Khwaza Bande Nawaz Dargah
Location
:
Gulbarga, Karnataka
Dedicated To : Khwaza Bande Nawaz
Important Event
:
Annual Urs
Nearby Attraction : Dargah Library
The most significant monument in Gulbarga is perhaps the Khwaza Bande Nawaz Dargah. The tomb of the great Sufi saint, Khwaza Syed Mohammad Gesu Daraz, popularly known as Khwaza Bande Nawaz.
This is a magnificent building built in the Indo-Saracenic style. Like everything in Gulbarga, the Dargah too is a intermingle of two cultures.
While the arches are area of expertise of Bahmani architecture, the paintings on the walls and the domes are Turkish and Iranian in style. The Dargah is the venue of an annual 'Urs', which is attended by nearly one thousand people, both Hindus and Muslims.
After paying obeisance at this highly venerated tomb, one can browse through the Dargah Library. There are as many as 10000 books in Urdu, Persian and Arabic on subjects ranging from history and literature. Near the tomb is a mosque endorsed to Aurangzeb.
The Aiwane-Shahi building where the Nizams used to stay when they visited the Dargah now houses the Divisional Commissioner's office. There is also a circuit house nearby.
