Kondotty Nercha is a festival conducted every year in memory of saintMuhammad Shah at theDargah inKondotty,Malappuram District, Kerala, India.[1]
Kondotty Nercha is conducted every year in memory ofshia saint from Mumbai namedMohammed shah. His tomb constructed in the 18th century in Mughal style is located in Kondotty and it is known as theKondotty Qubba.
Kondotty Nercha is essentially a spring festival conducted in March or April every year. Once the harvest is over, the paddy fields of Kondotty are sufficiently empty and level enough to conduct a large scale local festival. A cannon is sounded to herald the beginning of the festival.[2]
The Muslims of this area were formerly under the leadership of Makhdooms of Ponnani andAlid Sayyids of Mamburam.the Mohammed Shah, The Shia saint from Maharashtra came to Kondotty in 1717. They became known asKondotty Thangal family. A biography of the Thangal family is written by Areekkod Kunhava. The Shah died in 1766. Kondotty Nercha is conducted every year at his tomb in Kondotty.
FALSE ASSUMPTION.
Syed Muhammed Shah belonged to shia sect of Islam is a falsely assumed conclusion of history.There is no proof for the conclusion that he was a shia leader.
Great sufi saints like Ambamkunnu Beeran Auliya,Quthubul Alam MADAVOOR Valiyulllahi, Veliyamcode Umer Qazi, ShamsulUlama EK Aboobacker Musliyar,Vaiyullahi Thrippanachi usthad and Valiyullahi Kanyala Moula have recognized Syed Muhammed Shah Thangal as a great sufi guru. They have visited him many times.Ponnani Makhdoom scholars have also admitted him as a great sufi guru. It was a Very few number of scholars from Ponnani objected to Makhdoom in this regard.
The following factors are also to be noted in this regard.
1.No evidence exists for the shiite connection of Syed Muhammed Shah.
2.No shiite people exist even at the premises of his holy Dargah.If Syed Muhammed Shah had shiite connection, at least a few families following shiite practices would have been there at Kondotty.
3.Kondotty does not have any sort of shia presence or influence.This clearly indicates that the Syed neither belonged to Shia nor he tried to spread shiite faith or ways during any fraction of his life span.
4.Kondotty Nercha, the major festival in connection with the Durga festivities is conducted by Sunnis.
5.If a mureed of silsila is dead, the funeral is done in accordance with sunni faith and practice.
6.'Ahl-al-aba' is given due reverence there at the dargah shareef. This may be the reason for the false assumption that Syed Muhammed Shah had been a Shi'a follower.
7.It's also to be noted that the weekly swalath majlis conducted there is as per sunni practices.
8.On close observation and in deep study, the Qubbakkal practices show closeness or similarities to those of AJMIR shareef.
9.The holy Dargah of Kondotty is known as 'Kerala Ajmir'
This festival is also known asKondotty Nercha.
The Mughal preparationMareedha is distributed to the devotees at the end of the festival. Mareedha is a special sweet powder made of rice,ghee and various spices.[citation needed]
The culmination of the festival is the arrival of theThattante Petti or theGoldsmith Box which is a procession of local merchants and devotees. This procession can include only neighboring villages of Kondotty. During this day, the Thangal of Kondotty comes on a horse and greets the devotees.[3]
Kondotty Nercha has a secular tone as it is celebrated jointly by the Muslim and Hindu community of Kondotty. The last procession of the Goldsmith Box is usually managed by the Hindu traders of Kondotty.
A small group of students from GVHS School, Kondotty has made a short film on Kondotty Nercha. This 45 minute documentary film has become a local celebrity and won four state awards and a national award. The film shows the 100 year old history of the festival and more than 40 students participated in its making. The film was screened at Kerala State Children's Film Festival held at Kollam in Kerala. An eighth grade student called M.T.Shahama Bathool directed the film. The film is titled ‘Nercha Oru Nerkazhcha'. Thousands of people attend the religious procession and fairs held during the festival.[4]
Some Muslim groups like theMujahidhs andJamaat-e-Islami are against the celebrations organized aroundDargahs. They have organized partial boycott of the festival in recent years.[citation needed]