KALABURAGI: The Ladle Mashak Dargah Committee, which wanted to prevent people from the Hindu community from offering prayers at the Raghava Chaitanya Shivalinga situated on the dargah premises on the day of Shivaratri (February 15 this year), has suffered a set back with the Supreme Court on Friday upholding the order of the Kalaburagi Bench of Karnataka High Court in favour of the devotees. With this, a total of 14 people are allowed to perform puja at the site on Sunday.
The committee a few days back approached the bench, urging it to prevent Hindu devotees from offering prayers on the dargah premises on Shivaratri. The move was challenged by RTI activist Sidramaiah Hiremath in the court, saying that the Shivalinga was installed at the location more than a century ago and the high has allowed performing puja at the site on the day of Shivaratri since two years ago.
A few days ago, the bench issued an order, allowing Hiremath to perform Puja on Sunday with sufficient police bandobast and denied permission to others as the activist had not mentioned their names in his petition.
The dargah committee filed an appeal in the Supreme Court against the high court bench’s order, but the latter on Wednesday refused to quash the same.
On Thursday, citing the apex court order,14 Hindu activists submitted the memorandum to the deputy commissioner and Kalaburagi Superintendent of Popice Adduru Srinivasalu, and also approached the high court bench, seeking permission to perform the puja at the site.
The bench on Friday issued an order, allowing 13 persons to perform puja at the site, but declined permission to pontiff of Kadaganchi Virakta Matha Shri Veerabhadra Shivacharyaru, as he had not signed on the petition.
The court has directed the members of Muslim community to offer prayers in the dargah between 8am and 2pm and allowed the Hindu devotees to offer prayers on the premises from 2pm to 6pm.
Srinivasalu told TNIE that prohibitory orders under Section 144 would be clamped in and around the dargah from 6pm on Saturday to 6pm on Sunday, and nobody except the permitted persons would be allowed on the premises while the prohibitory order is in effect.
The place is named after Sufi saint Ladle Mashak, who won the hearts of people in the 14th century. The premises also houses the Samadhi of Hindu saint Ragahava Chaitanya, who lived in the 15th century. Chaitanya was the guru of Samarth Ramadas, who was revered by Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji.
The shivling was installed on the Samadhi of Chaitanya and later became popular as Raghava Chaitanya Shivling.
The 14 persons who were allowed to perform the Puja of the Shivalinga includes, Siddaramaiah Hiremath, Harshanand Guttedar, Rakesh Rajashekhar Kalaburagi, Shivaraj Bali, Ashok Bagali, Mallikarjun Savalagi, Shivaputra nadageri, Mallikarjun Kandagule, Veeranna Hattarki, Raju Chauhan, Hanumantrao Patil Aland, Ravi Madankar and Mallanna Hirepujari.