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Divinity amidst the chaos
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Dargahs not only bring together people of different faiths but also provide refuge during troubled times.
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Muslim or Hindu, the dargahs have acted as sanctuaries for those seeking succor. — Photos: Sampath Kumar G.P.
THE EAR-shattering blare of horns of buses and cars drowns the cries of vegetable and fruit vendors. The commotion and the hubbub of people passing through the City Market area everyday is like the marching of thousands of armies. Beggars swarm the place. Around the corner, in contrast, is a brown-coloured one-room structure with a white dome where tranquillity prevails. Men and women of all religions sit on the floor with their eyes closed.
In the centre of the room is the resting place of Mir Bahadur Shah Almarukh, popularly known as Hazrat Syed Pacha Shaheed. The revered Sufi was the commander-in-chief of Tipu Sultan's army. Legend has it that anything wished for at the dargah will come true. The tomb is draped with a colourful embroidered cloth and an intricate web of flowers. A young man, with tilak on his forehead, goes around the tomb thrice, kissing the mound of flowers and cloth after every circle. Most of the approximately 100 people who visit the dargah everyday are Hindus.
This, along with the 58 other dargahs in Bangalore as well as those across the country, symbolise the peace and harmony between the different communities, which is missing outside the four walls of these structures. Only a few months ago, there was a group clash in the City Market area, but the two dargahs there were left unscathed. Shafiullah Khan, the secretary of the trust managing the Hazrat Pacha Shaheed Dargah, says: "More than us Muslims, the Hindus love this dargah. They will never harm it."
The devotion that the Hindus share for these shrines is unmistakable. Every year thousands of them join Muslims to celebrate the urs (ceremony on the death anniversary) of the saints interred at the dargahs. Abdul Rahim, the khaadim (caretaker) of the Hazrat Syed Muhib Shah Khadri Dargah, points out: "Yahan aane walon ke zehen mein sirf mohabbat basar karti hai; sab apni jaat aur kaum bhool kar yahan aate hain." (Those who come here only have love in their hearts; they leave behind their race and caste.) In 1992, all hell broke loose in the city following the demolition of the Babri Masjid; and yet, the dargahs were left untouched. Even Godhra did not inject any hatred into the hearts of the followers of these shrines. On the contrary, the dargahs have acted as sanctuaries for those seeking protection from the violence outside.
Hazrath Sayyedani Bi Dargah, dedicated to a female Sufi, has proved time and again the syncretism that lies at the core of these buildings. "Is ilaake mein jab kabhi koi fasaad hota hai, yeh dargah har mazhab ke logo ko panaah deti hai (Whenever there is a clash in the area, the dargah has offered refuge to the seekers of all religions)," says Abdul Wahid Basha, the mutawalli (person entrusted with the management) of the dargah.
Shantappa Kumar, a Lingayat, often visits the Pacha Shaheed Dargah. He says: "Eight months ago, I did not have any work. But within two days of my visit to this sacred place, I found a job. Now, whenever I face a problem, I return to this dargah."
Yoginder Sikand, an Islamic scholar who has studied dargahs all over the country, and written about the subject in his book, Sacred Spaces: Exploring Traditions of Shared Faith in India, offers an academic explanation: "Most of the Sufi or Bhakti saints buried in these shrines represent a form of religion that transcend narrowly prescribed communal boundaries. Their identity in terms of communal affiliations is very ambiguous. So, it is this dual identity that allows for people of different communities to worship together."
There are several such instances. Mr. Sikand says: "On my trip to Charar-e-Sharif, I met a Kashmiri Pandit who had been forced to flee his home because of the militancy. And yet, he comes back occasionally to visit the dargah. Whenever he comes to Kashmir, he stays with a Muslim family. This sort of faith in a Sufi, who transcends religious boundaries, helps in a personal way to cement bonds of friendship between people of different religions."
These shrines may not symbolise a great tradition, but they help in erasing the scars of communal dissonance that exist in society. Rahim sums it up best: "Yeh jo auliya hain, unko hum dil se maante hai, is mein quam ka sawaal kahan" (These auliyas — favourites of God — are loved from the heart; there is no question of race).
AMAN KHANNA
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