Long ago, Hazrat Shah Jalal prepared to leave Mecca. Before his departure, his spiritual master handed him a single handful of soil and gave him a clear instruction: travel until he found a land where the earth matched the taste, color, and fragrance of that very soil. Where the match was found, there he was to settle.
Shah Jalal set out with his companions, carrying the precious clod of earth across continents. They crossed rivers, traversed forests, and passed through many towns, testing the soil at each major stop. Nowhere did it match.
At last, their travels brought them to the region of Sylhet in 1303 AD. At the time, the land was ruled by Raja Gour Govinda, a powerful king remembered in local legend for his vast army and mastery of magic. Despite his fierce resistance and supernatural defenses, Shah Jalal and his 360 Sufi companions overthrew the ruler through what devotees describe as spiritual intervention, steadfastness, and courage.
After the victory, Shah Jalal compared the local earth with the sample from Mecca. The taste, color, and distinct fragrance matched perfectly. Recognizing this as the fulfillment of his master’s prophecy, he chose that hillock to establish his dargah and spent the rest of his life there spreading the teachings of Islam.
The Jalali Pigeons
Another well-known legend tells of Shah Jalal’s meeting with the revered saint Nizamuddin Auliya in Delhi. After a misunderstanding involving one of Nizamuddin’s disciples, the saint is said to have recognized Shah Jalal’s profound spiritual depth and offered him a gesture of friendship and respect. When Shah Jalal departed, Nizamuddin Auliya gifted him a pair of blue-grey pigeons marked by a dark, kohl-like ring around their eyes.
These birds accompanied Shah Jalal to Sylhet, where they bred and flourished. Known today as Jalali Pigeons, or Jalali Koitor, their descendants are still said to inhabit the rooftops and courtyards of the shrine, never abandoning the sacred grounds.
The Sacred Gozar Fish
To the north of the main tomb lies a large, deep pond. According to local lore, Shah Jalal personally raised and cared for a breed of large snakehead fish known locally as Gozar fish. Over time, the fish became one of the shrine’s most recognizable living symbols.
For generations, pilgrims fed them out of reverence for the saint. Then, in December 2003, unidentified perpetrators poisoned the pond, killing more than 700 of the fish. In 2004, caretakers restored the tradition by bringing 24 Gozar fish from the pond of Shah Mustafa’s shrine in Maulvibazar. Today, hundreds of their descendants are once again said to swim in the waters, rising to the surface when visitors call and scatter food.
The Chashma, or Spring of Zamzam
Shah Jalal was also said to be deeply concerned about the purity of the water used by the public and his companions for daily ablutions and washing. He ordered a deep well to be dug on the western side of the hill and, once the excavation was complete, prayed that the source might be spiritually linked to the sacred well of Zamzam in Mecca.
Then, taking his wooden staff, he struck the base of the well and cried out, “Bismillah.” Immediately, fresh water began to gush forth. Along with it, according to legend, appeared two miraculous fish, one silver and one gold. To this day, pilgrims regard the flowing spring water as blessed and healing, and the chashma remains one of the enduring marvels associated with Shah Jalal’s shrine.