Nund Rishi


Nund Rishi 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 and Alamdar-e-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

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 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, 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. Under the influence of the Kubrawiya, he embraced a life of self-denial. He began wandering and preaching in the villages, using the Kashmiri vernacular 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 disciples sought to make religious teachings accessible: Nund Rishi famously insisted on Kashmiri 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 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.
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:
On his sick-bed, he '' 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.
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 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.
With a message of tawhid, 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 his fellow saint-poet Lal Ded or known as Lalleshwari, and tradition holds that her verses and example deeply influenced him..

Philosophy

Noor-ud-Din was also a prolific mystical poet. His verses, called shruks are brief Kashmiri sayings 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 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 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, 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 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 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 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!"

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. He and Lal Ded 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” and “Shaikh al-‘Ālam”. 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 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

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.
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.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.