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The Festival of Pirs: Popular Islam and Shared Devotion in South India by Afsar Mohammad

The Festival of Pirs

The Festival of Pirs is an anthropological study of religious life in the Andhra Pradesh village of Gugudu.

 It concentrates on the public event of Muharram, which is observed by urban Shi’i communities throughout South Asia but takes on a dramatically distinct hue in Gugudu due to the central position of a local pir, or saint, named Kullayappa. 

Kullayappa’s story is central to Gugudu’s religious culture, virtually displacing Imam Hussain’s story from Shi’a Islam, and 300,000 pilgrims from all across South India come this distant village each year to demonstrate their love to Kullayappa. 

Gugudu, like many villages in South India, is primarily non-Muslim, although Muslim rituals and customs play an important role in its devotion.

In the words of one devotee, “There is no Hindu or Muslim. 

They all have one religion, which is called ‘Kullayappa devotion (bhakti).'” 

Afsar Mohammad explores how the diverse religious life in the village of Gugudu expands our notions of devotion to the martyrs of Karbala, not only in this particular village but also in the