Three-day urs begins at Bababudangiri Hill in Chikkamagaluru

The three-day urs, an annual event to pay homage to Hazrad Daya Hayat Mir Qualandar, began on Wednesday, by offering prayers at the Guru Dattatreya Bababudan Swamy Dargah, a cave shrine atop Bababudangiri Hills in Chikkamagaluru taluk.

As part of the event, devotees and fakirs carried sandal paste from Attigundi to the shrine in a procession. The participants recited songs in praise of the Sufi saint along the procession. They entered the shrine and paid their homage to the saint.

Boycott

However, Syed Ghouse Mohiyuddin Shakhadri, the hereditary administrator of the shrine, chose not to enter the shrine, opposing the Chikkamagaluru district administration’s refusal to allow him to conduct the rituals inside the shrine. He and a few of the participants offered the prayers at the entrance gates as a mark of protest.

Speaking to the media, Shakhadri said that the ritual included placing the cloth and offering sandalwood paste. However, the administration did not allow carrying them inside. “As a mark of protest, I have boycotted the event, as I did last year. The Supreme Court has allowed us to offer prayers. However, the district administration is not considering it," he maintained.