Long, long ago, the king of Biratnagar was Shah Sikandar, and his queen was the beautiful Ajoopa. The royal couple carried deep sorrow in their hearts after losing their first child during a hunting trip in the forest.
One day, as the queen stood gazing out at the sea with a heavy heart, she noticed a wooden chest floating on the water. She stepped into the waves, reached out, and pulled the chest toward her. Upon opening it, she discovered a six-month-old baby inside. Despite many efforts, no one could locate the child’s parents. So the queen decided to adopt him as her own. The beautiful child was named Kalu.
Time passed peacefully. Then, one night, the queen had a strange dream: the moon descended from the sky and sank into her womb. Alarmed yet curious, she rushed to the king and asked him what the dream might mean. The king gently assured her that it was a sign—a noble child was to be born to her.
Several months later, his prediction came true. A son was born, radiating a glow as luminous as the moon itself. They named him Gazi Shah.
Kalu, the adopted elder brother, showered Gazi with endless love and soon became his lifelong companion.
Once Gazi reached adulthood, pressure began to mount on him to assume the responsibilities of ruling the kingdom. However, Gazi had no interest in worldly power or royal duties. Earthly attachments held no charm for him—his heart was set on surrendering himself to the divine and becoming a wandering fakir.
This spiritual inclination deeply displeased the king. Furious at Gazi’s refusal to conform, he subjected his son to unspeakable torment, even going so far as to threaten him with death. Yet, Gazi remained steadfast, unwavering in his decision.
Seeing no other option, the king proposed a test—one that he believed impossible to pass.
“If you succeed,” the king declared, “you shall be free from all royal duties.”
To conduct the test, the king threw a needle into the depths of the vast ocean. Gazi was tasked with retrieving it.
Gazi believed with all his heart that nothing was impossible for God. So he immersed himself in prayer.
In response to his unwavering faith, Khwaja Khizr, the guardian deity of the deep seas, rose from the underwater realm of Patalpuri.
As soon as Khizr revealed his identity, Gazi humbly bowed at his feet and said,
“Peace be upon you, O Khizr! I seek your help in fulfilling a test of faith.”
Khizr listened and then nodded.
“Very well, my child. Let us see what can be done.”
He summoned his two powerful sons—Shura and Shuri, mighty beings born of the sea.
“My sons,” said Khizr, “the ocean hides something precious that this devout soul must retrieve.”
Without hesitation, Shura and Shuri began to drink. With thunderous gulps, they drank the entire ocean dry, revealing the seabed where the lost needle lay glittering in the sunlit sand.
But the needle was nowhere to be found.
Once again, Gazi turned to Allah for help, falling into deep meditation. In his trance, a vision appeared to him—he saw that after the needle had fallen into the water, a young merman had carried it away to the hidden city beneath the sea, Patalnagar. There, the merman had used the needle to tie the hair of a fairy.
Coming out of his meditation, Gazi turned to Khwaja Khizr and said,
“I have seen the truth, revealed through divine knowledge. The needle lies in the city beneath the sea, in the hands of a fairy.”
Upon hearing this, Khizr nodded solemnly.
“Then it shall be retrieved,” he said.
At his command, his two giant sons—Shura and Shuri—descended into the mysterious depths of Patalnagar. With their immense power, they found the needle and brought it back.
With the precious needle in hand, Gazi and Kalu returned to the palace. Standing before the astonished king, Gazi presented the needle and said,
“Here is your proof. My trust in the Almighty was never in vain.”
Amazed and humbled, the king had no choice but to honor his promise. Gazi had passed the impossible test.
Thus, Gazi and his beloved brother Kalu renounced the comforts of the palace and set off into the forest, choosing a life of spiritual quest over the throne.
After wandering through the forest for many days, the two brothers finally arrived at a place called Chhapainagar. At that time, the ruler of the land was King Sriram.
They made their way to the king’s palace and offered him the invitation to embrace Islam. But the king grew furious at their words.
“How dare you come to my court and preach such things!” he shouted.
Enraged, he insulted both Gazi and Kalu, and ordered them to leave his kingdom immediately.
Heartbroken, the two brothers took refuge once again in the forest nearby. Sitting under the trees in silence, their minds heavy with grief, Kalu finally spoke, the pain clear in his voice:
“What if… what if the royal palace were to suddenly catch fire… and from the sky descended a jinn, who carried off the queen herself?”
A wild and dangerous thought—but in a world where divine miracles and mystical beings walked hand in hand, who knew what was possible?
Kalu’s heartfelt prayer was accepted by Allah. Suddenly, flames broke out in the royal palace.
Such a fire it was—no one could put it out. The smoke billowed high, panic spread like wildfire. And in the midst of the chaos, the Queen of Chhapainagar vanished—kidnapped by some unseen force. No one could find her anywhere.
King Sriram was at a loss. He tried everything, consulted everyone, but found no clue. Whispers began to spread among the people:
“This is the result of the way the king mistreated Gazi and Kalu. No one else can help us now—only they can.”
Left with no other option, the king humbled himself and went in search of the two brothers. Falling to his knees before them, he said:
“Forgive me. I was blind with pride. Help me—help my kingdom.”
Gazi and Kalu looked at each other, then Gazi said calmly,
“We will forgive you—if you embrace the truth. Accept Islam.”
Without hesitation, the king recited the Kalima and embraced Islam.
Kalu, without a word, took the dust from Gazi’s feet and scattered it toward the palace. As if touched by divine grace, the flames were extinguished in an instant.
And then—there she was. The Queen. Safe and sound, as if nothing had happened.
“Gazi took, Gazi gave—
Allah is witness, so we say.
The palace flames, Kalu did tame,
Scattering dust from Gazi’s way.”
After this miraculous event, Gazi and Kalu once again set off into the forest.
As they journeyed on, they came across a group of seven woodcutters. Seeing them, Kalu said,
“I’m feeling very tired. Let’s spend the night at the woodcutters’ house.”
As soon as they introduced themselves, the woodcutters eagerly welcomed them in. They seated the two saints with honor and turned to their wives, saying,
“Prepare a feast for our noble guests.”
But the wives replied in sorrowful verse:
“What we see in the market stalls,
We bring home with effort and calls.
But now there’s no salt nor oil in sight,
No lentils or rice—what shall we cook tonight?”
Hearing the wives’ words, the woodcutters grew ashamed. Without delay, they pawned their axes and tools to buy food from the market. With what little they could bring, their wives lovingly cooked a meal for Gazi and Kalu.
The next morning, just before continuing their journey into the forest, Gazi Pir made a solemn decision — he would repay the kindness of the humble woodcutters.
He raised his voice and called out loudly:
“Shah Pari!”
With a thunderous sound, the king of the fairies descended from the skies.
Gazi looked upon him and said,
“Build a grand mosque in this forest — one made of gold — for all who dwell here.”
But the fairy king fell at Gazi’s feet and replied,
“This task is too great for me alone, O Pir! I cannot do it by myself.”
Gazi gave a silent nod of permission. At once, the skies shimmered and thousands of fairies descended, their wings glistening like moonlight. They cleared the forest, and in the blink of an eye, constructed a majestic mosque of gold.
For the two saintly brothers, they built twin thrones adorned with glittering diamonds. Around this divine mosque, a city began to rise — a city called Sonapur.
There was no place on earth as beautiful as Sonapur. Those who saw it stood mesmerized, often whispering,
“Have I died and entered paradise?”
And so, the people of the golden city lived in joy and abundance, their days flowing with peace and prosperity.
In Sonapur, where Gazi resides,
Each heart is filled with peace inside.
In every home, joy overflows —
A paradise where goodness grows.
Gazi and Kalu, side by side,
Sit upon thrones with saintly pride.
Within the mosque of golden light,
Their presence turns the dark to bright.
All who behold Gazi’s face
Feel hunger, thirst, and pain erase.
Such beauty — none can ever say,
It steals the soul and takes breath away.
One quiet night, as the two brothers slept within the golden mosque, something wondrous occurred. Seven celestial fairies, returning from their sacred pilgrimage to Mecca, passed through the skies above Sonapur.
As their enchanted chariot soared through the stars, the dazzling glow of Sonapur caught their eyes. Awestruck, they paused their journey to rest, unable to resist the city’s otherworldly beauty.
Drawn to the golden mosque, the fairies peered through its high windows. There, bathed in ethereal moonlight, lay Gazi Pir — his body aglow with the divine light of paradise.
His form shimmered with heavenly nur — a light so pure, so radiant, that even the sun and moon would seem pale beside it.
The fairies gasped. They had no words, for none could describe such beauty. Then one fairy whispered in awe,
“Is there a woman in this world who could ever be a match for such a man?”
Another leaned closer to the window and replied,
“Yes… there is one. Only one. The princess of Brahman Nagar — Champabati, the daughter of the crown-king.”
The others nodded silently, mesmerized by Gazi’s glow. In their hearts bloomed the beginning of a new tale — one that would soon entwine the fate of a celestial prince and a princess of royal blood.
“There is a maiden,” a fairy declared,
“Whose beauty even the moon has feared.
Stars lose their glow when she walks by —
Her face, more radiant than the sky.
Not even gods or heavenly kin
Have seen a charm like hers within.
Her lips outshine a thousand moons,
Her eyes — two lotus lakes at noon.”
But alas, this princess — Champabati — was never alone.
She was always guarded by her seven brothers,
And by the fierce commander of the royal army,
A man named Dakshin Ray —
Whose presence alone could stir fear in the hearts of warriors.
Hearing this, one of the younger fairies whispered with doubt,
“It sounds like a tale too tall to trust.
Unless I see her with my own eyes,
I shall not believe such beauty exists.”
Another, older and wiser, smiled gently and spoke,
“Then let us bring Gazi to her land.
Let the prince of light see the princess of dreams.
Let their fates decide the rest.”
The others nodded in agreement,
And so, beneath a velvet night, with stars as their witnesses,
The fairies prepared to carry Gazi Pir across the skies —
To the kingdom of Brahman Nagar,
Where destiny awaited, cloaked in moonlight and mystery.
“There is a maiden, of whom I know,
Her beauty brighter than the moon’s glow.
A form so rare, no god nor kin,
Has seen such grace, where beauty begins.
Her face, a thousand moons’ soft light,
A marvel that outshines day and night.”
But there is one problem, the maiden is always surrounded by her seven brothers and the king’s general, Dakshin Rai.
“It is said that one cannot believe,
Until their own eyes the truth receive.”
One fairy spoke,
“Hear my words,
Let us take Gazi to where she is heard.”
As soon as the words were spoken, the fairies immediately lifted Gazi’s bed and flew him towards Brahmin Nagar. When they arrived at Brahmin Nagar, it was deep night. All the palace guards had already fallen asleep. The fairies quietly carried Gazi’s bed and placed it next to Princess Champavati’s bed through her window. It seemed as if the sun and moon had merged together.
As Champavati turned in her sleep that night, Gazi’s hand accidentally touched her body. She woke up, thinking that her maidservant must have disturbed her. However, when she opened her eyes, she saw a divine and handsome man lying beside her bed.
Later, Champavati sat up on her bed
And saw Gazi’s beauty with her own eyes,
At one moment, she gazed at his eyes and ears,
At another, at his chest and hands,
At another, at his face,
His face shone like millions of moons,
The princess lost her senses, her heart racing.
Champavati screamed,
“Thief! Get up, how dare you enter my sanctuary?”
At her words, Gazi’s deep sleep was broken.
When he opened his eyes, he was so mesmerized by Champavati’s beauty that he fainted.
Champavati then brought rosewater and gently sprinkled it on Gazi’s face,
And he woke up once more.
Gazi, startled to find himself in a new place, sat up and said,
“Where am I? Where is the mosque? Whose palace is this?”
Champavati replied,
“Listen, thief, you must have heard of the crown prince of Brahman Nagar. Only Brahmins are allowed to enter here. Do you not fear the king’s general, Dakshin Ray? He can destroy you in the blink of an eye. Where have you come from?”
Gazi then shared the entire story from when he was sleeping in the mosque in Sonapur until he found himself in the palace. As he spoke, Princess Champavati, out of curiosity, was examining the birth charts of the two of them.
Then, Princess Champavati took a piece of straw and, using it as a tool, wrote the names of both of them together in a calculation. She saw that the goddess had written in the charts that Champa and Gazi were destined to be bound together on the same thread.
The princess said,
“I am a Brahmin woman, and you are a Muslim man. But in my heart, I believe that God has created us for each other. Since you have chosen the life of a fakir, I too will become a fakirni. We will go from door to door, begging for food, and we will remain together forever, like Shiva and Durga.”
Then, Champavati parted her hair into two, and, following Hindu custom, rubbed it on Gazi’s feet, accepting him as her husband. After exchanging rings, they both went to bed and fell asleep.
Upon seeing this, the fairies once again carried Gazi’s bed and flew towards Sonapur.
The next few days were very difficult for Gazi. He could not stop thinking about Champavati’s face, which haunted him constantly. Desperate, he left Sonapur and began wandering the forests in search of Brahmin Nagar. Seeing Gazi’s madness, his brother Kalu was astonished and said,
“Brother, she is Hindu, and you are Muslim. How is it possible for the two of you to be together?”
Gazi replied, “Allah can make the impossible possible.”
Kalu sighed deeply and said,
“This kind of obsession will trap you in the bonds of this illusionary world.”
Despite Kalu’s countless efforts, Gazi did not give up his search. After seven long years, the two brothers finally reached the banks of a river near Brahmin Nagar.
Brahmin Nagar, as seen with the eyes,
Surrounded by a river with milk-white water,
The banks are bound with gold in four places,
The royal palace appears as if it is made of fire,
Temples, halls, and shrines are all golden,
Glittering constantly, a sight to behold.
The previous night, Champavati dreamt that Gazi was waiting for her on the riverbank. The following night, she, along with five maidservants, nine aunts, and seven sisters-in-law, went to the river. That night, Rahu had eclipsed the moon, causing a lunar eclipse. However, even in the deep darkness, Champavati and her group could see Gazi’s radiance across the river, shining like a thousand moons. The moment Gazi looked toward them, his gaze fixed on Champavati. Instantly, Champavati moved forward and began bathing to allure Gazi.
With hands, with feet, with body, and with face,
She showed Gazi, her waist, her chest, and her breast,
Unveiling her hair, she let it flow,
Like a moon hidden behind dark clouds, aglow.
Gazi said,
“Now go back to your house, my dearest, we will meet soon.”
The next day, Lord Shiva himself appeared before Gazi and assured him that the deity of fate had written in his destiny that he was meant to marry a Brahmin girl. He advised Kaloo to send the marriage proposal to the crown prince.
Gazi, after hearing the advice, sent Kaloo to the royal palace. Upon hearing the proposal, the king became so furious that he immediately threw Kaloo into a dungeon and pressed a large stone onto his chest. In pain, Kaloo called upon Allah and repeatedly called for his brother. At that very moment, Gazi’s turban mysteriously fell from his head, and he instantly realized that Kaloo was in trouble. He immediately left the riverbank and went to the Sundarbans, where he began to blow his horn at the base of a large tree. Hearing Gazi’s call, thousands of tigers rushed to him and saluted him.
“What happened, tell me, Pir?” says Gazi, crying and weeping.
“In the same way, he went,
All that was, from beginning to end,
He told everything, breaking down and weeping.”
The tigers all said to the Pir,
“Calm your heart,
What is there to think? As we stay,
This moment, I will leave,
Never to drink water again,
Let’s go, all of you.”
Gazi, saying “Bismillah,” blew on the tigers, transforming them into a herd of sheep. Disguised as a shepherd, he started walking towards Brahman Nagar. Meanwhile, Kaloo, who was suffering immense pain, had a fairy as a witness. The fairy immediately flew off to inform their queen. Upon hearing the news, the queen was deeply distressed and ordered three lakh fairies to board their chariot and head towards Brahman Nagar.
On the streets of Brahman Nagar, the two armies met. Gazi, chanting the name of Bhagwan Niranjan, transformed his herd of sheep back into tigers. The people of Brahman Nagar, terrified, rushed to their king for help. The king immediately commanded his general, Dakshin Rai, to face the Fakir.
“First, he put on a dhoti, eighty hands in length,
He placed a ten-moni iron cap on his head,
A forty-moni chain was tied around his waist,
Secured tightly over the dhoti,
He took a hundred-moni sharp blade under his arm,
An eighty-moni shield was fastened to his neck,
Holding a three-hundred-moni mace in his hand,
The brave warrior set out, marching to battle.”
Seeing the vastness of Gazi’s army, Dakshin Rai prayed to the river goddess, Ganga Devi, for help. After knowing the fate of the two lovers, despite her own wishes, the goddess sent 52,000 crocodiles to fight on Dakshin Rai’s behalf. As Gazi’s tigers tried to pierce through the crocodiles’ tough skin, the tigers’ teeth and claws broke, and Dakshin Rai smiled in victory. At that moment, Gazi prayed to Allah, and made the sun shine so brightly that the crocodiles, battling on land, became exhausted. Gazi’s tiger army took this opportunity to kill the weakened crocodiles. Dakshin Rai, seeing his army struggling, then prayed to Goddess Gauri and received an army of ghosts, demons, and spirits to aid him.
Gazi, one after another, recited “Bismillah” and blew in all directions. As a result, the heads of all the spirits were set ablaze. The battle continued for a long time, and eventually, Dakshin Rai had to bow his head before Gazi. Seeing his powerful general defeated, the king, Mukut Raj, immediately ordered the release of Kaloo and sent him with a proposal to Gazi—if Gazi could save the king’s life, he would embrace Islam and hand over his daughter to Gazi.
Embracing his dear brother, Gazi felt a sense of relief. He accepted Mukut Raj’s condition and saved the lives of the king and his general. Finally, as per God’s will, Gazi and Champabati were reunited, and on an auspicious day, they were married.
First, all the servants dressed Gazi with care, Applying fragrant oil to his body with utmost care. Attar, rosewater, musk, and saffron, And many other flower oils of the finest kind. In the women’s quarters, Champabati was adorned, First, they applied turmeric oil to her body with care. They bathed her in rose water, then applied fragrant oils, And after that, they massaged her back with care. She wore a magnificent ornament on her head, Garnished with jewels and adornments, Shining with a radiance like a million moons.