History

This Dargah is more than 100-years-old and people from far off places, especially from Kerala, visit the Dargah and offer locks to fulfill their wishes. Even on the Jumboo Savari day, Dasara elephants are brought to the Dargah to seek blessings, a tradition which is being practiced since about 75 years.

According to legend, over 80-years back, one elephant that had come to Mysore fell seriously ill 15 days before the Dasara procession. Having no alternative and seeing no solution at sight, mahouts visited the Dargah and prayed for the well-being of the elephant.

The Guru present at the Dargah, realising the gravity of the situation, gave a “Thaitha” and asked the mahouts to tie it to the elephant’s leg. So powerful was the “Thaitha” that the elephant that was ill, sprang back to activity within a single day. The mahouts then vowed that every year, they would come to the Dargah to offer prayers.

As per the vows, every year, on the day of Ayudha Puja, the elephants are brought to the Dargah between 6 pm and 7 pm along with “Boondi” and agarbathis. The offerings are then given to the spiritual leader.

Mohammad Naqueebulla Shah, who is the fifth generation priest at the Dargah, has been performing the puja since the last 17 years. As every year, the priest prays for the well-being of the elephants and later swipes the trunks of the elephants with a bunch of peacock feathers. Later he makes the elephants to stamp on lemon before signalling them to return to the Palace.

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