Suba Gulbarga
The Bassappa Temple Row Gulbarga
The Sharana Basappa / Basaweshwara Temple Row, 1942
There were sixteen districts of Hyderabad State, one of the districts was Gulbarga Shareef, the last resting place of the famous Sufi Saint, Khwaja Banda Nawaz (Now in Karnataka state). In this city there is a big Lingayat community temple by the name “Sharan Basappa”
During Saab’s tenure as Subedar at Gulbarga the bitter dispute between the Hindus and Muslims over the “Bassappa Temple” lands came to a head. Subedar Amir Ali Khan made up his mind that this will not continue to assail Hindu – Muslim communal harmony and he decided to intervene in the matter.
According to authentic histrionic, the property in dispute was believed to be the compound wall around the Sharan Basappa Temple, Hindus claimed the compound wall while Muslims contended the property belonged to the nearby Khwaja Bande Nawaz Dargah premises. For more than two decades, the issue kept both the communities in opposition, with religious fervor being an impetus. Many government officials avoided addressing the communal fray. While the situation could have been turned violent and the confrontation between the two communities, it did not. Subedar Saab intervened.He realized the Hindu/Muslim communities of Gulbarga were attempting to start a war like battle over the issues.
Subedar saab took the initiative under his own stream and brought the local leaders of both communities to the negotiating table to find the truth. With his judicious foresight and administrative competence, he also called the leaders of both the communities; prominent among them was Nawab Bahadur Yar Jung the fire brand Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen leader, Mr.Mallikarjunappa, president of the Lingayat Conference and the Lingayat leader spearheading the campaign for the Bassappa Temple, the Mutawalli and Sajjada Nasheen of the Gulbarga Khwaja Bande Nawaz Dargah as well as some prominent local Hindus and Muslims and other neutral parties, to sit across the table along with the officials of revenue and the land records department. Subedar Amir Ali Khan didn’t want to let the issue prolonged and wrote a letter to Mr.Abdul Kareem Sahib Timmapuri, member Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen giving details of the case and requested nawab Bahadur Yar Jung, the president of Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen to settle the simmering issue between the Hindus and Muslims of Gulbarga.
Presentation of a Sipasnama In recognition of his historic efforts to resolve a potentially deadly dispute in an amicable manner, the Lingayat leaders organized a public meeting at Gulbarga Head Quarters in 1942 to felicitate the Subedar Saab and to offer him a Sipas nama. (A written document, of an address usually on a velvet cloth, acknowledging and thanksgiving for the services and achievements of someone)
Below is a translation of the Sipasnama
For the kind perusal of Nawab Moulvi Mohammad Amir Ali Khan Sahib, H.C.S., Subedar Gulbarga Shareef.
Your Honor!
Though your period of rule has proved a God Gift for the people of Gulbarga and the people of the Suba, irrespective of caste and creed, who have not only benefited by your good governance and prudence but also your memorable deed shall remain for ever in the hearts of Lingayat Community as a valuable asset and that deed is the construction of the compound wall of the shrine of Shri Sharan Basappa Maharaj, because it is not a secret to your Honour that this sublime shrine is highly venerated and revered by the Lingayat community and which is a holy place for all and a famous center of pilgrimage.
Your Honor! The construction of the compound wall of this temple was a bone of contention between the Hindus and Muslims of this town for long and every one of your predecessors tried his best to solve this problem but their efforts failed. But your sagacity and wisdom, unique statesmanship and unequalled intelligence and diplomacy solved this enigmatic problem very successfully, and instead of following of orders, your infallible strategy and distinctive nature coupled with your innate courteous behavior, prevailed upon both Hindus and Muslims to bury this dispute by mutual consent. Your achievement with your, shrewdness and many sided personality is not only a cause of pride and joy for H.E.H. the Nizam’s Government but it is also an example of communal amity and administrative acumen for various towns of India which has added a new and golden chapter to the history of religious tolerance of H.E.H. the Nizam’s Government.
Your Honor! For the gratifying treatment meted out by you to the Lingayat Community, we take the honour of thanking you and hope that the appraising eye of our Lord H.E.H. The Nizam will provide you a berth in the cabinet for the welfare of the country and nation.
Your Honor! As a mark of our joy for your kind visit and honoring us, we present a humble amount of Rs.3100/- to Your Honor. Though it is a very humble Nazrana but by your benignity and favors, we are sure that Your Honor will accept this small present as a token of our sincere feelings and sentiments. These traits of yours are inherent in you.
Respected Sir, the source of civilization and culture, and peace and tranquility, from which we are being benefited/blessed from is the sun of kingdom. i.e. H.E.H. the Nizam. from whom every one of this country’s communities and religions is getting benefited. We too have imbued the religious tolerance and favors of the Asfia dynasty in general and H.E.H the Nizam in particular, through our loyalty to the throne.
May His Exalted Highness’s shadow never grow less.
