Thousands of devotees cutting across religious lines thronged the streets of Kalaburagi to participate in the famous sandal procession to mark the beginning of the four-day 612th Urs-e-Sharief of the 14th Century Sufi saint Hazrath Khwaja Bande Nawaz Gesudiraz on Friday.
Prior to the ceremonial procession from the Mehboob Gulshan Public Garden, devout Muslims participated in a special namaz presided over by the Sajjada Nasheen of the Dargah Sharif, Syed Shah Khusro Hussaini. Devotees from all over the country and abroad who had come here especially for the the Urs-e-Sharief participated in the special prayers and the procession from the Mehboob Gulshan Public Garden.
The sandal procession was preceded by special prayers since morning, including Khidmat-e-Farrashi, Band Sama at the Dargah Sharief, followed by an address by the Sajjada Nasheen and the special prayers at the Dargah, Namaz-e-Juma.
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The sandal procession carrying the sandal paste stopped at the Mehbuz Masjid in the Super Market area to offer Namaz-e-Maghrib before reaching the Dargah Sharief, where the sandal procession was received at the Gyarah Sidi (Eleven Steps) leading to the Dargah Sharief.