For a lesson in communal harmony, look at Chhattisgarh's Patthalgaon

RAIPUR: Hundreds of

Muslims

gathered in prayers during the two-day

Urs

(death anniversary) of

Jai Baba Hazrat Syed Sultan Pir

, whose mazar was erected as a

shrine

by a

Hindu

in Patthalgaon of Jashpur district in Chhattisgarh. This shrine, which sees a large number of Muslim devotees, is still owned and maintained by a Hindu. What is more, it is adjacent to a slum where a large number of Christians live.



Besides the Urs at this time, this area is abuzz during the weekly fair. For decades, the customs of Hindus, Muslims and Christians have been observed at the mazar. Kanya Bhoj was organized here as part of Ashtami on Thursday; on Friday, it was Urs; on Sunday, there will be mass, in accordance with Christian tradition.



The customs followed at this shrine show a unique blend of the traditions of all three communities. While the Hindus refer to this shrine as ‘Jai Baba Sultan Pir’s Mazar’, Muslims call it ‘Syed Sultan Pir’s Mazar’. There is an offering of “prasad” here, which one is more likely to find in a temple than in a Muslim place of worship. There is also an offering of the chadar – just like in Ajmer, for instance. The Christians light candles at the mazar on Sundays.



Ashok Sharma, owner of the mazar, told TOI he had distributed around 2,200 chadar to the poor on Thursday. These chadar were offered to Syed Sultan Pir Baba by devotees through the year. “The mazar is well known to people in Jashpur – there are visitors here from across the country. The Urs started on Thursday and reached its culmination on Friday. We follow customs of all religions here and spread a message of communal harmony,” Sharma said.



Hundreds of people in Patthalgaon participated in the ‘bhandara’ (community fest) organized at the mazar on Ashtami, which fell on Thursday. Kanjika poojan was also held to mark the last day of Navratri.



“Every event we organize at the shrine begins with Kanya poojan. People are allowed to read whatever religious literature they want inside the mazar, whether Hanuman Chalisa or a prayer. The priest is Muslim, and he just continues reciting the Fatiha,” he said.



Rajkumar Sharma, a bank employee from Korba, said he arrives each year with his family for the Urs. He said he had prayed at the shrine and was blessed by the Pir Saheb with a baby boy. “Ever since, I’ve been a regular visitor,” he says.

Sunita Rupesh Fredrick lives in the slum near the mazar and prays there every Friday and Sunday.



Sharma, the owner of the mazar, said his family hails from Agroha district, Haryana. The mazar came up on land the family owned, about two decades ago. When the family arrived in Chhattisgarh from Haryana, they had carried with them a brick from the main mazar of Syed Sultan Pir in Agroha, which is where it is believed the Agarwals orginated.



Sharma said there is a legend behind the tradition: “An ancestor was punished by the king some 150 years ago. He was to be killed. On his way to being hanged, the soldiers accompanying him stopped at the mazar of Syed Baba for the night. My ancestor offered some flowers he found nearby and said an earnest prayer, seeking forgiveness. All the soldiers fell so soundly asleep that my ancestor was able to flee to safety! That was when the worship began,” Sharma says. These days, it is believed that anyone who seeks anything at the shrine with a pure heart will find his or her prayers granted.