In Frames: A hearth of Sufism

The Hindu In Frames on the annual Zool festival in South Kashmir which keeps Sufi legacy alive.

The Zool festival of Aishmuqam shrine of Baba Zain-ud-Din Wali is a procession of faith and light. Also known as the illumination or torch festival, the Zool is a centuries-old tradition held at the shrine in Anantnag district of southern Kashmir.

At this shrine, located on a hillock overlooking the road to Pahalgam, the famous tourist destination in Kashmir, the annual fire procession symbolises the victory of light over darkness while commemorating the 15th-century Sufi saint Baba Zain-ud-Din Wali, a primary disciple of the renowned mystic Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Wali, also known as Nund Rishi.

This year, the festival was celebrated on April 2.

According to local legend, the saint meditated in a cave at Aishmuqam that was once infested with snakes or, in some versions, terrorised by a demon. His spiritual power eventually cleared the cave, and local people celebrated this “victory of good over evil” by lighting torches.

The procession involves thousands of devotees carrying wooden torches, locally called mashals or phrov, crafted from special wood gathered from nearby forests. Before the festival, local people refrain from eating or selling meat for three days as a form of spiritual purification.

As the sun sets, a glowing river of fire snakes up the 100-step staircase leading to the hilltop shrine. Participants chant religious hymns and seek blessings, creating a spectacle visible for miles across Anantnag.