Karnataka has recently seen rising cases of hate speech and crimes targeting minorities but a small town 50 km from Kalaburagi stands as a testimony to communal harmony.
Ladlapur village is situated amidst open fields. A small hill in the center of the village is hard to miss. The hill is famous for its shrine belonging to the Sufi saint Haji Sarwar. Here Hindus and Muslims worship together.
Haji Sarwar Dargah is located in Ladlapur, a small village near Nalwar (6km) and wadi (9km) in Gulbarga (Kalburgi) district in Karnataka. This place holds a great Holi value for both Hindus and Muslims. Lakhs of devotees visit the Dargah in the yearly Urs which is held in the months of April/May every year. People from Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and all over Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana come here to worship and seek blessings. Government also makes administrative arrangements to manage the crowd although the issue of drinking water remains.
Dargah is on a small hill which has a very small area on the top. Now, several arrangements are done such as steps are built and railings are constructed on the pathway and on top near Dargah area. Urs is very famous and popular in Gulbarga and Yadgir Districts and also in Karnataka.
According to legend, an old man traveling from far north was visiting the village when he met two children – one Hindu and the other Muslim. The man asked the children for a glass of milk and a glass of water. After accepting their kind hospitality, he used the water to wash his hands and then downed the glass of milk.
He blessed the children and asked them to look away as he decided to continue the journey. Further tempted, the children turned back to look at the holy man, only to find a huge hill.
The temple was built on this hill, goes the legend. People of all communities pay respect to the saint at Haji Sarwar Dargah. In the recently held ‘Gandhotsav’, Hindus and Muslims of Ladlapur village of Chittapura came together to celebrate. While the Muslims of this village call the saint Sarvar, the Hindus call him Sharanu – a term used among Lingayats for Shaivite devotees.
Every year, on the first Thursday after the first full moon after Ugadi, a five-day long Gandhotsav is celebrated.
In the festival, five kalasas and two silver horses are first brought to the Hirodeshwara temple at the bottom of the hill. The articles are then carried to the top of dargah, where the Muslim religious leaders recite Quranic verses. Flowers are offered to both Hindu and Muslim priests.
According to Muslim devotees, the saint Haji Sarwar is celebrated by all and the jaatre (village festival) continues to be an important celebration for the village. In the jaatre, which is also celebrated for five days, people from the neighboring districts open their stalls to sell toys, fruits, and flowers.