The Barashahid Dargah in Nellore district, where pilgrims cutting across religious lines gather for the five-day Rottela Panduga, will soon get a facelift, Nellore Rural MLA Kottamreddy Sridhar Reddy said.
Coinciding with the Milad-un-Nabi, the birthday of Prophet Muhammad, a foundation stone was laid for works on improving amenities for the pilgrims and also for the construction a masjid on the premises on Sunday. Religious heads, including Kadapa Ameen Peer Dargah pontiff Arif Ullah Hussain, were present on the occasion.
Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, on a plea from the MLA, has sanctioned ₹15 crore for the purpose. All the facilities would be put in place well in time for the next Rottela Panduga, which coincides with Muharram, he said.
People from across Andhra Pradesh and also from neighbouring States of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana come in large numbers and exchange rotis with fellow believers in the Swarala Cheruvu on the first day of the first month of the Islamic calendar.
They later offer prayers at the Dargah to seek the blessings of the 12 martyred warriors in whose memory Urs is being celebrated. The Urs, in memory of the 12 warriors who died in a battle with the British troops in the 18th century, stands as a symbol of communal amity with devotees cutting across religious lines making a beeline to the Dargah over a period.
