Hyderabad: The construction of the ramp to reach the Dargah Hazrath Baba Sharfuddin at Pahadi Shareef in Hyderabad resumed on Monday, January 5, after a long delay, even as it is close to completion.
A handful of construction workers and earth-moving machines were seen at the spot. A couple of trucks were also seen dumping mud on the route where the ramp is to be constructed.
The project at the Dargah Hazrath Baba Sharfuddin was inaugurated with much fanfare in 2018 after the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government sanctioned a budget of Rs. 9.60 crore for the ambitious project aimed at reducing the time taken for people to reach the shrine of the holy saint at Pahadi Shareef.
Part of the project was a motorable ramp of 950 feet, through which pilgrims can reach the dargah in vehicles, and it was to be constructed in nine months.
However, while Waqf Board officials visited the site for inspection a few times, the work could not be taken up, allegedly due to paucity of funds. Sources told Siasat.com that the Wakf Board has finally allocated some funds to the agency to take up the work in view of pressure from the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and pilgrims who visit the place.
The cost of the project has also escalated due to the delay.
Pilgrims not only from Telangana but Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka come to visit the Dargah Hazrath Baba Sharfuddin shrine. Currently, visitors have to climb 360 steps to reach the Dargah to pay homage.
History of the shrine
According to a report, the saint, Baba Sharfuddin Suhrwardi, came to the Deccan in 1190 AD from Baghdad through Delhi and settled in a neighbourhood known as Balapur, some five kilometre from the place where his shrine is. He was among the first Sufi saints who came to this region, much before Hyderabad was founded in 1591 AD by the Qutb Shahi dynasty.
The people hold Baba Sharfuddin in high regard and come to his shrine to seek a “resolution” of their problems and fulfil their wishes. According to legend, the saint climbed the hillock and decided to stay on for his prayers.
Legend goes that many noblemen sought help at the Dargah Hazrath Baba Sharfuddin. Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb built the structure over the simple grave, while Nizam Mir Mahbub Ali Khan (the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad) constructed the big hall with multiple columns and multi-cusped arches.
The stairs on the Dargah Hazrath Baba Sharfuddin hillock were chiselled out and shaped during the time of Mir Osman Ali Khan, the seventh and last Nizam of Hyderabad. At the foothill of the shrine is a Deodi built by Paigah nobleman Iqbal Ud Dowla.
The annual Urs celebrations of the Dargah Hazrath Baba Sharfuddin begin on the Islamic month of Shaban on the 16th and continue till the 22nd of the month. The first sandal procession is taken out from Balapur, where the saint is believed to have stayed for almost 11 years, and reaches Pahadi shareef. Two more important offerings are made by the HEH Nizam Trust and the state government through the Pahadi Shareef Police and Balapur Police Station staff.
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