Daijiworld Media Network - Belagavi (SP)

Belagavi, Aug 20: Harlapur village in Saundatti taluk of the district has no Muslim inhabitants. But the village has been celebrating Muharram every year for the last 11 years without fail. Hindu families living in the village have put together donations and built Fakir Swamy Dargah, which stands as testimony to the communal harmony practised by the people here.

The villagers here celebrate Muharram, which indicates the beginning of the new Islamic year. This time, because of covid19, the festival was celebrated in a simple way, duly following Covid guidelines. After the procession, the customary 'Panja' was made and kept inside the Dargah. Special prayers and pujas were offered on the occasion. A Hindu priest has been performing puja at the Dargah every day after it was built.

The villagers believe that a neem tree standing in the Dargah premises has the ability to save those who are bitten by poisonous snakes. They claim that if the juice made by using the neem leaves of the tree is consumed within two hours of the snakebite, the victim survives. People not only from Belagavi, but also from Dharwad and Gadag districts come to the Dargah often to find relief from snakebites.