Sheikh Baba Dawood Khaki was the chief disciple of Hazrat Sheikh
Hamza Makhdoom. Sahib Baba Dawood Khaki has also been the chief Qazi of Kashmir
and a scholar of great repute.
Masjid Khaki is one of the oldest mosques in
the town and is situated in Reshi Bazaar of mohalla Kakhi sahiban in Anantnag
town. It is more than 600 years old and is named after Sheikh Baba Dawood
Khaki. It is said that Shah Hamdani the
great saint of Hamadan in Iran who had come to Kashmir about 600
years back, visited the town and offered prayers at a platform where now the
present mosque of Sheikh Baba Dawood Khaki
stands. The ground floor of the mosque was completed in 800 Hijra (1397
A.D) by Mir Mohd Hamdani, the son of Shah Hamadan. It is reported that Baba
Dawood Khaki undertook the construction of the first floor of the mosque in 987
Hijra (1579 A.D) while the second floor of the mosque was completed in 990
Hijra (1582 A.D) under his own supervision. The saint propagated the ideology
of Islam and constructed number of mosques in different villages of Anantnag
district, which even now remain named after him. The saint died in 995 Hijra
(1587 A.D) after staying in the district for about ten years.
There is a popular
legend that after a period of three
weeks of the death of the saint, the Mughal Governor of Kashmir at that time,
had a dream in which he saw Makhdoom Sahib directing him to bring the body of
Baba Dawood Khaki to be laid by his side at Srinagar .The Governor therefore
secretly planned to bring the body of Baba Dawood back to Srinagar .He
proclaimed that the Royal party from Srinagar would be visiting the town and
that the inhabitants of the town should remain indoors till the Royal party had
returned to Srinagar. The party was accompanied by an army contingent. They
visited the shrine of Reshi Sahib and dug out the body of Baba Dawood in
complete secrecy and placed it in a coffin and left for Srinagar. When the
party had just reached Khanabal-a place on the outskirts of the town a-word
went round among the inhabitants of the town that the body of the saint Baba
Dawood Khaki has been stealthily removed from his grave by the Royal party and
that they were on the way to Srinagar. A big crowd of townsmen rushed to meet
the Royal party to take back the coffin. A big scuffle ensued. Finally it
was decided that the body would be awarded to the group which could lift the
coffin from the grounds. In spite of all efforts the inhabitants of the town
failed to lift the coffin. The Royal party on the other hand lifted it
comfortably and carried it away to Srinagar where the body of the saint was
buried by the side of the grave of Sheikh Hamza Makhdoom Sahib.