Know about Bidar's Gawan Mosque, which Hindu right-wing mob barged into
In an unprecedented move, a Hindu right-wing mob barged into a historical mosque in Bidar and performed the Dasara pooja.
The right-wing mob entered the Mahmud Gawan Mosque, built by the Bahmani kings in 1460. According to sources, mob broke the locks, took the Devi procession into the mosque at around 1 am, while chanting slogans like ‘Jai Shri Ram, Vande Mataram’, etc. They then performed a pooja inside the mosque.
The Bidar police took action after a video of the incident went viral on social media, attracting outrage from netizens. Following the incident, several members to the Muslim community and other public groups have lodged police complaints.
A Hindu Right-Wing mob forcefully enters a 500+ year old Madarsa and Mosque in Karnataka, India, vandalizes it, performs Hindu worship shouting Jai Shri Ram war cry! pic.twitter.com/YROAg5UYRn
— Ashok Swain (@ashoswai) October 6, 2022
According to the complaints, the mob entered the mosque’s gate by threatening the security guard. They also kept garbage on the mosque’s walls.
The police has booked nine accused for barging into the grounds of the Mahmud Gawan Mosque illegally, performing pooja and raising slogans.
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The accused have also been charged for entering the grounds of the mosque which is a heritage place that comes under the Archaeological Survey of India, said the police.
The Hindu organisation, however, has not yet responded to the incident.
The Mosque’s history
Mahmud Gawan was the prime minister of the Bahmani empire during the reign of Shamsuddin Muhammed 3, who became the king when he was 10-years-old.
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Gawan, a Persian businessman, served under three sultans. Humayun Shah bestowed upon him the title of ‘Malik-ut-Tujjar’ (head of merchants). Due to his accomplishments, he was later promoted to wazir (prime minister) and granted the title ‘Khwaju-i-Jahan’. The madrasa and mosque were built in Gawan’s name for giving education.
Gawan, also known as Khaja Mohammed Gawan, was a great fighter and also a learned person. He was sent to many battles which resulted in victories for the Bahmani kingdom.
There is an incident where after being honoured by the Sultan, he went back to his house and decided to dispose of all his wealth. He used all of his valuables to purchase books for his students.
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With his rising prominence, however, other nobles became jealous. They created a situation where the Sultan was led to believe that Gawan was helping the enemy.
The Sultan in a fit of rage had Gawan’s head cut off. His simple tomb lies at one end of Bidar, on which, inscribed are the words “The story of unjust execution” and “The guiltless Mahmud Gawan suffered execution”.