ABSTRACT
The main shrine at Pirana, a village located near Ahmedabadin Gujarat, registered under the 1950 Bombay Public TrustAct as ‘Imam Shah Bawa Rauza’, is one of the many Muslim sacred spots of South Asia that attracts devotees of various creeds. Muslims and Hindus belonging to different castes and religious traditions freely mix within the precincts of the dargah, particularly during the annual urs festival which takes place on 25 Muharram. The shrine thus functions as an open, shared space transcending communal barriers, very much like the famous Ajmer dargah dedicated to the Sufi saint, Muinuddin Chishti. Needless to say, the history of the shrine and the identity of the saint who is buried there is of little concern to average pilgrims, as long as they are allowed to worship there. Inside the mausoleum, their common reverence for the pir and the belief in his blessing and healing powers enables them to downplay their own caste and religious affiliations.
