Police on high alert as Hindus to hold Shivaratri puja inside Kalaburagi dargah

The Kalaburagi district is on high alert as Hindus and Muslims celebrate separate holidays in the same at the Ladle Mushak dargah. In order to prevent any attempts to incite unrest, the police have forbidden big gatherings in Aland city where extra officers and drones are on duty. The shrine was at the centre of communal tensions last year after members from the two communities clashed over offering prayers.

The waqf tribunal had earlier passed an order allowing 15 members of the Muslim community to celebrate 'urs' inside the dargah between 8 a.m. and noon and 15 members of the Hindu community, including Siddalinga Swamy of Andola Mutt, who is also the State president of right-wing outfit Sri Ram Sene, to perform puja to Raghava Chaitanya Shivalinga present inside the dargah, between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturday.

The dargah authorities had approached the High Court with a prayer to reject the tribunal's order. The High Court, however, upheld the tribunal's decision and allowed the representatives of both communities to perform their rituals peacefully. It directed both the parties "to maintain and tranquillity at the time of performance of urs and puja" on the dargah premises and "follow the time mentioned in the order strictly".

This Ladle Mushak Dargah is believed to be the final resting place of Hazrat Lal Shah Vali, a Sufi saint who lived in the 13th century. The shrine is situated in the village of Aland, which is approximately 35 kilometers from the city of Kalaburagi.

The dargah is considered to be a holy site by people of all religions, and is especially popular among the Muslim community. The shrine attracts a large number of devotees, who come to offer prayers and seek blessings. The annual Urs festival is also held here, which is a major event for the local community.

According to local legend, the name "Ladle Mushak" is derived from the fact that the saint was known to feed mice from his own bowl. The dargah is an important example of India's rich cultural and religious heritage, and is visited by people from different parts of the country.