It was a Friday, an auspicious day for us Muslims, when I visited the Dargah. I had arrived late the night before on a bus from Bidar. A few Muslims madaris students on the bus told me that I would not find much trouble finding clean, basic hotel in the Old Town, the most Muslim part of Gulbarga. They were very right.
Gulbarga is not on any tourist trail, and by that, I mean the normal vacationeer, holiday-maker’s type of tourist destination. You could flip open popular tourist guidebooks and you will not find Gulbarga listed there. That would be enough to deter common tourist from thinking of coming.
But Gulbarga is one of the holiest sites for barakah-seeking Muslims in south and central India who find no need for Western-oriented guidebooks. The volume of religious visitors to Gulbarga remains steady throughout the year, culminating in the annual urs of Khwaja Gesu Daraz Banda Nawaz.
That helps locals to maintain good upkeep of their hotels, while competition between hoteliers and restaurateurs keeps the price low. Having said that, do not expect five star luxury. Hotels are geared for religious tourists who have very little need other than seeking the attention of God, so they remain basic. At the most, they have AC inside the rooms. Hotel owners make it a point to check marital status of couples, and warn against drinking alcohol. They also offer room service like prayer mats and waking up for Fajr – helpful when you arrived very late and tired.
The Old Town is already buzzing with life at Fajr. In the main square and on the roadside that lead to the complex of tombs of the town’s many Sufis, Khwaja Gesu Daraz included, were rows of peddlars selling jasmines and roses. My Indian friend bought some, sold in neat newspaper wrappings, to offer as gifts at the tombs.
As is the case at major Islamic spiritual centers of India, visitors here are not confined to those of the Muslim faith. Many groups of Hindus had already assembled in the tomb complex ground. Some had with them families, bags and many offerings,and must have had travelled from afar. They joined the Muslims in the fest-like atmosphere, sipping cay while having breakfast, and having conversation with each other without fear of being discriminated against.
However, in the interest of security, Muslim sensitivity and sanctity of the place, non-Muslims and ladies are not allowed into the tombs. In that sense, the tombs here are a bit different from those that I have visited elsewhere, in India and other parts of the Muslim world, which accomodate women by creating a separate entrance and room for them. Here, the ladies had to stand outside the tombs.
There are so many tombs inside the whole complex, some big and some small. I lost count of how many that I actually visited, and by the time of leaving the complex, had forgotten the name of all but the most important ones. Some, I gather, are family members and disciples of the Sufi Saint Khwaja Gesu Daraz. The others are royal dignitaries of the Bahmani sultanate, which was important in convincing Khwaja Gesu Daraz to settle down in Gulbarga. Given the attention given to this complex by the Bahmani and subsequent Muslim dynasties of Deccan, it is of no great surprise to see the size and beauty of the tomb buildings. Surrounded by tall towers and great domes, it was as if I was visiting a fairytale-like city from Sinbad or Aladdin.
The tomb of the Sufi Saint Khwaja Gesu Daraz [1] is located in the middle of the complex, in one of the most grand buildings. Inside, the wall of the tomb is replete with astonishing mural and artworks from tiles and marbles. Visitors would leave their offerings of flowers to the guardian who would them touch their heads with a small broom made of peacock feathers, symbolically as a sign of returning the goodwill, and then proceed to visit the tomb, asking for forgiveness of their sins to God. Of course, some would be so engulfed by emotions and fall spread out on the floor, either out of love and devotion to the select companion of God or out of grieve for their sins.
The peace and tranquility that this place offers to its visitors cannot be described in words. It is a blessing that this place is not on the tourist trail. With the materialistic and hedonistic cultures that modern tourism always bring with it, this place, a fountain of blessings and tolerance would be broken and shattered, and the joy shared by everyone from all walks of life and religions will exist no more.
A place like this Dargah needs no crazy tourism advert. People who come here also looks for some bargain. It is just that the commodity they are after is different from other places. Here, the commodity is its barakah. That the barakah is never ending, regardless of the number of people who ask for it, is a wonder than no advert could do.
Other pictures of people in and around the Dargah:
أحب الصالحين ولست منهم* لعلي أن أنال بهم شفاعة
Note:
1. Genealogical table: Wali al-Akbar as-Sadiq Abu al-Fath Muhammad bin Yusuf bin Ali bin Muhammad bin Yusuf bin Hasan bin Muhammad bin Ali bin Hamza bin Daud bin Zayd bin Abu al-Hasan al-Junaidi bin Husain bin Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Umar bin Yahya bin Husain bin Zayd al-Mazlum bin Ali Ashgar Zain al-’Abidin bin Husayn bin Ali bin Abi Talib.
