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"My heart, awaken gently to the holy shores of India," Rabindranath Tagore wrote in his poem 'Bharat-Teertha' (The Indian Pilgrimage) in 1910. “Here Aryans, non-Aryans, Dravidians, Chinese, Sakas, Hunas, Pathans, Mongols in one body, lo, were united".
As the diesel boat tore through the muddy waters of the Matla river in the Sundarbans, I was thinking about the in-betweenness of this place. I was in the Sundarbans to meet the moulé — the honey-gatherers who go deep into Sundarbans' tiger territory to forage highly sought-after wild honey from the forest. During my week-long stay at the Sajnekhali Tourist Lodge, I spoke to many of them about the risks and rewards of such a life, and one name came up time after time in these conversations was that of 'Bonobibi'.
Originally a Quranic figure associated with Islam, Bonobibi (Lady of the Forest) and her brother Shah Janguli (Lord of the Jungle) are popular folk deities worshipped by both Hindus and Muslims alike. These folk figures represent rare South Asian folk icons who surpass the region’s current communal divide and allude to a longer history of syncretic co-existence.
Syncretism — or the combination of different religions, cultures, and schools of thought — is the result of many diverse forms of worship coexisting in a single place, influencing and shaping each other over centuries.
As Tagore wrote in his poem, India has been a melting pot of different peoples, cultures, religions, and tribes since the beginning of history. Through waves of migration, conquest, and assimilation, India has given birth to a unique culture of unity in diversity and cross-cultural, cross-religious communal harmony. Sadly, this syncretic nature of Indian society is under relentless attack today and yet, across India, there are still many places where this harmony is not only nurtured but celebrated. Here are some of them:
Taqiya Sharif, Kakori, Uttar Pradesh
The two and a half centuries old Taqiya Sharif shrine the town of Kakori in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow district is the epitome of India’s syncretic culture. Sufi saint Shah Muhammad Qasim Qalandar, who is buried there, revered the Hindu god Krishna and claimed to have had visions of him in trance. The communal harmony in the region is attributed to Qasim Qalandar. On his urs, or death anniversary, Hindus light candles all over the complex; and the chief administrator of the shrine recites a verse of the Quran on Diwali and asserts that brotherhood among communities will never be extinguished in small towns.
Panditain Ki Masjid
In Aminabad locality of Lucknow is the ‘Panditain ki Masjid’ or the Brahmin Woman’s Mosque. This majestic 18th-century mosque was constructed by a Brahmin woman named Rani Jai Kunwar Pandey for her friend Khadijah Khanum. Khanum was the wife of the first Nawab of Awadh Amin Sa'adat Khan Burhan-ul-Mulk.
St. Michael's Church, Mahim, Mumbai
St. Michael's Church in Mahim is one of the oldest Catholic churches in India. St. Michael's sees a large number of people on Wednesdays every week, when novena prayers to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour are held throughout the day. These services are attended by people of all faiths, and devotees believe that visiting the Church on nine consecutive Wednesdays will grant their wishes.
Shirdi Sai Baba Temple, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra
Sai Baba of Shirdi (c. 1838–15 October 1918), also known as Sai Baba, was an Indian spiritual leader considered to be a saint, and revered by Hindu, Muslim, and Parsi devotees during and after his lifetime. Sai Baba had both Hindu and Muslim followers, and when pressed on his own religious affiliations, he refused to identify himself with one to the exclusion of the other. His teachings combined elements of both Hinduism and Islam. He lived in a mosque, followed both Hindu and Muslim rituals, and taught using words and figures that drew from both traditions. His remains were interred at Buti Wada in Shirdi, which later became a syncretic place of worship for his followers from all faiths.
The Dargahs of Moinuddin Chisti in Ajmer, Rajasthan & Salim Chisti In Fatehpur Sikri, Agra, Uttar Pradesh
Sufism — an esoteric, mystic, spiritual movement within Islam — emerged in central and western Asia in the 6th century CE, and flourished in India in the form of Sufi orders also known as silsilas. Among these were the Chistiya, Suhrawardy, and Naqshbandi orders.
Among these, the Chishtiya order was the most influential during the Mughal period. Founded by Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, whose dargah in Ajmer still attracts lakhs of devotees of various faiths every year. Nizamuddin Auliya, buried in Delhi, and Salim Chishti, buried in Fatehpur Sikri, were also part of this order of Sufi saints and mystics.
Within Sufiism, there is space for interpretations of religious traditions, such as tomb worship. The saints themselves are considered to have miraculous powers and different communities come together at their tombs to ask for favours. This is a form of syncretism in which the shrine is a sanctuary and its main objective is peace.
Belur Math, Belur, West Bengal
Belur Math is the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, founded by Swami Vivekananda, the chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, a 19th-century Indian yogi, mystic, and religious reformer. He condemned lust, money, and the caste system, preaching that all religions leading to the attainment of mystical experience are equally good and true. The Belur Math temple, dedicated to him, is located in Belur, West Bengal, on the west bank of Hooghly River, and is open to followers of all faiths, religions, caste, and creed.
These are only a few examples of the syncretic places of worship spread across the country. At a time when the secular, syncretic nature of Indian society is under question, these places stand against religious hate and communal violence, and prove that co-existence is not only possible, but desirable.
If you enjoyed reading this, here's more from Homegrown:
Jashn-e Chiragha'n: How Mughal Celebrations Of The Festival Of Light Shaped Modern Diwali
