The Shrine of Bayazid Bastami is a shrine in Bangladesh.
Bayazid Bostami was a famous Persian Sufi born in Bostam, Iran. There is a Shrine on his name located in Chittagong, Bangladesh known as Bayazid Bostami Dargah Sharif. It is a complex consists of a tomb surrounded by brick made structure along with an old mosque and a large pond. The whole complex is located on a hillock of Nasirabad, considered to be a holy place and attracted by a large number of visitors and pilgrims daily.
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The tomb with sarcophagus was originally discovered in 1831, and at the time was enclosed by a wall with protective pillars. This has been replaced by a modern structure. There was an ancient three-domed mosque at the foot of the tomb hill which is believed to be of the time of the Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb (1658–1707). The central dome is bigger than the side ones. The mosque has four engaged octagonal towers at the four corners, capped with cupolas, and decorated with raised bands. The base of the towers is shaped like a vase. The interior of the mosque is sparsely decorated, while the mihrab on the qibla wall (indicating the direction of Mecca) has an identical projection on the opposite side.[1]
Although the Shrine is believed to be Bostami’s tomb by local people, there is no significant historical evidence about Bostami’s visit in this part of Bangladesh. It is considered that this tomb was attributed to him as a jawab or imitation. According to Hamidullah Khan (19th century historian of Chittagong), Muslim faqirs and wanderers used to come to Chittagong in those times, usually taking their seats on hill-tops surrounded by jungles and built there, false tombs and mausoleums in the name of Sultan-ul-Arefin Bayazid Bostami and Abdul Qadir Jilani as jawab or imitation.[2][3][4][5]
Some people believe that he indeed visited this part of the world in his lifetime. Also there is a myth that during his return the local followers protested and asked him to stay there. Overwhelmed by their love and devotion, he pierced his fifth (little) finger, allowed a few drops of blood to fall on the ground and permits the followers to build shrine there on his name.[6]
Although there is no authentic historical record about Bostami’s visit in Chittagong, some 18th century bengali poets remembered some Shah Sultan of Nasirabad on their powems. As Bayazid Bostami was also known as Sultan-ul-Arefin, some scholars believe that the 'Shah Sultan' of the poems was the abbreviation of 'Sultan-ul-Arefin' and hence Shah Sultan and Bayazid Bostami were identical.[7]
In front of the tomb, there is a large pond that where lives a good number of Black Soft Shell turtles known as Bostami Turtle or Bostami Kachim (locally called as Mazari) which are very rare and critically endangered species. There are Legends that these turtles are the descendents of evil spirits that incurred the wrath of the renowned saint, Bayazid Bostami, when he was visiting the area. It is believed that the evil spirits are then transformed into turtles as a punishment and are doomed to spend eternity in this pool. At present, the shrine's caretakers – the Mazar Committee – protect the turtle population, but will not allow specimens to be taken anymore, regardless of whether they would be killed or used for reintroduction into the wild.
Scientifically The Black Soft-shelled Turtle or Bostami Turtle (Aspideretes Nigricans, sometimes placed in genus Nilssonia) is a species of freshwater turtle found in India (Assam) and Bangladesh (Chittagong). It was for long believed to be inbred individuals of the Ganges Soft-shelled Turtle (A. gangeticus or N. gangeticus) or the Peacock Soft-shelled Turtle (A. hurum or N. hurum), but while it is a close relative of the latter it is a good and distinct species. As of 2002, the IUCN classified the species as Extinct in the Wild.[8]