Nellore: Noted music director A.R. Rahman offered special prayers at the Masthanvali Dargah in Kasumuru, near Venkatachalam, in SPSR Nellore district on Wednesday as part of the three-day Gandha Mahotsavam (Sandalwood Festival) held every year. Accompanied by noted percussionist Sivamani, they both paid homage at the shrine of Mastan Vali.
The Gandha Mahotsavam is a revered annual tradition, where large crowds of devotees not only from across the state but also from neighboring states come to the shrine over the coming three days. The head of the Kadapa shrine, Ariful Hussaini, performed the “sajjada” rites and applied sandalwood paste to the tomb of Mastan Vali. Following this, the sandalwood was distributed among the devotees.
It is known that A.R. Rahman shares a deep, long-standing spiritual connection with Sufi shrines of Andhra Pradesh, most notably the Masthanvali Dargah in Kasumuru and the Hazrat Dawood Shah Wali Dargah in YSR Kadapa district.
