Chilkur priest C S Rangarajan joins Sufi Basant festival in Hyderabad

Muzaffar Ali Soofi Chisti, the custodian of Hazrat Shaikh Ji Hali dargah, revived the tradition in south India a few years ago.

Hyderabad: Chilkur Balaji Temple Chief Priest C S Rangarajan on Sunday visited the Dargah that turns yellow for Sufi Basant festival

The grand old tradition of celebrating Basant by Sufi saints came alive at the historic dargah of Hazrat Shaikh Ji Hali in Old City. The entire premises of the dargah, popularly known as Urdu Shariff, was yellow with the devout wearing yellow clothes in tune with the tradition started at Hazrat Nizamuddin dargah in new Delhi about eight centuries ago. Yellow flowers will be offered to the saint resting at the shrine.

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Celebrating Basant may have been a norm at various Sufi dargahs in north India, but it is rarely celebrated down in the Vindhyas.

Muzaffar Ali Soofi Chisti, the custodian of Hazrat Shaikh Ji Hali dargah, revived the tradition in south India a few years ago.

Incidentally, Basant was celebrated as an official festival in Hyderabad of yore – both during the Qutub Shahi and the Asaf Jahi regimes.

While mustard flowers are used for decoration and offering at Hazrat Nizamuddin and other Sufi dargahs, in Hyderabad Gul-e-Dawoodi (flowers of David) are extensively used.

According to city historian and INTACH Hyderabad convener P Anuradha Reddy, gardens of chrysanthemum (Gul-e-Dawoodi in Urdu and Persian) used to welcome visitors to the Qutub Shahi Hyderabad and Golconda.

The tradition of using chrysanthemum for Basant has been in vogue in Hyderabad for four centuries. “Though Qutub Shahis were Persian in origin and Basant was a government holiday under their rule. The king personally used to participate in the festival. The flavours of Qutub Shahi Basant can be witnessed in the celebrations at Urdu Shariff,” Reddy said.

Muzaffar Ali Soofi recalls that the idea behind reviving Basant Sufi festival in Hyderabad is to celebrate oneness of humanity and respect faith and festivals of all.

There will be a rendition of exclusive lyrical compositions of saint-poet Hazrat Amir Khusrau. “Yellow is not only the colour of Basant, it is also the hue of spirituality and symbol of unity, which Hyderabad has always stood for,” Soofi said.

Rangarajan appreciated the efforts of Muzaffar Ali Soofi for reviving this tradition in South India especially in these times of severe friction among communities over volatile issues.