On 18 June, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a redeveloped Mahakali Temple on Pavagarh Hill in Gujarat's Panchmahal district. Calling the temple a "symbol of religious unity", the prime minister said that "India is reclaiming its cultural treasures" as he unfurled a flag on the superstructure of the temple.
Dedicated to Kalika Mata, a Hindu goddess, the temple dates back to the 10th century. It is situated inside the Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park – a UNESCO World Heritage site – and is also known as the Mahakali Temple or the Pavagarh Temple.
Interestingly, a dargah (shrine) which stood atop the garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum) of temple, has been relocated to another place within the temple premises as part of the redevelopment. "The relocation happened rather amicably and with permission of the Muslim caretakers of the shrine," Dr Parag Pandya, one of the temple trustees told The Quint.
The dargah built in the 15th century under the rule of Mahmud Begada – one of the prominent rulers of the Gujarat Sultanate – is dedicated to Hazrat Sadanshah, a Sufi saint in the court of Muhammad Shah, Mahmud Begada's father.
PM Modi in his speech, however, made no reference to shifting of the shrine. "Can you imagine that for five centuries and decades of independence, no flag had been unfurled on the shikhar of goddess Kali? It has happened now. New India is re-establishing its lost cultural history,” he said.