Nund Rishi

{{Short description|Kashmiri saint (c. 1377 – c. 1438)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}} {{Use Indian English|date=April 2018}} {{Infobox religious biography | religion = Islam | honorific_prefix = {{ubl|{{transliteration|ar|Shaykh}}|{{transliteration|ks|Alamdar}}|{{transliteration|ks|Sheikh ul-Alam}}|{{transliteration|ks|Shams al-Arifeen}} |{{transliteration|ks|Shaykh al-Kamil}}}} | name = Nund Rishi | image = Painting of Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Noorani, also known as Nund Rishi 01.webp | alt = | caption = Painting of Nund Rishi from a 17th-century manuscript known as ''Kashmiri Kalaam''. | birth_name = Noor Ud-Din | birth_date = {{circa}} 1377 | birth_place = Khee Jogipora, Kashmir | home_town = Qaimoh, Kulgam | death_date = {{circa}} 1438<ref name="Mir Nasti 2019"/> | death_place = Charar-i-Sharief, Charari Sharief, Kashmir | influences = Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani, Mir Sayyid Mohammed Hamadani | influenced = Shamas Faqir, Baba Payam ud Din Reshi, Zayn al-Abidin the Great, Hamza Makhdoom Baba Shukur ud-Din Wali Baba Nasr ud-Din Rishi Zain ud-Din Wali | native_name = {{nq|نُند ریش}} | native_name_lang = ks | denomination = Sunni | resting_place = Charar-e-Sharief shrine | title = Sheikh ul-Alam (Spiritual Guide of The World) Alamdar-e-Kashmir (flag bearer of Kashmir) Sahajānanda (Innately Blissful One). | Sufi_order = Rishi order }}

'''Nund Rishi'''{{efn|also spelled '''Nund Reshi'''}} ({{IPA|ks|nundɨ rʲoʃ}} c. 1377 (or 1356)<ref>{{Cite book |last=Saif u Deen |first=Qaari |title=Guldasta Kalam e Sheikh ul Alam |publisher=Classical Printers-Dehli |year=1999 |edition=1999 |location=Kashmir (Kesheer) |pages=9 |trans-title=Bouquet Of The Poetry Of Sheikh ul Alam}}</ref> – c. 1438; born '''Noor-ud-Din'''{{efn|The honorific of Sheikh is often added to his name, along with ''Wali'' or ''Noorani'' ({{literally|lustrous}}) added as suffix}}) was a Kashmiri Sufi saint,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Shad |first1=Prof Ghulam Mohammad |title=Kalam e Sheikh ul Alam RA (Kashmiri With Urdu Translation) |date=1 January 2024 |publisher=Kashmir Book Depot |isbn=9789382988205 |edition=6th |location=Srinagar |pages=408}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Bazaz |first1=Abir |title=Nund Rishi: Poetry and Politics in Medieval Kashmir |date=23 August 2023 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9781009100458 |edition=1st |location=London |pages=250}}</ref> mystic, poet and Islamic preacher.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YRj52qGJyM0C&pg=PA347|title=Languages of Belonging: Islam, Regional Identity, and the Making of Kashmir|first=Chitralekha|last=Zutshi|date=11 April 2003|publisher=Permanent Black|isbn=9788178240602|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref name="Tribuneindia News Service 2015">{{cite web | title=Books on life of Sufi saint Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Wali released | website=Tribuneindia News Service | date=16 September 2015 | url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/books-on-life-of-sufi-saint-sheikh-noor-ud-din-wali-released-133607 | access-date=11 April 2020}}</ref> 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'' ({{literally|spiritual guide of the world}})<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hussain |first=Masood |date=2018-06-20 |title=Sheikh-ul-Aalam: A Rediscovery |url=https://kashmirlife.net/sheikh-ul-aalam-a-rediscovery-issue-12-vol-10-178350/ |access-date=2022-10-21 |website=Kashmir Life |language=en-GB}}</ref> and ''Alamdar-e-Kashmir'' ({{literally|flag bearer of Kashmir}}) by Muslims, and referred to as ''Nund Lal'' and ''Sahajānanda'' (Innately Blissful One) by Hindus. He influenced many spiritual teachers and saints, including Hamza Makhdoom, Resh Mir Sàeb, and Shamas Faqir.<ref name="koausa.org">{{Cite web|url=http://www.koausa.org/KashmiriGems/NundReshi1.html|title=Gems of Kashmiri Literature and Kashmiriyat - Nund Reshi|website=www.koausa.org}}</ref><ref name="Greater Kashmir 2015">{{cite web | title=Urs of Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Wali (RA) observed | website=Greater Kashmir | date=14 March 2015 | url=https://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/kashmir/urs-of-sheikh-noor-ud-din-wali-ra-observed/ | access-date=11 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/rishi-of-the-valley/article3727083.ece|title=Rishi of the Valley|date=5 August 2012|work=The Hindu}}</ref>

==Early life== thumb|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.<ref name="spreadofislam">[http://www.soqte.org/articles/spreadofislam.html Soqte:School Of Orthoepy Quran And Theology::Kashmir] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070419195354/http://www.soqte.org/articles/spreadofislam.html|date=2007-04-19}}</ref>{{efn|old name of Qaimoh was '''Katimusha'''}}{{efn|In Kashmir, "Moji" refers to mother and "Deddi" denotes an elderly women, especially a paternal or maternal grandmother. It is widely used by the Kashmiri people to represent an elderly woman.}} 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.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7mJQBAAAQBAJ&q=Sheikh+Noor+ud-Din+Noorani+demise&pg=PA215|title=Kashmir: Jammu. Kashmir Valley. Ladakh. Zanskar|first1=Max|last1=Lovell-Hoare|first2=Sophie|last2=Lovell-Hoare|date=1 July 2014|publisher=Bradt Travel Guides|isbn=9781841623962|via=Google Books}}</ref> 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 in 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.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=SHAH |first=SAYID ASHRAF |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WOwHrgEACAAJ |title=Saints of Kashmir: Sufi Orders of Kashmir |date=2014-12-17 |publisher=Gulshan Books Kashmir |isbn=978-81-8339-455-0 |edition=1st |location=Srinagar |language=en}}</ref>

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.<ref name=":1" /> 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: <blockquote>''"We belong to the same parents, then why this difference? Let Hindus and Muslims worship God alone, we came to this world like partners.’''”<ref name=":1" /> </blockquote>He repeatedly urged tolerance and non-violence; for example, he proclaimed <blockquote>''“Here the good alone can claim noble descent; in the hereafter caste will be extinct”'' </blockquote>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.<ref name=":1" />

== 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.<ref name=":1" />

According to a dream seen by one of the foremost disciples Baba Nasr ud-Din, Sheikh Noor ud-Din was one of the Abdal, in the work Kashmiri Sufism it is quoted:<blockquote>''On his sick-bed, he'' ''(Nasr ud-Din) dreamed that he saw'a group of people and enquired who they all were, and who was sitting in their midst. They replied that they were the body of abdals and seated in the middle was the celebrated Shaikh Nuru'd-Din of Kaimuh. and they suggested that he visit him as soon as he could. if he wished to be cured of his disease.''<ref>{{Cite book |last=Qadri |first=Shafi Ahmad |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5krYAAAAMAAJ |title=Kashmiri Sufism |date=2002 |publisher=Gulshan Publishers |isbn=978-81-86714-35-5 |language=en}}</ref></blockquote>He converted many people to Islam throughout his life. some figures include the first spiritual successor to his Rishi order, Hazrat Baba Bam ud-Din Rishi who were converted by Sheikh Noor ud-Din after a long discussion on idol worship and Sheikh ul-Alam convinced him enough to make him a Muslim. After Baba Bam ud-Din Rishi's death, The Cloak of Rishi order fell upon Sakhi Zain ud-Din Wali of Aishmuquam who became The Second Spiritual Successor, it is said The Holy Saint Sheikh Noor ud-Din once got to know of Zain ud-Din's illness when he wasn't a Muslim, The Holy Saint then told his mother that he would make dua for them if they accepted Islam, hence it was Zia Singh (later Sakhi Zain ud-Din Wali) who became Muslim with his mother and accepted Islam, after the supplications done by The Holy Saint Sheikh Noor ud-Din, Zai Singh was cured. After the death of Sakhi Zain ud-Din Wali. Following them were Baba Latif ud-Din who desired the friendship of the Holy Saint Sheikh Noor ud-Din, who denied his offer of friendship until he didn't accept Islam, after yielding, Baba Latif ud-Din accepted Islam and became the Third Spiritual Successor to Sheikh Noor ud-Din Noorani, following them was Baba Nasr ud-Din as The Fourth Spiritual Successor.<ref name=":0" />

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).<ref name=":0" />

== 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 the 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.<ref name=":1" /> 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: <blockquote>''“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.”''</blockquote> 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.<ref name=":1" />

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 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!<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Khan |first=Mohammad Ishaq |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OltutEtkDNAC |title=Kashmir's Transition to Islam: The Role of Muslim Rishis, Fifteenth to Eighteenth Century |date=2002 |publisher=Manohar |isbn=978-81-7304-199-0 |language=en}}</ref>"

== 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.<ref name=":2" />

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.<ref name=":2" />

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.''<ref name=":2" />''”''

== Literary works == thumb|253x253px|Nund Rishi's poetry by Shafi Shauq named "NUND" Noor-ud-Din spread his teachings or message through poems, commonly known as ''shruks''.{{efn|Nund Rishi's poetry is known as "Shruks" or "Koshur Kuran". Koshur Kuran means a translated version of the original text of Qur'an.}}<ref name="Kashmir Observer 2013">{{cite web | title=HMT organizes seminar on Sheikh-ul-Alam | website=Kashmir Observer | date=11 October 2013 | url=https://kashmirobserver.net/2013/10/11/hmt-organizes-seminar-on-sheikh-ul-alam/ | access-date=11 April 2020}}</ref> His poems have four to six lines each<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sg.news.yahoo.com/news/j-k-restore-sufi-saint-nooranis-cave-boost-065237705.html|title=J-K to restore sufi saint Noorani's cave to boost tourism|website=sg.news.yahoo.com}}</ref> and revolve around religious themes, highlight moral principles, and often call for peace.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q4JIDwAAQBAJ&q=sheikh+Noor+ud-Din+Noorani+poems&pg=PA38|title=Re-Visiting Literature: Critical Essays|last=Rather|first=Mohd Nageen|publisher=Educreation Publishing|via=Google Books}}</ref> 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".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://risingkashmir.com/news/lal-singh-invokes-muslim-saint-shiekh-noor-u-din-to-kick-start-plantation-drive|title=Lal Singh invokes Muslim saint Shiekh Noor-u-Din to kick-start plantation drive|website=Rising Kashmir}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ikashmir.net/kashmirigems/nundreshi1.html|title=Gems of Kashmiri Literature and Kashmiriyat by P.N. Razdan (Mahanori)|website=www.ikashmir.net}}</ref>

Kashmiri poet Lal Ded was Noor-ud-Din's contemporary and had a great impact on his spiritual growth.<ref name="J. Odin 2013">Jaishree Odin, Lalla to Nuruddin: Rishi-Sufi Poetry of Kashmir. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass (2013)</ref> Some scholars argue that he was her disciple, and associate his poetry with the Bhakti movement, although others disagree.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/gk-magazine/decolonising-sheikh-ul-alam/|title=Decolonising Sheikh-ul-Alam|date=14 March 2015|website=greaterkashmir.com|access-date=11 April 2020}}</ref> thumb|222x222px|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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jktdc.co.in/charar-e-sharif.aspx|title=CHARAR-E-SHARIF IN KASHMIR}}</ref> In his verses, he recalled some events, including the arrival of Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani to Kashmir.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kashmirlife.net/sheikh-ul-aalam-a-rediscovery-issue-12-vol-10-178350/|title=Sheikh-ul-Aalam: A Rediscovery|date=20 June 2018}}</ref>

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.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Bazaz |first=Abir |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o9PQEAAAQBAJ |title=Nund Rishi: Poetry and Politics in Medieval Kashmir |date=2024 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-009-10045-8 |language=en}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2024-08-18 |title=Prof Shauq Releases Three Books On Sufi Poetry At Srinagar Book-fair |url=https://kashmirobserver.net/2024/08/18/prof-shauq-releases-three-books-on-sufi-poetry-at-srinagar-book-fair/#google_vignette |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=Kashmir Observer |language=en-US}}</ref>

Noor-ud-Din is also credited with translating the Quran into Kashmiri language.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=naxOK9_AfGgC&q=sheikh+Noor+ud-Din+Noorani+poems&pg=PA34|title=Manufacturing Terrorism: Kashmiri Encounters with Media and the Law|first=Syed Bismillah|last=Geelani|date=11 April 2006|publisher=Bibliophile South Asia|isbn=9788185002705|via=Google Books}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/kashmir/urdu-translation-of-kalam-i-sheikh-ul-alam-ra-released-at-cuk/|title=Urdu translation of Kalam-i-Sheikh-ul-Alam (RA) released at CUK|date=14 March 2015|website=Greater Kashmir|access-date=11 April 2020}}</ref> thumb|265x265px|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''.<ref name="Mir Nasti 2019">{{cite book|last1=Mir|first1=Y.A.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q8mcDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA32|title=Glory II: A Reference Book of English Literature for Class XII|last2=Nasti|first2=S.M.|publisher=RED'SHINE Publication. Pvt. Ltd.|year=2019|isbn=978-93-89039-19-1|page=32|access-date=11 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Nand Rishi (Sheikh Nuruddin Nurani) A Great Sufi Saint And Poet Of Kashmir, A Symbol Of Hindu-Muslim Spiritual Unity {{!}} Altamash Ali, New Age Islam |url=https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-personalities/altamash-ali-new-age-islam/nand-rishi-sheikh-nuruddin-nurani-great-sufi-saint-poet-kashmir-symbol-hindu-muslim-spiritual-unity/d/136378 |access-date=2025-10-05 |website=www.newageislam.com |language=en}}</ref> His Urs was observed on 23 October 2022, this day has been declared a gazetted holiday by the government.

The Afghan governor, Atta Muhammad Khan, minted coins with Noor-ud-Din's name.<ref name="GKashmir">{{cite web | title=Shruks of Shaikhul Alam (RA) | website=Greater Kashmir | date=13 March 2015 | url=https://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/gk-magazine/shruks-of-shaikhul-alam-ra/ | access-date=12 April 2020}}</ref>

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.<ref name="Mir Nasti 2019" />

==Disciples and Legacy== 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 Bam ud-Din, Baba Zain ud-Din, Baba Latif ud-Din'' and ''Baba Nasr ud-Din,'' 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 the Suhrawardiyya Order. Similarly, the Reshi Mir Saeb of south Kashmir and the 19th‑century Shamas Faqir and Rahim Sopori belonged to the same syncretic tradition and honor Sheikh Noor-ud-Din's example.<ref name=":1" /> thumb|Charar e Sharif Shrine c.2026 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.<ref name=":0" />

In 2005, the Government of India renamed the Srinagar airport to Sheikh ul-Alam International Airport and granted it international status.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/kashmir/international-flights-from-srinagar-airport-were-governments-really-interested/|title=International flights from Srinagar Airport: Were Governments really interested?|date=3 March 2017|website=Greater Kashmir}}</ref>

==Notes== {{notelist}}

==References== {{reflist}} *{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvE4GBd1iqI |title=Nund Rishi - The Greatest Sufi Poet of Kashmir |date=2025-01-24 |last=Let's Talk Sufism |access-date=2025-05-28 |via=YouTube}} *{{Cite web |last=SERVICE |first=GK NEWS |date=2024-08-19 |title=Prof Shafi Shauq releases 3 books in Kashmiri language |url=https://www.greaterkashmir.com/city/prof-shafi-shauq-releases-3-books-in-kashmiri-language/ |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=Greater Kashmir |language=en-US}}

==Further reading== * {{cite book |last1=Shauq |first1=Shafi |title=The Best of Kashmiri Literature NUND |date=1 January 2022 |publisher=Ali Mohammad & Sons |location=Srinagar |isbn=9788195027866 |pages=171 |edition=1st}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rishi, Nund}} Category:Kashmiri people Category:Kashmiri poets Category:1377 births Category:1438 deaths Category:Dard people Category:People from Kulgam district Category:Kashmiri Sufi saints Category:Kashmiri Muslims Category:Rishi order