Kasmur:

Kasmur is famous for the dargah of the great saint Hazrat Syed Karimullah Shah Quadri (Rahmatullah Alaih) popularly known as Kale Shah Peer Mastan Wali Baba to his countless devotees. The shrine is located at a distance of 25 km from Nellore (80 km from Rahmatabad) along the Chennai Highway. Because of its proximity to Tamil Nadu a large number of people visiting this dargah are from Tamil Nadu, though the shrine is no less popular in Andhra Pradesh. The shrine like the shrine at Rahmatabad is known for its extraordinary healing powers from physical as well as spiritual ailments. The yearly Sandal at Kasmur is perfomed on 25th Rabbiul Awwal, the same day as the sandal of Rahmatabad is performed, the only differrence being that the sandal at Rahmatabad is celeberated after midnight while that of Kasmur is celeberated just before the dawn prayers.

Hazrat Syed Karimullah Shah Quadri is believed to be the Peer Bhai (Disciples of the same Master) of Hazrat Haji Syed Khwaja Rahmatullah Nayabe Rasool. Most of the pilgrims who visit Rahmatabad make it a point to visit Kasmur and vice versa. Though not much is available about his life history in the form of written literature it is believed that Hz Karimullah Shah Quadri is a Zinda Wali. It is said that his Visal (expiry) was a Karamat in itself in that he ordered the earth to make place for him and let himself into it and then again ordered the earth to cover him up which did as ordered. The place where his mazar stands today is exactly the spot where he buried himself alive.


Barah Shaheed:

The Barah Shaheed Dargah (the twelve martyrs) located at the heart of Nellore town may well be considered as the most popular dargah of Andhra Pradesh, both inside and outside of it. The yearly sandal celeberated on the 10th, 11th and 12th of Muharram attracts such unprecedented crowds that it needs to be seen to be believed. The Sandal celeberations are popularly known as Rottela Panduga (Rotiyon Ki Eid or Festival Of Breads) in the local language. Many people believe and quite rightly that wishes made at the dargah come true and those people whose prayers have been answered visit the dargah evrey year for the Sandal and offer Rotis (bread) in the adjacent pond which in turn are accepted by those people who have come to the dargah with wishes in their hearts. There are different kind of Rotis viz. Rozi Ki Roti (the bread for employment), Rizq Ki Roti (the bread for food), Shadi Ki Roti (the bread for marriage), Sehat Ki Roti (the bread for good health) and many more depending on the type of wish that one has. Each type of bread corresponds to what one wishes for in life, for example if you wish for good health in life you should go to the Dargah and make a wish for the same and when your wish is fullfilled you should offer a Roti at the pond at the time of Sandal which in turn will be accepted by someone else who also wishes for good health in life and once his wish is fullfilled he should come and offer rotis in a simillar manner. Same thing applies to the other Rotis also. Such is the popularity of this shrine that lakhs and lakhs of people from across India and even foreign countries visit the dargah at the time of the Sandal.


Venadu:

The village Venadu lies in the interiors of Sulurupeta near Sri Hari Kota (India's Space Launching Station) in Nellore District. The village is famous for the Dargah of Hazrat Dawood Shah Wali (Rahmatullah Alaih). What's so unique about this Dargah is the length of the Mazar of the aforesaid Buzurg. The mazar is a whopping 144 feet in length to be precise. Since the mazar is located in the interiors and was not cemented it used to wither away due to strong winds but would again regain its shape once the winds subsided. Recently the mazar was converted into a cemented one by none other than the Mozart Of Madras Mr A. R. Rahman who is a frequent visitor at the dargah.

Dargahs At Bada Gaun:

Hazrat Syed Ahmed Shah Quadri (Rahmatullah Alaih):

Not much is known about Hazrat Syed Ahmed Shah Quadri (RA) whose shrine is located in the nearby village called Bada Gaun (at a walkable distance from Rahmatabad) except that he was also among the early Auliyas who had graced Rahmatabad before Khwaja Rahmtullah did. Popular belief has it that when Khwaja Rahmatullah arrived in Rahmatabad Hazrat Ahmed Shah Quadri had already expired by then, and when Khwaja Rahmatullah used to pass by his grave he would always hear Quranic recitations emanating from the grave of Hazrat Ahmed Shah Quadri (RA) and it was upon Khwaja Rahmatullah's insistence that those recitations subsided later. A must visit place for anyone going to Rahmatabad. The Sandal of Hazrat Ahmed Shah Quadri RA is celeberated on the 17th day of the Islamic month of Zil Qaidah.

Hazrat Syed Mustafa Shah Quadri (Rahmatullah Alaih):

The Dargah of Hazrat Syed Mustafa Shah Quadri (RA) is also located in Bada Gaun. Known as a Jalali Buzurg his Dargah is also quite popular among the pilgrims visiting Rahmatabad. The sandal of Hazrat Mustafa shah Quadri (RA) is celeberated on the 26th of the Isamic month of Shawwal Ul Mukarram.

Zaibunnisa Ammajan (Rahmatullah Alaiha):

The Dargah of Zabunnisa Ammajan (RA) is the last of mazars in Bada Gaun. The dargah is at a stone's throw away from the dargah of Hazrat Syed Ahmed Shah Quadri (RA). The sandal of Zaibunnisa ammajan is celeberated on the 10th of Muharram.

Important Dargahs At Rahmatabad:

Hazrat Syed Faqruddin Shah Wali (Rahmatullah Alaih):

Rahmatabad is the resting place of many a saints. It is widely believed that apart from the grand dome of Hazrat Khwaja Rahmatullah (RA) Nayabe Rasool that proudly adornes the centre of Rahmatabad, there are many Auliya Allah who have been laid to rest in the adjacent graveyard that includes disciples of Khwaja Rahmatullah and those Auliya Allah who graced this pious land before or after Khwaja Rahmatullah decided to make this village his final destination. One such Auliya Allah of great importance is Hazrat Syed Faqruddin Shah Wali (RA). If there is one shrine in Rahmatabad that is as often visited and adored by pilgrims as the shrine of Khwaja Rahmatullah himself then it has to be the Mazar of Baba Faqruddin, who is believed to be one among the few Sufis who blessed this place before Khwaja Rahmatullah's arrival. The importance of this Dargah can be gauged by the fact that a visit to Rahmatabad is considered incomplete (from a pilgrim's point of view) till you visit the Dargah of Baba Faqruddin. You can aptly say that if Khwaja Rahmatullah is the spiritual treasure that one is seeking then Baba Faqruddin is the doorway to it, without passing through which one cannot obtain the real treasure. Though resting in a modest enclosure of four limestone walls his importance as an Islamic great cannot be undermined. e Believed to have expired at an early age of 18 years, the Sandal of Hazrat Syed Faqruddin Shah Wali RA is celeberated on the 18th day of the Islamic month of Jamadis Saani. The Sandal is celeberated with much fanfare and is considered as the most important of sandals in Rahmatabad after the Sandals Of Khwaja Rahmatullah and Ammajan.

Hazrat Mirza Shujat Baig (Rahmatullah Alaih):

Hazrat Mirza Shujat Baig (RA) is believed to be the adopted son of Hazrat Syed Khwaja Rahmatullah (RA) Nayabe Rasool. His shrine is located at the backside (southwards) of Khwaja Rahmatullah's dome. A very interesting tale about Hz Mirza Baig is that when as a child he used to cry out of hunger, Khwaja Rahmatullah would make him suck his thumb which would thus become a source of milk to Hz Mirza Baig and pacify his hunger. Hz Mirza Baig, along with Ammajan is also credited with the construction of the grand dome that stands atop Khwaja Nayabe Rasool's mazar. His yearly sandal is celeberated on the 11th day of the Islamic month of Ramzan.

Hazrat Abubakr Mastan Baba (Rahmatullah Alaih):

Hazrat Abubakr Mastan Baba's Real identity is a mystery though there's no denying the fact that he is an Auliya of special importance. Many people consider him to be of the Mouzub type (those who have immersed themselves so much into Almighty Allah's love that they become disillusioned and disconncted from the rest of the world). To put it simply, Mastan Baba's Zahir(outer being) was quite different from his Batin (inner being). Such was his attachment to Almighty Allah that when in Zikr all his body parts would get seperated from each other as if they were cut apart from the body. The dargah is famous for its spiritual healing prowesses especially to those who are victims of black magic and sorcery. Hazrat Abubakr Mastan Baba's sandal is celeberated on the 21st of Muharram, the only Sandal celeberations in Rahmatabad where the Foqra of the Rifaai Tradition (followers of which strongly believe that nothing can harm you or effect you unless untill the Almighty Allah wishes it so, the Bani or fountain head of this tradition being Hazrat Syed Ahmed Kabir Rahmatullah Alaih who is the descendant of the great Auliya Hazrat Shaikh Abdul Qadir Geelani Rahmatullah Alaih) display their Zarb skills.

Hazrat Mirza Mohammed Hussain Baig Urf Ustad Baba (Rahmatullah Alaih):

Ustad Baba came to Rahmatabad more than forty years ago and settled down in Rahmatabad dedicating his entire life to the teachings of Hazrat Syed Khwaja Rahmatullah (RA) Nayabe Rasool. He used to teach Quran to little children and hence the name Ustad Baba. If Khwaja Rahmatullah is called Nayabe Rasool then Ustad Baba can aptly be called as Ata-E-Nayabe Rasool simply because it was through the blesings of Khwaja Rahmatullah that Ustad Baba reached sainthood (The phenomenon being called as Nisbat-E-Owaisi in Urdu). It is widely believed that prayers seldom go unanswered at the mazar of Ustad Baba. Ths Sandal of Ustad Baba is celeberated on 13th of Ramzan every year, in commemoration of which a Mushaira and a Qawwali (Mehfile Sama) are organised.

Hazrat Syed Ashraf Baba (Rahmatullah Alaih):

Believed to be the disciple of Hazrat Syed Khwaja Rahmatullah (RA) Nayabe Rasool, his sandal is celeberated on the 21st of Rajjabul Murajjab.

Places of importance at Rahmatabad:

Ahmedpur:

Ahmedpur holds a special importance in the history of Rahmatabad. Ahmedpur is located at a distance of 5km from Rahmatabad. This village is one among the ten villages that were populated by khwaja Rahmatullah along with Rahmatabad. Khwaja Rahmatullah had built a mosque in this village and had performed Chilla Kashi (a practice where one isolates himself completely from worldly matters and concentrates all his energies towards the Zikr of Almighty Allah for a certain period of time) in Ahmedpur. The Khalifa of Khwaja Rahmatullah, Hazrat Syed Shah Rafiuddin Khandari (RA) often used to say that Khwaja Nayabe Rasool had said that any person who offers two Rakats of Nafil prayers in the mosque at Ahmedpur and thereafter places his wishes in front of Almighty Allah with pure heart and total submission, then there is no reason why his wishes will not be fullfilled.

Hazrat Syed Khwaja Rahmatullah (RA) Nayabe Rasool had decided that any income coming from Ahmedpur should go to Madina for charity and hence whenever he used to visit Ahmedpur he would always carry his own food and water. He would not touch a single penny from the income of Ahmedpur and would never take any share from the crops that were grown in the fields of Ahmedpur. Whatever collections he would get from Ahmedpur he would send them all to Madina Shareef.

Udaigir Hill Fort:

Udgir (present day Udaygiri) is located at a distance of thirty miles (approximately 55 km) from Rahmatabad.in the northwards direction. Hazrat Syed Khwaja Rahmatullah (RA) Nayabe Rasool had purchased a barren piece of land along with a jungle during his stay at Udgir. The commander of Udgir hill fort Syed Abdul Qadir Khan was a keen follower of Khwaja Rahmatullah and out of respect for Khwaja Rahmatullah he offered to gift him the piece of land at Ana Samudram. Khwaja Rahmatullah refused to accept the gift and instead purchased the land by paying out the full amount.