620th urs of Sufi saint begins in Kalaburagi

Devotees from across the country thronged the three-day 620th Urs-e-Sharif of Sufi saint Hazrath Khaja Banda Nawaz Gesudaraz that began here on Friday, with special prayers at the Mehboob Gulshan public garden and sandal procession.

Devotees from across the country thronged the three-day 620th Urs-e-Sharif of Sufi saint Hazrath Khaja Banda Nawaz Gesudaraz that began here on Friday, with special prayers at the Mehboob Gulshan public garden and sandal procession.

From the morning, devotees gathered at the public garden to participate in the traditional namaz, presided over by the Sajjada Nasheen of the Dargah Sharif Syed Shah Khuro Hussaini.

The procession carrying the sandal paste, which would be anointed on the tomb of the saint, was preceded by religious ceremonies.

The first religious ritual was the Khidmat-e-Farrashi and band sama (distribution of tabarruk) at the Dargah Sharif, followed by special namaz and an address by the Sajjada Nasheen and Namaz-e-Asr.

 In the evening, the procession carrying the sandal paste passed through the Mehbaz Masjid to offer the Namaz-e-Maghrib, before culminating at the Dargah Sharif, where it was received at the ‘Gyarah Sidi’ (11 steps) leading to the Dargah Sharif.