Haji Malang Dargah has long been claimed by Hindutva extremists clashing with Muslim worshipers in India.
A prominent Indian political figure declared that he wanted to “liberate” Haji Malang Dargah, a Sufi shrine visited by Indians of all religions, to Hindus only.
For more on the controversy, Cherylann Mollan of the bbc He paid a visit to the sanctuary.
To reach the coveted tomb of the Sufi saint, now a site of disputed history, tradition and faith, one must climb approximately 1,500 rock-cut stairs. It is not an easy task.
Located atop a hill near Mumbai in the western state of Maharashtra, the Haji Malang Dargah (shrine) is believed to contain the burial of an Arab missionary who came to India more than 700 years ago.
Despite being at the center of a theological conflict, the dargah, like many other Sufi shrines across India, is seen as a symbol of absorption and tolerance.
At the saint's tomb when the bbc When the journalist visited, both Muslims and Hindus were offering flowers and a chadar (a piece of cloth donated as a sign of respect in Sufi traditions). It is believed that requests made from a “pure heart” will always come true.
This spirit of courteous coexistence is reflected in the shrine's administrative board, whose hereditary custodians come from a Hindu Brahmin family, although two of its administrators are Muslims.
However, at a political meeting earlier this month, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde sparked controversy by raising a long-forgotten claim. He declared his intention to “liberate” the building, which is often considered a dargah, and claimed that it is a Hindu temple.
In response to the BBC request for comment, Shinde remained silent.
His claim coincides with a period in which certain well-known mosques and Muslim-built structures in India are embroiled in legal challenges over accusations that they were built by razing Hindu temples hundreds of years ago.
Anand Dighe, Shinde's political mentor, led an effort to “reclaim” the Haji Malang Dargah for Hindus in the 1980s. He is said to have led 20,000 Shiv Sena party workers in a pooja (an act of Hindu worship) inside from the dargah in 1996.
Since then, the shrine has been the site of poojas on full moon days by hardline Hindus, who call the structure Malanggad. This has periodically led to altercations with Muslim worshipers and city residents.
