This inspiring report in the Deccan Herald talks about a temple-mosque – for six days in a week the holy spot is a temple and on Friday it is a mosque. The holy structure is in the form of a mosque and has murtis of Hindu Gods Shiva, Nandi and Ganesha and paintings of saints like Marula Shankara Devaru. Girimath is managed by Hucheshwar Mutt. The most popular festival is a car festival dedicated to Ganesha. This unique holy structure is located inside Girimath at Kamathagi Village in Bagalkot in Karnataka.
The five-century old mosque functions as a temple for six days in a week, transforming itself into a mosque on the seventh day. Barring Fridays when Muslims pray in it, Hindus have a free run of the mosque as a temple.
The structure was constructed by Ibrahim Adil Shah II, the Bahmani Sultan known for his efforts to foster communal harmony among people of all religion.
“Ibrahim Adil Shah II, who ruled between 1556 and 1627, formed certain rules for worship over here. It is being followed as tradition. No single objections has been raised since then. History is a witness to this communal harmony,” said Hucheshwar Swami, Pontiff of Hucheshwar Mutt, Kamathagi-Kotekal. The mutt manages Girimath
History of Unique Temple-Mosque
According to the locals, Adil Shah II was traveling when he sent his guards to find a place where he could pray. The guards found the ideal place, but found Maralu Shankara Devaru, a follower of Allama Prabhu meditating at the spot.
Unable to wake up Devaru who was in deep meditation, the guards decided to evict him physically, but the Sultan arrived in time and prevented them from doing so.
Adil Shah waited for Devaru to finish with his meditation and had a long conversation with him. So impressed was the king with Devaru’s scholarship and ideas on brotherhood, that he ordered the construction of a temple.
A signed transfer deed on a copper plate was handed over to the saint with the rider that “No festivals should be held at the mosque on Fridays and it be should be left free for Muslims to offer prayers on Fridays.”
The record even now is safe with the Desai family at Kotekal.