“Are you journalists?”
“In which paper do you write?”
‘You are both travelling alone? Just 2 girls?”
…. were some questions we were bombarded with during the bus journey. This sparked off conversations, helping us kill time, making the bus journey less tiring.
We were back on the bus and on the road after a brief stop in Chidambaram for about an hour, just enough time to check into the hotel near the bus stand and grab a quick lunch.
‘How much further to Nagore?” i asked the man in the seat ahead of ours.
“Another 10 mins maximum… You are going to the Dargah?” he replied.
“Yes, sir.” we replied in unison.

Though Nagore and the Dargah had not been in our initial plan, since we were heading down that road, we decided to make a quick stop here. This was the 2nd time Sharada and i were doing one of our up and go weekend backpacking trips…

Destination – unknown [ we had zeroed in on Chidambaram to be our base and thought we shall wander around there... maybe as far as Velankanni church...]

Duration of trip – 2 short days

Agenda- None

Travellers- 2 absolutely excited souls… me and my friend Sharada

This was the 1st time we were visiting Nagore, and all I knew of the place was what my Grandparents had told me. They spoke about how this is only Dargah where people from all religions are welcome and how my uncle who had fallen ill was cured after they made a visit here. Grandmother said “I strongly believe the Dargah has special powers”. Breaking into our thoughts, the bus drew to a sudden halt and the Conductor blew his whistle signaling for us to alight. Bidding good bye to our fellow passengers we spotted the colorful walls of the Dargah ahead of us just as we stepped off the bus.

A small elephant stood near the entrance blessing visitors. It had a crescent and a star painted on the forehead and looked no bigger than a calf, swinging the front legs to and fro, probably wondering when someone was going to come near and feed him a banana.

As we walked into the long corridor leading to the Dargah, rows of brightly lit shops caught our eye on either side of the walk way. Filled with little knick knacks, toys, garlands, souvenir from the Dargah, there were many families trying to appease their children who were throwing tantrums. It was quite a sight.

Entering the Dargah, a man came towards us, and asked us to leave our bags near the door and follow him inside. Noticing the apprehension in our faces, he showed us an ID card saying he was authorized personnel from the Dargah. With a nod, he asked us to follow him into a room just outside the main prayer room, and pointed to the floor asking us to sit down. Few minutes later, he reappeared, sat before us, and began to pull out a few packets, handing over one each. The contents looked like sugar balls. Just as we were ready to leave, he showed his palm, literally ordering us to offer a donation, minimum of Rs100. We were taken aback, and realized here was another way of making us part with our money. Managed to convince him we were students as we parted with a smaller sum, we hastily beat a retreat towards the exit.

After a brief stopover to ogle at some of the things on display along the corridor, we walked out to the road, waiting to flag down a bus heading towards Nagapattinam.

About Nagore: Nagore is one of the popular pilgrimage centers for Muslims in Tamil Nadu is the Dargah at Nagore. The tomb is more than 500 years old. It has a golden dome, flanked by five minarets. It also has a tank called Peer Kulam, which is believed to have waters with curative properties. The Kandhoori festival of the Saint, during the Islamic month of Jumad Thani (Jumad Akhir) is an important festival celebrated by people of all religions.

Situated 4 kms north of Nagapattinam, Nagore is home to the famous Dargah of Sufi Saint Hazrath Syed Shahul Hameed Quadir Wali.