The Hindu : Karnataka News : A living example of communal amity

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Karnataka

Karnataka

A living example of communal amity

T.V. Sivanandan

Car festival of the famous Sharanabasaveshwar temple will be held today

SPRUCED UP: The famous Sharanabasaveshwar temple in Gulbarga is ready for the annual car festival.

GULBARGA: All roads will lead to the famous Sharanabasaveshwar temple, the symbol of ultimate sacrifice and embodiment of service to the needy and suffering humankind, for the famous car festival in Gulbarga on Wednesday.

The festival will mark the inauguration of the fortnight-long fair to commemorate the 186th death anniversary (punyathithi) of the 18th century social reformer and saint Sri Sharanabasaveshwara.

The Sharanabasaveshwar temple, a living example of communal amity and universal peace, is spruced up for the car festival, which will be witnessed by a large number of people from all over the country. The devotees will also witness the peetharohana festival of the Sharanabasaveshwar Samsthan by the head, Poojya Sharanabasavappa Appa, on the occasion of the car festival.

Saint Sharanabasaveshwara, who hailed from Aralagndigi village in Jewargi taluk of Gulbarga district, dedicated his entire life in the service of the suffering and needy. He had made Gulbarga his abode after working tirelessly to feed people affected by the worst-ever famine in the 18th century. It was this human suffering that changed the life of Sri Sharanabasaveshwara transforming him into a saint from an ordinary soul.

The saint gave a new meaning to the culture of Dasoha (mass feeding) during the famine by personally visiting the houses of the rich and the affluent to collect foodgrains to feed the poor at the gruel centres. Even today, one portion of harvested foodgrains is kept aside by farmers for the Sharanabasaveshwar temple to enable the temple to continue its Dasoha service. Besides helping those in need, the Dasoha culture has encouraged the people to give up hatred and develop compassion for the suffering masses. Soon the monumental work of the saint spread to other corners of the district and the States of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

Later, at the invitation of Sri Doddappa Appa Gowda, the forefathers of Dr. Sharanabasavappa Appa, the saint shifted his base to Gulbarga. This marked the beginning of the selfless service of the two to provide succour to the needy.

The Sharanabasaveshwara temple, where the mortal remains of the saint are enshrined, is a symbol of national integration with even the devout Muslims making it a point to visit it to pay their obeisance. More than a ritual, it is a way of life for the people of this city to visit the temple every day before starting their daily chores. The mortal remains of Doddappa Appa are also enshrined in the temple precincts.

The hospitality rendered by the people to visitors stands out as an example for others. During the car festival and other important occasions in the temple, every house in the city becomes a “Dasoha Mane” and the pilgrims are not only given shelter but also looked after well.

The precedent set by Sri Sharanabasaveshwara is followed religiously even now by the peetadhipathis of the samsthan and no visitor to the temple is allowed to return with a hungry stomach. The kitchen of the “Dasoha Mane” in the temple is always kept open.

The samsthan under Dr. Sharanabasavappa Appa has been doing yeoman service in the field of education by starting a number of schools and colleges in this educationally backward region. Besides running several colleges, the samsthan was the first to start a girl’s school in 1934 when women were not given education. It now runs a prestigious public school, the first of its kind in the district.

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