THE CHURCH AND A DARGAH

When I first came to Hyderabad in 1988, Aruna and Major Reddy practically adopted me and Murali and we have been part of each other's lives since then. And by osmosis I have also become part of Vasu's (Aruna's sister) group, who like to eat out, travel, visit places and quite often I am out with them. Shamima is the much travelled one, Shanta the wise one, Raju the friendly one and I must let out a secret here. Because I am younger by a couple of years I am treated with great fondness and hamaari koi bhi maang sar aankhon par. Obviously I boss around a lot and that too is accepted as part of my youthfulness. It is truly a win win situation for me.

This time we visited Our Lady of Fatima Church at Thimmapur, five kms from Chegoor and shy of a few more kms of the Heartfulness Centre at Kanha, which I have visited so often recently. I noticed this extremely clean village while crossing it and also had noticed that there was a church and a school of the same name, but never knew that it was fairly old and so well maintained. 

Fr Simon, after finding out that we were not devout Catholics went right ahead and told us all about how Christ was born and so on. Our Lady of Fatima is the Mother of God and born with no sins. During WW I in Portugal in a village called Fatima, she appeared before three shepherds children Jacinta, Francis and Lucy . She appeared thus six different times between May 13 and October 13 and told the children to pray for world peace. While it was controversial even then, an inquiry was conducted and the cult of Our Lady of Fatima was officially permitted within the Catholic Church.

The small statue of Our Lady of Fatima, brought from Portugal is at the very entrance of the church in Thimmapur. Earlier this statue was kept at Hyderabad and then in early 1942 it was brought to Thimmapur and the church was gradually built to its current glory. "It was earlier under a hut and then there was a tiled roof and slowly as it became a pilgrim centre, this church was built with donations from the devotees," says Fr Simon. 

Several miracles take place here and the celebrations this May 13 was conducted with great aplomb. Built on two acres of land, there is a school and a small convent also, while on the one side are the  Passion of Christ, the final period in the life of Jesus Christ. And a few rooms for those who would want to come and spend a couple of days in worship in this fairly scenic place.  

The main altar in this spacious and airy church is that of Our Lady of Fatima. Giving it a 3-D effect there is shrine built here with the three children of the shepherd worshipping the Mother of God. Devotees come here for peace of mind and light a candle. 

While I do not want to make this a solemn occasion, because the church is beautiful, peaceful and the ambience there lent itself for a good picnic, but since it was noon and beyond and we were planning a visit to Jahangir Peer Dargah, we just left feeling quite at peace.

The visit to J P Dargah was the exact opposite of our visit to the church. The quiet and peace enjoyed at Thimmapur was totally shattered even as we attempted to enter the Dargah. Off the Bangalore highway, this Dargah of Hazrat Jahangir Peeran and Hazrat Burhanuddin is in the Inmulnarva village of Kothur mandal and it is 725 years old. While it is the most visited dargah, I really do not know how people manage to avoid all those shop keepers who stop the vehicle and do not allow it to progress till you buy their flowers or at least park your vehicle. And their shops are built accordingly, with space enough for a few cars. 

Like any pilgrim centre, the dargah is surrounded by little shops selling chaddars, flowers, incense and other small items. Chappals are left outside and then you are asked to wash your feet. Which is all very fine, but the dargah is surrounded by women demanding money out of you, while entering and while coming out. In fact there are a couple of them at the entrance of the dargah who keep loose change to be exchanged for notes, which can then be distributed to those outside. But one lady who followed me was quite frank and asked for Rs. 10. 

There are now small shops within the dargah, where the perambulations are done. There are khadims at close quarters who bless you with peacock feathers. This bit is done with great faith, till you get back into the crowd and avoid all the begging bowls and screeching voices of women wanting more money. The return journey has only cement speed breakers, because now the shopkeepers let you go. 

Apparently all Sundays are quite hectic. Though among one of the most popular Dargahs, this place is small and can break at the seams if crowds pour in. There is talk that 50 acres of land will be given to the Dargah and the government has sanctioned and promised to build a larger dargah with better facilities. Some more land has to be acquired yet but the Wakf Board is apparently quite hopeful of a better and bigger place.

But faith in this Dargah is immense and people of all faiths believe that all your wishes get fulfilled here.  

While I bought some delicious mangoes en route from one of those several small stalls on the road side, I forgot to mention that we had a nothing-to-write-home about kind of breakfast at Vengamamba, which is quite surprising because that one single waiter moved around at a speed to serve so many of us. And Vengamamba by all standards serves good breakfast.......