Hyderabad: The 759th annual Urs celebrations at the Dargah of Hazrath Baba Sharfuddin Suhrwardi, popularly known as the Dargah Pahadishareef located near RGI Airport, commenced on Saturday, February 15.
The Dargah is the resting place of Hazrath Baba Sharfuddin Suhrwardi. The Urs celebrations began on the 16th Hijri calendar month of Shaban and will continue throughout next week and about 2 lakh people across Telangana along with neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka are expected to participate in the annual event.
Incomplete ramp work at the dargah
Senior citizens and physically challenged people find it extremely difficult to visit the shrine as there is no ramp connecting the shrine located on the hilltop to the main road. To reach the hilltop one has to climb 360 steps from the ground.
“Elderly people and children cannot climb the steps, so many are unable to visit the place. If at all children and elderly come with families they sit somewhere on the ground while others continue to climb the stairs and pay a visit to the shrine,” said Muqeeth Ahmed, a regular visitor.
Promise to construct ramp at Pahadi Shareef Dargah unfulfilled
The works for the ramp construction at the Dargah Hazrath Baba Sharfuddin were inaugurated in 2018 under the previous Telangana Rashtra Samithi (now Bharat Rashtra Samithi ) government with a budget of Rs. 9.60 crore.
The project involved constructing a motorable ramp of 950 feet through which pilgrims could reach the dargah with the help of vehicles.
It was supposed to be completed in nine months. However, the ramp works are yet to begin and the project is far from completion.
Hyderabad: Ramp work at Dargah Hazrath Baba Sharfuddin incomplete
Presently, not even 50 percent of the work is completed. A retaining wall was constructed but the construction was stopped mid-way due to the presence of huge rocks and insufficient funds. Pending bills deterred the contractors from moving ahead fearing huge debts and loss if the government failed to pay their bills on time.
AIMIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi had represented the matter of the Dargah Hazrath Baba Sharfuddin in the legislative assembly as well.
Legend of Hazrath Baba Sharfuddin
It is believed that Baba Sharfuddin Suhrwardi came to the Deccan in 1190 from Baghdad via Delhi and settled in a neighbourhood known as Balapur some 5 kilometers away from the place where his shrine is. Initially, he came and settled down in Balapur. He was among the first Sufis who came to this region much before Hyderabad was founded in 1591 by the Qutb Shahi dynasty.
The people held Hazrath Baba Sharfuddin in high respect and came to him seeking ‘resolution’ of their problems and fulfilment of their wishes. According to legend, the saint climbed the hillock and decided to stay on for his prayers.
Baba Sharfuddin: Amongst the first saints to have set foot in Deccan
The legend goes that many noblemen sought help at the Dargah Hazrath Baba Sharfuddin. Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb built the structure over the simple grave of the Baba while Nizam Mir Mahbub Ali Khan (the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad from the later Asaf Jahi kings) constructed the big hall with multiple columns and multi-cusped arches.
The steps on the Dargah Hazrath Baba Sharfuddin hillock were chiselled out and shaped during the time of Mir Osman Ali Khan, the seventh and last Nizam of Hyderabad. At the foothill of the shrine is a Deodi built by Paigah nobleman Iqbal Ud Dowla.
The annual Urs celebrations of the Dargah Hazrath Baba Sharfuddin begin on the 16th of the Islamic month of Shaban and continue till the 22nd of the month. The first sandal procession is taken out from Balapur, where the saint is believed to have stayed for almost 11 years, and reached Pahadi Shareef. Two more important offerings are made by the HEH Nizam Trust and the state government through the Pahadi Shareef police and Balapur police station staff.
