History

The shrine is spread over half a square mile. It is an octagonal building standing on an octagonal plinth with Qadam-e-Rasool (footprint of the Holy Prophet) placed inside a metal basin in the center of the shrine that has one dome. The pinnacle of the dome is adorned like the ‘Shikhara’ (Top) of ‘Odishi’ temple architecture with elements such as ‘kalasa and ‘amalak’. Another distinct feature of the shrine is placement of a small golden dome over its adorned counterpart. The interior roof too is exquisitely painted with flowers and plants of many varieties. It has a marble floor in black and white squares.Legends reveal that the blessed relic was brought by Haji Syed Alimullah from Arabia with the signature of Sheriff of Mecca. He was a close relative of Syed Hashim of Mashed of Persia (Modern Iran).

Initially; the relic was kept under a tree at Kukuriapada village in Sungra Sub-Division of Cuttack district to testify its genuineness. Awareness about the relic increased tremendously when many people miraculously got cured of various diseases and ailments following its presence in Sungra. The relic attracted the attention of the ruler(deputy nazim) of the province and also the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. The emperor conveyed his desire to pay his respects to the sacred relic to the deputy nazim. As Sungra was located in a remote area, deputy nazim Shujauddin Mohammed Khan shifted the relic to Cuttack so as to enable more people to pay their homage to it. Later, it was moved to Rasulpur on the bank of river Mahanadi in 1099 Hijri. Many renowned personalities also lie buried in the graveyard inside the shrine complex. The tomb of eminent Sufi Shaeed Pani also forms part of the complex that also houses several Persian inscriptions.

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