The Prince of Wales has paid his respects at the tomb of a Muslim saint and praised restoration work to return the Mumbai shrine to its former glory.

Charles, who has a deep interest in Islamic art and culture, visited the last resting place of revered 15th century figure Haji Ali.

The saint’s body lies in an ornately decorated mausoleum built within a complex called a Dargah, which includes a mosque and lies a few hundred metres off the shore at Mumbai.

It is reached by a causeway and the Prince made the five-minute walk to the impressive white marble-clad building featuring the domed tomb.

After removing his shoes, Charles helped the Dargah’s Imam make a “chadar” – an offering to the saint where a cloth is draped over the tomb and prayers are said for peace.

The Prince first touched the shrine and then his chest, and helped lay a blue velvet cloth covered in sequins over the tomb.

A blanket of red roses followed and then a covering woven from small white flowers before Charles sprinkled what appeared to be incense over the offering.

Haji Ali was a 15th century Muslim merchant who gave up his wealth to make a pilgrimage to the holy Muslim city of Mecca and is later said to have performed a number of miracles in Mumbai.

When he died during another trip to Mecca, it is believed the casket carrying his body was cast into the Arabian sea and floated back to Mumbai where it became lodged in the rocks where his tomb is now sited.