Charar-e-Sharief (also spelled Charar-i-Sharief, Charari Sharief, Chrari-Sharif, etc.) is a Sufi Muslim shrine and mosque situated in the town of Charari Sharief in Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir union territory, India. It is one of the oldest and sacrosanct shrines of Indian Muslims, including Kashmir Valley dedicated to a Kashmiri Sufi saint Nund Rishi.It was built in 1460 to pay homage to Nund Rishi. On 11 May 1995, when a war broke out between the Indian forces and 150 militants, including Mast Gul, the shrine built of square-shaped wooden structure caught fire and was heavily damaged.It has religious significance in the cultural heritage of Kashmir and is considered the holiest place of MuslimsIt is believed that 9 lakh people gathered at the shrine of charar within two days of his death, in 1438AD. The king Sultan Zain-ul-Abedin also took part in his funeral procession.Besides Muslims, the shrine is also visited by Hindus.After Sufi shrine gutted in fire, it was later reconstructed by the authorities however, local people accused the local government for not taking measures to prevent fire incidents. After the death of Nund Rishi, he was buried in Charar-i- Sharief town where the saint has been laid to rest. Later in 1446, the eighth sultan of the valley Zain-ul-Abidin, laid the foundation stone of the Charar-e-Sharief shrine at the burial site. Over the time, the shrine was partially damaged. Later, Yakub Shah Chak repaired the damaged parts. In 19th century, an Afghan governor named Atta Mohammad Khan, reconstructed the shrine. The shrine compound was engineered when Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad was serving as the prime minister of the state. In 1979, the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages installed an epigraphic stone at the mazar (mausoleum) of Nund Rishi.
