IIAS_Newsletter#37 22-06-2005 14:24 Pagina 20

> Research Shah Datta - A Hindu god in Muslim garb Religious texts from medieval India sometimes combine teachings of saints from different religions. Western Indian oral and scriptural heritage preserved in the Marathi language illustrates a fusion of Hindu-Muslim beliefs, where the Hindu god Dattatreya appears as a in the local imagination must have been Thane, Tajuddin Baba of Nagpur, or Muslim fakir to convey a spiritual message acceptable to both Hindus and Muslims. Local gradual, but it clearly reflects the socio- even a woman, Hazrat Baba Jan of Pune. imagination, shaped according to the social reality of the times, turned this Hindu deity into religious milieu of late medieval Maha- Datta was worshipped for a long time by a Muslim fakir. rashtra, where modern communalism Hindus and Baba by Muslims at the did not exist. shrine of Baba Budhangiri of Karnata- Dus˘an Deák Dattatreya ka. The sacred area of Haji Malanga of Dattatreya began to appear as a fakir Kalyani near Bombay was also consid- he oldest narratives on the god Dat- from then on, according to later tradi- ered to be Datta’s favourite. Ttatreya depict the deity, in appear- tion. This is not to say that his devotees ance and practice, as a devotee of the neglected the traditional trimurti form, Unfortunately, the blend of ideas and Hindu god Shiva; puranas, stories com- but only that in popular perception, dif- devotion that resulted in the tradition of piled mainly in the first millennium of ferences between Hindu and Muslim Fakir Datta has not found appreciation the common era that explain the origins ascetics did not enter communal dis- in the period of modern communalism, of Hindu beliefs and practices, general- course. On a popular level, the fakir’s where political leaders and the mobs gurucaritra

ly agree he was an incarnation of Vish- G acceptance as a man of spiritual knowl- that follow them destroy anything that r nu. A lesser role played in the stories by R edge and power simply reflected social does not conform to their views. In their the god-creator Brahma contributed to reality. The general Indic belief in pow- understanding, Dattatreya, even if in Dattatreya’s later portrayal as a trimurti erful sages who save the lives of their Muslim garb, must remain perfectly – a fusion of the Hindu trinity of Brah- devotees may have been behind this Hindu. < mat, R. K. ed. 1964. ed. K. R. mat, a

ma, Vishnu and Shiva – further illus- K gradual process - what mattered was not trating the lack of uniformity in under- religious persuasion but the deeds fol- References standing Dattatreya’s personality and part of their world. Indeed, Maharash- meaning simply a naked ascetic), an lowing the teachings. - Ajgavkar, J. R. 1916. MahArAæøra - kavi - spiritual teachings, either at its begin- tra was ruled for some 120 years, from avadhut (an ascetic not bound by social caritra. Mumbag: Jñananjan nings or today. Given this, it is unsur- about 1480 to1600, by Nizam Shahs, laws, who has discarded all worldly Later, devotees turned the poor reli- Deshpande, Bhimashankar. 1988. Ananda prising that his devotees come from var- sultans of Brahman origin who respect- attachments) and a yogiraj (yoga master) gious mendicant into a king of spiritu- sampradAy Añi paraäparA. Aöand: Dep- ious Hindu sectarian streams. ed local customs and traditions and who resided in Daulatabad, the cultural ality. Followers of Anandasampradaya, pande sahitya sanpodhan never cut themselves off from their center of Muslims in Maharashtra. He a devotional cult based in Maharashtra - Joshi, H. S. 1965. Origin and Development Of all the perceptions of Dattatreya, the land of origin. Other examples of gen- influenced local Hindu and Muslim and northern Karnataka, began speak- of Dattatreya Worship in India. Baroda: Ori- predominant one is that of a great guru erally good communal relations are not intellectual circles, then ‘disappeared,’ ing about Shah Datta Allama Prabhu, ental Institute of yoga and advaita teachings, with lean- difficult to find. because modern proponents of drawing or King Datta, Lord of the World. -Kamat, R. K., ed.. 1964. RrGgurucaritra. ings towards a tantric-based explanation clear distinctions between Hindus and According to them, he assumed two Mumbai: Kepav Bhikajg Dhavaöe, 1993 of world order. He is an unmatta – a The first interaction between Datta- Muslims could not find a suitable place forms: a fakir and a Hindu Datta. He - Phaèke, V. K., ed. 1980. RrGbhaktavijaya. ‘mad’ sage who cares about his teach- treya and Muslims appears to date back for him. His tomb, an example of the was said to reside in Daulatabad (called Poona: Yapavanta Prakapan ings, and not about appearances and the to the fourteenth and fifteenth cen- fusion of Hindu-Muslim architecture, ‘Mecca’ in the devotional text Shah - Talbot, Cynthia. 1995. ‘Inscribing the ‘worldly’ impression he creates. In turies. Gurucaritra, the main scripture lies neglected. Datta Kalama) and to revive true Other, Inscribing the Self: Hindu-Muslim Maharashtra today, Dattatreya appeals of the Maharashtrian Dattatreya cult, knowledge for Muslims as well. He Identities in Pre-colonial India’. Compara- to the religious sentiment of each social speaks about two dominant saintly fig- Despite the attitude of the tradition’s explains the meaning of the Qur’an tive Studies in Society and History. October, strata and creates an opportunity for his ures, Shripada Shrivallabha (d.1350) orthodox keepers, local religious con- and is the one who saves his true devo- 37-4: 692-722 devotees to cross traditional socio-reli- and Narsimha Sarasvati (d.1458). Both sciousness accepted Datta the fakir. New tees at doomsday: the immortal - Stewart, T. K. 1995. ‘Satya Pîr: Muslim Holy gious lines. He is the deity of yogis and are worshipped today as incarnations texts celebrating his deeds in Absolute, Allah, Siddha of all siddhas, man and Hindu God’. Lopez S. D. Jr., ed. sannyasis – those who are not obliged to of Dattatreya, and both are also men- Daulatabad were created and new fakir- the most perfect of the perfect ones. Religions of India in Practice. New Jersey: follow the rules of Hindu social hierar- tioned in connection with Muslims: incarnations appeared, whose lives and The transformation from puranic deity Princeton University Press chy – as well as of middle class teachers, Shripada Shrivallabha promised a poor teachings were recorded in writing. Peo- to medieval fakir was thus accom- clerks, and many Brahmans. washerman he would become a sultan ple may have forgotten the human name plished, with territorial and celestial Dus˘an Deák is a lecturer affiliated with the in his next life, and Narsimha Sarasvati of Eknath’s paramguru, but they did not accommodation. Department of Ethnology, University of SS Despite his Hindu origins, some Hin- helped this sultan to overcome an ill- forget the fakir. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, Slovakia and dus also accept Dattatreya dressed as a ness. The story is set in Bidar, the sec- Muslim or Hindu? was an IIAS fellow in 2004. His research Muslim fakir, a poor religious mendi- ond capital of the Bahmani kingdom Thus, from the late sixteenth century, That the followers of different Hindu focuses on Marathi and Marathi-Hindustani cant. This understanding of him in and regional sultanate of central India some Dattatreya devotees accepted their and Muslim devotional groups unite in texts related to liminal Hindu-Muslim tradi- Maharashtra is based on traditions pre- in 1347-1538. There, according to the deity could also appear in Muslim guise. worshiping a particular deity or saint is tions of the Deccan plateau. His interests served in the Marathi language, where Hindu author, Dattatreya showed his Yogi-saints, who could not be classified not exclusive to Indic religious practice. also include Sufism, comparative religion, he sometimes appears as a Hindu, unprejudiced attitude towards Mus- as Hindu or Muslim, were probably Today, the best example of Dattatreya in and the cultural history of medieval India. sometimes as a Muslim. This liminal lims for the first time, even towards the behind this ‘fakirization’ of the Hindu a fakir’s garb is the famous Sai Baba belief most likely originated in the six- sultan himself. However, complaints god, deliberately confusing their devo- from Shirdi, though not all his devotees teenth century, and reflects the state of against Muslim rule do appear in Guru- tees’ understanding of religious belong- would agree with this depiction. Other coexistence of India’s two main religious caritra as well. How far the narrator can ing through their appearance and teach- known Muslim saints also recognized communities at the time. be believed is also questionable, since ings. Acceptance of a Muslim element as Dattatreya include Noori Maharaj of accurate historical narration never Fluctuating identities played an important role in the writ- Religious and social relations between ings of medieval Hindu authors. [advertisement] Muslims and Hindus have been a topic of academic debate for decades, with The mysterious fakir opinions ranging from hostility, mis- Later, Dattatreya stood firmly as a guru Leiden Traditional and Modern understanding and contempt, to an ideal to people of both religions, and assumed One of the wonderful things about studying at Leiden University is the combination of a long of socio-religious harmony. The variety the form of a Malanga fakir. Malangas tradition and venerable reputation with a youthful spirit that is completely modern. The student of opinions shows the complexity of are known to scholars of Indian Islam population has a strong voice and is carefully listened to at Leiden. responses to data reflecting the coexis- as belonging to the unorthodox branch • Asian Studies • Islamic Studies tence of these dominant socio-religious of Sufis that do not follow sharia law. • Comparative Indo-European Linguistics • Master’s in Law,Governance and Development groups in India. Understanding Datta’s This depiction of Dattatreya acting as a • Cultural Anthropology and Development • Middle Eastern Studies Sociology • Western and Asian Art History ‘career’ as a fakir is possible if we rec- Muslim is shrouded in misapprehen- Leiden UniversityLeiden ognize the ever-fluctuating nature of sions and misunderstandings, due to Indic religious identity, of which the problems orthodox devotees had accept- most stable part is belief in a Supreme ing a mysterious Datta-incarnate as a Being. paramguru of the famous Maharashtri- an Brahman saint-poet Eknath (d.1599). In his Muslim form, Dattatreya is This Dattatreya – Malanga Chand known in Marathi texts as the Malanga Bodhle – could not receive official recog- Fakir, or Shah Datta. That some devo- nition and sanctification by Eknath’s Leiden University www.leiden.edu  tees, including Brahmans, were able to Brahman devotees precisely because of International Office, PO Box  RA Leiden, The Netherlands accept a puranic Hindu deity in Mus- his Muslim allegiance. Literary sources P + ()   lim garb likely meant that they were say he was, in addition to being a Malan- F + ()   able to accept Muslims as an integral ga, a digambara Datta (in this context, [email protected]

20 IIAS Newsletter | #37 | June 2005