THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Uroos festival began on Sunday with the hoisting of the festival flag at the Beemapally Dargah Shareef in which thousands of devotees participated.
The flag-hoisting ceremony and religious procession led by Jamaath chief Imam Janab Alhaj Hassan and Muhammed Ismail Sahib, witnessed a huge participation of devotees from various parts of the state, along with the Beemapally Jama Ath members.
On the festival days, there will be religious lectures and recital of ‘Munajaath’, ‘Ratheeb’ and ‘Mauloodh.’
The Uroos commemorates Sayidhathunissa Beema Beevi and her son Ashaikhu Sayidu Shaheed Maheen Aboobaker who have been entombed inside the Dargah. Beema Beevi, as she is commonly known among her followers, is believed to have reached here from Arabia to propagate Islam. The common belief holds that Beema Beevi possessed saintly powers of healing.
‘’People from all religions come to Beemapally to pay tributes at the tombs of Beema Beevi and Aboobaker. People pay oblations at the Dargah as thanksgiving for favours received,’’ said Shamnad, a employee at a private firm in Saudi Arabia. Devotees poured into Beemapally Dargah to seek the blessings of God seeking respite from misery and illness. The City Corporation employed cleaning staff to clear the area off garbage and KSRTC plied special services to Beemapally in the wake of heavy rush of passengers owing to the Uroos celebrations.
The festival will conclude on April 1, with a procession, prayer and a feast.
Child beggar problem
The Beemapally locality, known for its various commercial activities, in the backdrop of Uroos has become the hub of roadside eateries and hawkers. However, the devotees who visit Beemapally have to encounter a new problem which is that of child beggars.
It was learnt that a racket from Rajasthan has ‘employed’ child beggars in and around the premises of the festival venue. The kids were speaking Hindi and told ‘Express’ that they were from Rajasthan.
However, they were reluctant to speak any further. The policemen on duty at Beemapally shrugged off the responsibility saying that they had been posted for venue duty.
