PALI: It’s normal to find ‘gaushalas’ attached to temples, but not so in the case of dargahs.
There are exceptions though. In Desuri, Pali, a dargarh belonging to the
Sufi saint
,
Umar Khan, who died in 2001, has a ‘gaushala’ that shelters over 15
cows
and four to five calves.
Though the saint passed away almost 16 years ago, the tradition has continued under his son Ayub Khan.
He says that his father would take care of the cows like his own children and it’s now his turn to do so. “Maine unko gayon ke pair dabate dekha hai (I have seen him massaging the feet of cows),” Ayub Khan, son of the saint, says, adding that his father had a special relationship with cows. “He loved them,” Khan says.
Desuri is some 67km away from the city of Pali. The place is famous for the Sufi saint Khan, who has followers among Hindus too.
The cow shelter is situated at the entrance of the dargah, and one can see calves playing in an area of around 3,000 sq ft. Early in the morning, the cows are taken to a nearby pasture for grazing. In the evening, they come back to the shelter.
“The shelter was close to my father’s heart. I wake up early for morning prayers and I personally take care of the cows,” Khan says.
At present, there are more than 15 cows in the shelter along with four to five calves. However, the number of cows has come down over the past few years after the saint passed away. “At one time, we had more than 50 cows,” Khan says.
The dargah is equally revered by Hindus. “For the past 50 years, I have been coming here. It’s a place, where I get peace of mind. When the saint was alive, I have seen him take care of the cows lovingly. He used to have his breakfast after feeding the cows in the morning,” says one Devji, who lives in a nearby village.
Another villager, Vijay, who has been staying in the dargah for a long time, says that while the cow is considered holy in Hinduism, they are treated well at the shelter too. “The place is a perfect example of communal harmony,” he says.
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