‘Out-of-court solution to end decades-old Dattatreya Bababudangiri dargah controversy’

Team Udayavani, Nov 11, 2019, 5:27 PM IST

Bengaluru: After the Supreme Court on Saturday, November 9 cleared the way for the construction of a Ram Temple at the disputed site at Ayodhya and directed the Centre to allot a 5-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a mosque, Minister CT Ravi informed that the state government will soon attempt an out-of-court solution to decades-old Dattatreya Bababudangiri dargah controversy.

Speaking on the issue Ravi said that he would invite all stakeholders, including the dargah’s Shakadri family, along with documents from revenue and endowment departments, to find a lasting to the row that’s often called the Ayodhya of Karnataka.

For decades, the syncretic shrine has been a pilgrimage spot for the two faiths. While Hindus consider the hill to be the final resting place of Dattatreya, the Muslim community believe the dargah is one of the earliest centres of Sufism in south India, with Sufi saint Dada Hayat Mirkalandar having lived there for years.

But over the years, the BJP, Bajrang Dal, VHP and other outfits have been demanding that the shrine be declared a Hindu temple.

The Supreme Court on Saturday cleared the way for the construction of a Ram Temple at the disputed site at Ayodhya and directed the Centre to allot a 5-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a mosque.

The top court said the mosque should be constructed at a “prominent site” and a trust should be formed within three months for the construction of the temple at the disputed site, where many Hindus believe Lord Ram was born.