________________
FOLKLORE OF THE KONKAN
45
At Umela in the Thána District it is said of social equality among the Deccan Bráhmans, that flames and smoke are given out from the granted an Inam of some villages for the tombs of certain Mahomedan saints situated in maintenance of this Samadhi, and the British the locality. These flames appear and Government have allowed the descendants of disappear very suddenly.1
the swámi to retain the Inam. The following In the Kolhápur District people believe that are the principal Musalman saints who have the Samadhi of Swámi Anandmurti, who was
been deified in the Kolhapur District:a disciple of Raghunath Swami of Bhramanál (1) Bába Jamál, (2) Ghod Pir, (3) Bara shakes on the Shiwarátri day, that is the 13th Imánt, (4) Avachit Pir, (5) Buran Saheb of the dark half of Mágha, and on the Rána
and (6) Mira Sáheb of Miraj. All these nawami day i, e, the 9th of the bright half of Pirs have been supplied with annual grants of Chaitra, at the time of the worship called money by the Kolhápur State.2 Bhajan. Among the tombs held most sacred At Ubhádánda in the Vengurla taluka of by the Hindus of the Konkan may be inentioned
the Ratnagiri District some Hindus have adopt the following vis: Bhujang Swami of Lokapur,
ed the worship of Mahomedan saints. MahoRámdás Swámi, the Samadhi of Shri Shankará- medan Pirs are worshipped in the month of chárya at Shirgaon, Chintaman Swami of Moharram. On these occasions Hindus beg Murgud, and the Samadhi of Mangalmúrti in the town in the disguise of Fakirs, and the Morya at Chinchwad near Poona. All these alms thus obtained are offered to the Pir. Swamis Were Brahmacháris or bachelors, and They make offerings of water to the Pirs, while they spent their lives in the service of God and the tábuts are being carried to the sea for preached virtue and morality to the masses. immersion. But this practice is being slowly These Samadhis are of two kinds: (1) of saints discontinrėd, after death, and (2) of saints on the point of At Bándivade in the Ratnagiri District death The third kind is called Jal Samadhi, Hindus offer cocoanuts and khichadi to the i.e. immersion in water, but no tomb of the
Pirs at the time of the Moharram, and at some latter kind is to be found in this Province. It
places a lamp is kept burning every Monday in is said that, if a lime is placed above the Sama
honour of a Pir. dhi of Bhujanga Swáni, it begins to shake at
At Kálbúdevi in the Ratnagiri taluka there the time of the Arti ceremony. The present
is a tomb of a Musalmán saint who is worshipdisciple of Bhujanga Swami sits in (Samadhi)
ped by the Hindus. Similarly there is a Pir meditation continuously for fuur to eight days.
at Gaonkhádi in the Rájápur taluka who is There prevails a belief at Kolhapur that the
held in reverence even by high caste Hindus. swami whose body is buried in the tomb at
At Ade in the Dápoli taluka of the Ratnagiri Chinchwad is still alive. Some years ago when
District there is a tomb of a Musalman saint the present disciple of the Chinchwad Swami
which is worshipped by the Hindus including was anxious to take Samádh, he had a dream in the Brahmans. The building and also the · which the stámi in the tomb told him that he mosque in that village have been repaired from was still living in that Samádhi, and that there- contributions obtained from high class Hindus, fore there was no need for his disciple to take Many Hindus of Devagad in the Ratnagiri Samadh. He was thus obliged to forego the District worship Musalman saints, Occasionalproject. The Peshwas of Poona, who werely they offer cocuanuts to tábuts, and throw staunch devotees of the Chinchwad snámi, and red powder over them. They also make vows by whose favour they were raised to a position to the Pirs.?
1 School Master, Umela, Thána.
* Ráo Saheb Shelse, Kolkapur. 3 School Master, Ubhádánda, Ratnagiri.
* School Master, Bandivade, Ratnagiri. 6 School Master, Basani, Ratnagiri.
• School Master, Murud, Ratnbgiri. * School Master, Devagad, Ratnagiri.
