Srinagar, July 12 -- The summer of 1988 was clinging to its final stretch when I left the office early one afternoon. Deciding to take advantage of the quiet hours, I set out for the revered shrine of Makhdoom Sahib, situated just a couple of kilometers from my ancestral home, Yarkand House in Mallaratta.

While a web of narrow arteries leads up the hill to Makhdoom Sahib from almost every direction, I bypassed the usual route through Saat Syed. Instead, I chose to approach through Shampora, passing the gate near Mori, and made my way toward the hillside via the quiet grounds of the Dar-ul-Shikoh Mosque.

The mosque was built by Prince Dara Shikoh-the intellectual elder brother of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb-whose grand vision lives on i...