Kanoj

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Kanoj, once known as Ra Kanoj, was a town in Lakhpat Taluka, Kutch district, Gujarat, India. Its ruins lie along the north bank of the Kinnar River and stretch about a mile, with faint traces of an old fort and the city walls. The town seems to have been destroyed by Muslim invaders, but its date is unknown.

About five miles southwest of Ra Kanoj is the tomb of Kasim. Local stories say Kasim captured and destroyed the city and sent two of the chiefs’ daughters as a prize to Ghazni. At Ghazni, the women were treated kindly but claimed Kasim had harmed them. The king, angered, ordered Kasim killed and sent his head to Ghazni. When the accusers later admitted Kasim had done no harm, he was regarded as a saint punished unjustly.

In the early 19th century, Fateh Muhammad, a minister of the Cutch State, began visiting the tomb annually with much ceremony. People believe those buried near Kasim’s tomb gain benefits from it, and the area within about two miles has become a large graveyard. Kasim’s tomb is 35 feet long and 5 feet wide, built of stones without cement. It sits on the site of a Shiva temple; the linga was broken but has been cemented and is worshipped as Kasameshvar by both Hindus and Muslims. The temple pool, or kund, remains. Muslims call the pool Kara and the saint Kara Kasim.