Rishikesh

We live in Bidar. Proudly. Fortunate to breathe the air that kept great souls like Saint- poet Basaveshwara, Bahmani King Ahmed Shah Al Wali and Mahmud Gawan alive. Thomping the ground that Afnasi Nikitin, Jean Thevknot, Colonel Mackenzie, and other travelers trode. Waiting to tell Jimmy Wales that Someshwara the Third, Chalukyan King of Basava Kalyan wrote Manasa Ullasa, a Sanskrit encyclopaedia a thousand years before he compiled Wikipedia. We are obsessed with the stories that Bhaskara Acharya, the man invented and developed Algebra, was born here. We beat our chests to say that the devotional Naats are sung in Madina were written by Hazrath Ishqui who grew up playing in the streets of Siddique Taleem in Mohammadabad Bidar. We shamelessly proclaim that King Vikramaditya the Sixth, who ruled southern and middle India for half a century, was throned in Kalyana. He expanded his territory from the Narmada river to the Cauvery and from Orissa all the way to Kutch. We know this as his was...

A centre of syncretic worship A tradition:Shivaraya Swami of Madyal participating in the rituals at the tomb of Sultan Ahmed Shah Ali Behmani during the fair at Ashtur in Bidar on Wednesday. Bidar: The annual ‘urs' and jatra of Sultan Ahmed Shah Ali Behmani, the medieval ruler of Bidar, is being celebrated at Ashtur this week. Ashtur, a village on the Karnataka-Andhra Pradesh border, is a centre of syncretic worship. The urs of Ahmed Shah has some unique rituals in which members of both Hindu and Muslim communities participate. Ahmed Shah, called Wali or saint by his subjects, was known for promoting arts, music and literature. Medieval historians such as Farishta say he was a benevolent king. The Hindus believe he was an incarnation of Lord Mallikarjuna. The urs is held according to the lunar calendar and is usually celebrated in the last week of March or first week of April. This year, the urs began with village people washing the tomb with rose water and reading verses from the...

The Hindu Tuesday, Oct 05, 2010 Where the spirit of a tolerant king brings all faiths together Rishikesh Bahadur Desai Promoting amity:A file photo of Shivacharya Swamiji of Madyal in Gulbarga at Ahmed Shah Ali Wali's tomb in Ashtur in Bidar. Bidar: Ashtur, a village near Bidar, is a place of syncretic worship, a tradition that is widespread in north Karnataka. The tomb of the Bahmani King Ahmed Shah Ali Wali is a place of worship visited by Hindus and Muslims, and a centre of communal harmony. While the Muslims pay respects to the saintly ruler, the Hindus find it the abode of Allama Prabhu, the 12th century saint-poet. There are two annual celebrations — the birth anniversary in March-April, a week after Holi, and the death anniversary in October-November after Dasara. Hindus and Muslims participate in both the events. Sri Shivacharya Swamy of Madyal in Aland taluk in Gulbarga walks 80 km to reach Ashtur. He is joined by around 500 devotees. He arrives at the Mutavalli's hou...

Jungle Lodges resort coming up near Bidar RISHIKESH BAHADUR DESAI SHARE · PRINT · T+ The property is likely to be ready by November 1 Jungle Lodges and Resorts Limited, Government-run eco tourism agency, plans to inaugurate its lake view resort on the banks of the Vilaspur tank in Bidar on November 1. Vilaspur resort is JLR's newest property. It is JLR's second resort in North Karnataka after the sloth bear resort in Hampi in Bellary district. “We will complete work on the property before October 31. We plan to inaugurate it on November 1,” said JLR Managing Director N.D. Tiwari. He told The Hindu that the property would have 18 cottages that could accommodate two campers each. Mr. Tiwari said the project was taken up with the assistance of the district administration that allotted seven acres of revenue land adjacent to the forest for construction of cottages. “The then Deputy Commissioner Harsh Gupta took the initiative. Otherwise, it would have taken us sometime to p...

The Hindu, Bidar Wednesday, Nov 16, 2005 Bidar gurudwara, a beacon for devotees Rishikesh Bahadur Desai SACRED PLACE: The Nanak Jhira Gurudwara in Bidar decorated for Guru Nanak Jayanti Bidar: Bidar is emerging as an important spiritual tourism destination. The Nanak Jhira Gurudwara here attracts hundreds of tourists every day. On Tuesday, over 50,000 people from across the country converged on the gurudwara to celebrate the 536th Guru Nanak Jayanti. Devotees believe that the first Sikh Guru visited Bidar on his way to Sri Lanka in March 1512. "Then, Bidar was a dry place with no source of drinking water. People were forced to use brackish water. The Guru moved a stone under his feet and an eternal spring of fresh water gushed out. The spring flows even today. People believe it has magical powers and cures diseases," says Amar Singh Ragi, the gurudwara manager. Sahib Singh, one of the `Panch Pyares' of Sikhism, was born in Bidar. That is why it attracts devotees from...

The Hindu Monday, Nov 14, 2005 The proud son of Bidar Rishikesh Bahadur Desai LOCATION: The site where the gurdwara will come up at Navadgeri in Bidar. Bidar: The city of Bidar has a significant place in Sikh history. Bhai Sahib Singh, one of the Panj Pyare of Sikhism, was from Bidar. But it appears he has been forgotten. His memorial is incomplete and stray buffaloes wander around the structure. The Panj Pyare, or the Five Beloved, are the men who, under the leadership of Gobind Singh (1666-1708), the last of the 10 Sikh gurus, were initiated into the khalsa or the brotherhood of the Sikh faith. They have a revered place in the Sikh tradition. Daya Ram, a Khatri from Lahore, Dharam Das, a Jat from Delhi, Mohkam Chand, a washerman from Dwaraka in Gujarat, Himmat, a cook from Jagannath in Orissa and Sahib Chand, a barber of Bidar, form the Panj Pyare. The website SikhCyber.com says Sahib Chand was born in 1662 in Bidar, in the then Nizam state of Hyderabad. He sacrificed his life in th...

The Hindu, Bidar Thursday, Mar 03, 2011 An occasion to recall Aurangazeb's association with this historic city Rishikesh Bahadur Desai The Mughal emperor wrested Bidar Fort from Adil Shahis in 1656 Serene:The Solah Kambha Masjid where Aurangazeb, whose death anniversary is on Thursday, is said to have offered prayers. Bidar: On his death anniversary on Thursday, people of Bidar are reminded of the contribution of the Mughal emperor Aurangazeb to this historic city. Aurangazeb came to Bidar after his father and emperor Shah Jahan appointed him the Prince of Deccan. He wrested the Bidar Fort from the Adil Shahis after a 21-day war in 1656. With this, Bidar became a part of the Mughal dynasty for the second time. Earlier, Muhammad bin Tughlaq had conquered Bidar in 1330. The city was later ruled for 300 years by the Bahamani and Baridshahi rulers. Historians such as Ghulam Yazdani have described the 1656 war as a “path-breaking event” for the Bidar Sultanate as it changed not only th...

The prayer for all RISHIKESH BAHADUR DESAI None would imagine that the piety-filled prayer that emerges from the tomb of the Prophet in Makkah has its roots in Bidar. It was written by Hazrat Ishqui, a poet from Bidar HOARY PAST A file photo of Rajya Sabha member, the late Maqsood Ali Khan, felicitating Rashid Ahmed Rashid in Bidar. Rashid was called Shayar-e-Hayat by fans The air around the Masjid –E-Nabavi in Mecca in Saudi Arabia reverberates with the sound of the prayer “Ya Shafi Ul Wara Salam Un Alaik…”, five times a day, everyday. This mosque, also called the Mosque of Prophet Mohammad, co ntains the tomb of Prophet Mohammad and is considered holy by Muslims all over the world. The prayer sung here is written in praise of the Prophet. This beautiful piece of Arabic poetry is the creation of Hazrat Ishqui, who lived in Bidar in Karnataka nearly 200 years ago. The saint poet Hazrat Ishqui is revered across the globe. His religious writings in Arabic and Farsi are still recited by b...

The Hindu, Friday Review Friday, Aug 17, 2007 The flower-like letter Imagine a style of writing being compared to the glistening hair of the bride. Such evocative images can emerge only from the grand art of calligraphy. Sadly, it is withering away for lack of patronage RISHIKESH BAHADUR DESAI FADING CITADEL Mohammad Quaza demonstrates his art. With no takers left, he leads his life painting posters “Let me enjoy the aroma of flowers around here,” says the epitaph of Sultan Mehmood Shah Bahmani the third, who once ruled Bidar. The Arabic and Farsi letters are arranged in such an artistic manner on the tomb stone, that they look like flowers in blossom. Islamic Calligraphy, called Fun –E- Khattat is present on almost all the historic buildings in Bidar. It adds to the beauty of these 100 or so tombs, Masjids and Dargahs in and around the historic city. Calligraphy is also defined as the art of giving form to signs. Islamic calligraphy is said to have evolved nearly 100 years after the...