Next to the Adeshwara Temple is a rare Muslim shrine to Angar Pir, a Sufi saint who lived here in the 14th century when the area was attacked by Allauddin Khilji, who sought the riches of the temples on Shatrunjaya. Angar Pir, believing in the intrinsic sacredness of the temples, even though they were to a different faith than his own, came to their protection. Through the power of his prayers and devotion, he hurled holy fire on the invading armies, thus protecting the temples from destruction.
We would do well to commemorate those like Angar Pir who believe in the sanctity of others’ holy sites, instead of those who destroy them as if to raise the stature of their own. Angar Pir’s dargah is approached before the first main temple complex; where the path forks, many take the shorter route on the left and bypass the dargah, so be sure to take the path on the right to lead you to the dargah, a small shrine with a green flag.
No comments:
Post a Comment