Karnataka   

Village where all religious communities observe Muharram

DAVANGERE: Most of the people of Pallavanahalli village in Honnali taluk are Hindus except for three Muslim families.

But the people of the village have been observing Muharram in great fervour and devotion since Saturday.

In this small village, they celebrate the festivals of Hindus, Muslims and other religions, jointly. Though there are many “castes” and “sub-castes”, people do not segregate themselves accordingly.

People of the village had brought a Muslim guru from Nyamathi village to perform all the rituals according to the customs of Islam.

They also worshipped the Alabi God and set up a pyre and made offerings. Later, children, youth and even the aged walked on the fire worshipping the god. After completing the rituals, the people gave food grains to the Muslim guru as a token of gratitude for performing the puja.

This joint celebration of a Muslim festival has been a custom for 50 years. Manjappa, an elderly man, said that folklore goes that there were a few Muslim families living in the village; for some reason, they left the village leaving behind certain religious items in their huts.

One day, an elder of the village had a dream in which he was asked to perform puja for the religious things left by the Muslims.

He conveyed his dream to others in the village and performed the puja. The same day there was heavy rain which brought cheer among the people.

Since then, they observe Muharram and other religious festivals of the Muslims.

The elders of the village decided to observe other festivals as well. So any big festival is a public celebration in the village. Shanthappa, a resident, said that this had resulted in total unity and oneness among the people.

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