Shamsuddin, the mystic who came to Chittakula near Karwar in the 17th century, continues to inspire both Hindus

and Muslims to this day, writes RAMZAN DARGAH

The saint who came from Baghdad

culture.

aints, Sharanas, Dasas and Sufi saints were the exponents of folk They believed in seeking God through diverse ways. The bhakti

Hazrat Shamsuddin Dargah

pantha propagated by them is an essence of National unity and integrity. Hazrat Sayed Shah Shamsuddin Al-Maroof Shah Karamuddin Auliya Quadri Bijapur. dargah.
(R.A)

the 11th son of Ghouse Azam Abdul Qadir Jilani of Baghdad

was one such Sufi saint who came to Chittakula Karwar 361 years ago from The dargah named after him is also famous as the Sadashivgad Sadashivgad is the port of Chittakula. The saint was known for

Karamath (Miracles) and many people called it Shah Karamuddin Dargah. Sadashivgad is situated on the right bank of the river Kali, closed to its confluence with the Arabian Sea and Karwar is on the left bank. The entire Sadashivgad area is called Chittakula. The sangam, located near the Western Ghats, is breath taking even today and the area attracted the saint

very much. He did not return to Bijapur despite the request of the Bijapur sultan, Ali Adil Shah, who, seeking the saints return, sent his retinue Interestingly, there is a big stone in front of dargah to Chittakula with an elephant. Legend has it that the elephant also refused to leave the saint. resembling an elephant.
The Elephant stone front of Dargah in

Hazrat Shamsuddin was the embodiment of compassion. From 1630 to 1632, Bijapur was wasted by famine. places. Thousands of humans and cattle Sultan Ali Adil Shah suffered from hunger and plague. Some 18,000 families migrated to other Prayers by holy men for rain went in vain. became desperate. It was at this time that his prime minister met saint

Hazrat Shamsuddin Shah in the great Jama Masjid of Bijapur during Friday prayer. Just three days back, Hazrat Shamsuddin had come to Bijapur from Baghdad with 140 of his followers. They had camped near the Masjid. The saint told the prime minister that what had befallen the land was due to deterioration in human values like truth. When this was conveyed to the King, the latter was not convinced, as he was already cynical about men of religion. However, that night the King had a vision of the prophet who told him about the great spirituality of Hazrat Shamsuddin. The King went to the saint early next morning. The saint was meditating. When he finished, he

turned towards the King. Before the latter could speak, the saint told him that he knew he had come there to find the truth upon the suggestion of the Prophet. The King repented for his doubts and thanked God for sending such a spiritual man to his city to eradicate the sufferings of his people. In those days Baghdad and Bijapur were famous centers of Sufism and the Sufis of both cities were in touch with each other. The Baghdadis would come to Bijapur for philosophical discussions. At the time of famine, of which there is historical evidence, the compassionate ones came to Bijapur to serve the suffering people. After his meeting with Hazrat Shamsuddin, the King took his leave and rode with his retinue towards the fort. And on the way the sky open up and rain came down in torrents. The next morning the King Hazrat went to the saint again and expressed his wish to serve him.

Shamsuddin said he wanted to stay at Chittakula with his followers. Ali Adil Shah readily granted vast expanse of land to him on a hill lock at Chittakula. Shortly there after, the King, who was child less, was witness to another miracle. He became the father of two sons and as promised, sent the older boy, Tajuddin Shah, to Chittakula. The boy was later made Mujawar (priest). In 1633, the Saint left Bijapur with 360 disciples for Chittakula. On the way he halted at Supa. A Muslim follower of his killed a bull which was worshiped by the lingayats of that area. The Lingayats were furious but the same resurrected the animal. Impressed by such powers a lingayats sadhu, Jating Baba, became his disciple. premises of the Dargah. The ancestors of the hundreds of families who are living in Karwar and Sadashivgad where the disciples of the saint. They came to Chittakula from Bijapur along with him, living all there properties behind. Hazrat Shamsuddin had a small boat made of five metals. Nobody drowned while sailing in his boat. To quote Madan Anant Desai, author of Chittakula Karwar; A History, because of his spiritual powers no ferry crossing the river in front of the tomb never sank despite the heaviest of rainfall to this day. miracles abound. Other stories of The latter tomb can be seen in the

In 1877, Chittakula suffered from scarcity of water. All wells had dried up accept the one dug by the saint. The Portuguese took the saints boat forcibly to Goa but returned it because they saw various ill omens in there territory. A Portuguese general came to the dargah and started digging up the tomb, believing there was price less treasure in them. He died for this sacrilegious act, vomiting blood.

The dargah itself was built by the King of Abyssinia in 1665. The story goes that he was sailing on the Arabian Sea and guided his vessel up the Kali river at high tide in order to escape a big storm. When the storm passed, the waters receded and the ship was left high and dry in the river. The King prayed to the Sufi saint whose tomb was on the side of the Sadashivgad hillock. And sure enough rain came down in great sheet flooding the river enabling the ship to reach the sea. The life of this Sufi saint, who came to Karnataka all the way from distant Baghdad, is an attractive mixture of faith miracles and history. Every year on the 15th of Safar (the second month of the Islamic calendar) an annual Urus (fair) is held at the dargah. People of all castes and creeds take part joyously in the urus. Reference: 1] Deccan Herald, Spectrum VIII, Feb 4 (Saturday), 1995 2] Chittakula Karwar; A History by Madan Anant Desai

Mazaar Shareef