuries later), Noor-ud-Din’s message endured. His kalam (sayings) were transcribed into Persian and Kashmiri texts, and are still recited in Kashmiri gatherings and sufi circles. Culturally, he paved the way for Kashmir’s composite heritage: his insistence on peace, unity, and devotion outside rigid dogma became a hallmark of Kashmiri Sufism (often called “Kashmiri Rishiism”). In sum, Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Noorani (Nund Rishi) remains a towering figure whose life and works shaped Kashmir’s spiritual and cultural identity for over six centuries.

In 2005, the Government of India renamed the Srinagar airport to Sheikh ul-Alam International Airport and granted it international status.

See also

• Abdul Qadir Gilani
• Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani
• Baba Naseeb-ud-Din Ghazi
• Baba Haneef Ud Din Reshi