Devotees celebrate 309thUrusu mahotsavam at Vizianagaram dargah

Devotees of all faiths offered special prayers at the Hazrath Sayyad Denke Shavali Baba’s dargah in Vizianagaram on the 309^th Urusu Mahotsavam. The annual fete is being celebrated between January 6 and 8 with devotional fervour.

Trustees (Mutawallis) Shaik Bahadur, and S. Shajahan coordinated various devotional activities including Quran Khawani, Fateha Khwani, Langar-E-Aamm, Milad Sharif, and Julus celebrations at the dargah.

According to local accounts, the Sufi saint Hazrath Sayyad Denke Shavali Baba guided Pusapati Vijayarama Raju to construct the Vizianagaram fort and the city at its present location, which was once a forest. Vijayarama Raju, who ruled from nearby Kumbilipuram (present-day Kumili), built the fort in 1713 and later developed the town. It is said that when the king was concerned about a dedicated water facility for the city, Denke Shavali Baba showed the king to the present-day Pedda Cheruvu, which became the main water source for the future.

Shaik Bahadur told the media that people of all faiths regularly visit the dargah, which has become a symbol of religious harmony.