Journalism of Courage
In the 14th century, Sheikh Salahuddin Chisti Nizami, who ruled the city of Basra in Iraq, renounced his power, travelled to India and became a wandering mystique. This was the time when Mohammad bin Tughlaq had captured the Deccan and renowned Sufi saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya travelled south from Delhi to spread Sufi Islam.
Sometime in the early 1300s, Sheikh Salahuddin, who is considered to be a disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya, travelled with his followers to a tiny hamlet in the Deccan which would later become Pune.
As per historian Sanjay Sonawani, Salahuddin may have endeared himself to the locals and made the hamlet his home until his death in 1339 when followers built a mazaar (tomb) for him. “It was much later that a structure was constructed around it and became a dargah. It is one of the oldest religious shrines in Pune and, over the centuries, has enjoyed devotion from across communities,” said Sonawani.
A manuscript discovered by Colin Mackenzie, British India’s first Surveyor-General and a renowned collector of Oriental manuscripts, in the 19th century narrates a different, and somewhat contentious, history of the shrine.
The anonymously written manuscript titled ‘Chaar Yuganche Raje’, which was published as Madras Government Oriental Series’s 54th instalment in 1956, gives an ornate account of how Sheikh Salahuddin came to settle in Pune. As per the account, Salahuddin raised from the dead a bullock owned by a local, which was slaughtered by his followers for food, and also healed several ailing persons including those occupying powerful positions. These helped him gain the affection of the locals. Later, he moved into a pre-existing temple on the bank of the Mula river which later became the location of his tomb. The priest of the temple shifted the idols to Purandar fort and became Mujawars at the shrine.
The shrine, which came to be known as Dhakta Shaikh Salla Dargah, along with Thorla Shaikh Salla Dargah and Sayyad Sadaat Dargah, grew to become among the most popular religious places in Pune over the centuries. The dargah’s annual procession and Urs became one of the most popular events in Pune’s calendar.
It also enjoyed the patronship of rulers of all hues. In fact, in 1768, Madhavrao Peshwa I allotted Rs 1,400 to carry out some construction work at two prominent dargahs in Pune, one of which was Shaikh Salla’s.
As per the orders of the Peshwa court – compiled in Pune Nagar Sanshodhan Vritta published by Bharatiya Itihas Sanshodhak Mandal, Pune – in 1741, a quarrel broke out between the followers of Sayyad Sadat and Shaikh Salla over the procession route. “The route as decided by Late Appa Swami (Chimaji Appa, brother of Bajirao I) was violated and people from both sides were injured… They must stick to the route proscribed by Appa Swami and if violated there will be action,” the order read.
Earlier this month, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader from Pune, Ajay Shinde, stoked a fresh controversy in the city on Sunday by claiming that the party will launch a ‘Punyeshwar Mukti’ campaign to free the land of ‘Punyeshwar Temple’ on which, he alleged, the famous Shaikh Sallah Dargah stands.
Shinde, speaking from the podium at party chief Raj Thackeray’s rally on Sunday, claimed that a commander of Khilji dynasty ruler Alauddin Khilji had demolished the Punyeshwar and Narayaneshwar temples in Pune and later two dargahs – Thorla Shaikh Salla and Dhakta Shaikh Salla – were built on the land.
Sonawani denies this claim and cites Peshwa records to claim that there were no contentions about the dargah and it thrived during the Maratha rule. “None of the Hindu rulers of Pune made any claims about the dargahs. Chhatrapati Shivaji stayed in Lal Mahal, right behind Shaikh Salla Dargah. The Peshwas constructed Shaniwar Wada very close to it. They made monetary allocations for the welfare of the dargahs and there is no recorded controversy about the dargah during the long era of Maratha rule,” said Sonawani.
“Through the history of 700 years, both Hindus and Muslims visit the dargahs and participate in the Urs of the saints. In fact, the honour of eating the first morsel of prasad is for a Hindu family,” added Sonawani.
