Introduction

The Dargah Hazarath Tawakkal Mastan in Cottonpet, Bangalore, reflects Bangalore’s secularism by attracting both Hindus and Muslims. Bollywood biggie Amitabh Bachchan came here after surviving an accident during the making of Coolie, music whiz A R Rahman is a regular visitor and so are the family of late Kannada film actor Raj Kumar.

Haider Ali initiated work on the dargah in 1777, which was completed in 1783 by Tipu Sultan. The shrine is dedicated to Sufi Saint Hazrat Tawakkal Mastan Baba. The story goes that when Hyder Ali Khan ascended the throne, he wanted to replace the mud walls of the Kalasipalyam fort with stone walls. Three men -- Hazrath Tipu Mastan, Hazarath Manik Mastan and Hazrath Tawakkal Mastan -- came to Bangalore and joined the work force. They were laborers by day and spent the night in prayer without accepting any wages.

A puzzled Hyder wanted to get to the bottom of it. Investigations revealed that the trio went to a mosque in Kumbarpet after work and slept there. When an official went to the mosque to look for them, he saw no one there, only three parts of a human body, with two dogs standing guard. Hyder realised that the three were no ordinary men, but saints.

There is another folklore, according to which, with the blessings of Hazrat Tipu Mastan, Hyder Ali had a son, whom he appropriately named after the saint. It is said that Hazrat Manik Mastan died in Bangalore while Tipu Mastan went away to Arcot in Tamil Nadu. Tawakkal Mastan stayed in Bangalore and settled in Cottonpet. Hyder Ali wanted to present the saint with something, but all he wanted was a mosque be built there.

Another reason why the dargah is so special is that it is associated with the Hindu Karaga festival. The Karaga procession isn’t complete without a visit to the Dargah. There are different versions as to how this came about. Legend has it that that the saint was a mason from Arabia who was involved in the construction of Haidar's fort. He had the misfortune of being trampled on by the crowd during the karaga procession. It is said that he fainted and was revived by some priests who applied kum-kum on his wounds. He then insisted that the procession stop at the dargah every time.

Another legend has it that Hyder Ali wanted to expand and develop Bangalore and brought people of the Thigala community from Tiruchinapalli, Arcot, Thanjavur and Madurai to help him. Among them was a scholar called Dharmaraja who wanted Hyder Ali to build a temple and a muth. Hyder Ali constructed the temple and the muth, named after Dharmaraja Swamy.

Once during the annual Karaga from Dharmaraja Temple, a person carrying the Karaga stopped at Tawakkal Mastan Dargah and asked for his blessings so that the Karaga would not fall off his head (considered sacrilege). Tawakkal blessed him and the tradition continues.

Special Attributes

The Dargah is dedicated to Sufi Saint Hazrat Tawakkal Mastan Baba, and a symbol of unity for Hindus and Muslims.

Nuisance

Getting there past the crowded City Market area

Dressing restrictions

Dress conservatively

Connectivity

Well-connected by buses.

Enjoyed by

All

Exposure

You will be indoors most of the time.

Avoidable Season

Evenings because of traffic

Facilities

Basic, prepare accordingly

Things Not Allowed

No such restriction.

Tip

You could club the visit with the Jumma Masjid, Bangalore's oldest mosque, close by.

Type of site

Religious site/Mosque/Place of Worship