Shah Abdullah Kirmani (R)

Shah Abdullah Kirmani (R)  a medieval saint. He lies buried at Khustigiri in the district of Birbhum, West Bengal, India. According to tradition, he came from Kirman, a town in Persia. He left his native place as a boy, came to India, visited various places and ultimately became a disciple of Shah Arjani in Patna. The teacher (who probably died in 1630 AD) ordered his disciple to go to Bengal. Shah Abdullah Kirmani traversing several places ultimately came to Birbhum and settled at Khustigiri.

According to the Tazkirah-i-Auliya-i-Hind, a book written in Urdu, a very different story is given about Shah Abdullah Kirmani. According to this book the saint was a Bengali by birth and he was a disciple of Shaikh Muinuddin Chishti of Ajmer. It is difficult to say which of the above accounts is correct, because both the sources are of later origin. It is also not clear why did he call himself Kirmani if he were a Bengali.

Large number of people venerates his tomb at Khustigiri. He is especially renowned for the powers he had over the reptiles. Nowadays, in Birbhum Shah Abduullah Kirmani’s name is repeated in formulas of enchantment to ward off the snakes or to cure people bitten by snake.  [Abdul Karim]