J&K Waqf Board bans photography, videography in Dargah Hazratbal

Photography and shooting videos have been banned in Dargah Hazratbal, the holiest Muslim shrine in Kashmir.

Srinagar:The Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board has banned any kind of photography and videography in Hazratbal Dargah in Srinagar. According to the board, no person can take any kind of photography or videography either outside or inside the Dargah without permission.

Those interested in video shooting or photography in the shrine have been asked to obtain prior permission from the board. The Hazratbal Shrine popularly called Dargah Sharif is located on the banks of Dal Lake in the Hazratbal locality of Srinagar. It contains a relic, Moi-e-Muqqadas, which is widely believed to be the hair of Muhammad, the last and most revered prophet of Islam. Situated on the northern bank of the Dal, the Dargah is considered to be Kashmir's holiest Muslim shrine.

The order by the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board has come a few days after a similar order issued by the Anjuman Awqaf Jamia Masjid Srinagar. On December 16, Anjuman Awqaf, which manages the historic Jamia Masjid in Srinagar, posted a notification in the mosque complex banning women and men from sitting together on the lawns.

The Awqaf also disallowed photography and videography inside the Jamia Masjid. Notably, in the month of November, the historic Jama Masjid in Delhi also banned girls from entering the mosque courtyard. The decision was later lifted.