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Gracy speaks in person

Bidar is

Also read: + Gracy the Dancing Queen Click Here + Gracy on her Lagaan Adventure Click Here + Gracy plays Radha Click Here + Gracy on Money Click Here + Cooking with Gracy Click Here

a small, sleepy town about 80 miles from Hyderabad, is the place that has cast a spell over me. Revered by the Sikhs, it is here that Nanak Jhira Sahib, the largest gurudwara in Karnataka, is built.

It carries the tale that 500 years ago, Guru Nanak, the first of the 10 gurus of the Sikhs, got rid of the scarcity of water in Bidar. He met Pir Jala-ud-din, head of the Muslim monastery, and spotted the source of the water supply for people living there. He touched one spot with his foot, and fresh spring water appeared from nowhere! Whenever I go to Jhira Sahib and drink this crystal clear water, which has been flowing non-stop till today, I feel heavenly and pure.

Nanak Jhira Sahib

My parents took me to this gurudwara when I was a child, but it is only recently that I have begun to soak in the serenity of the place. Today, whenever I have the time, (which is about five times in a year), I go there to pray and to rejuvenate my spirits. In fact, Bidar boasts of several other religious centres and historical sites as well.

There is the Narasimha temple, where one has to tread for a furlong inside a cave in waist deep water to get a view of Lord Narasimha! In Paapanaash, a temple of Lord Shiva, it is said that snakes guard the idol, especially during Shivraatri. Though now it lies in ruins, there is the historical fort of the Bahamani kings who ruled the place in the 14th and 15th century.

Narshimha Jhira Water Cave Temple

A simple town, Bidar may lack the five-star culture, but one can stay in the several guesthouses that are reasonably priced and comfortable. I also eat the community food called the langar, which is served at the gurudwara.

The occupation of the people of Bidar is agriculture. They are farmers who are basically very friendly and honest. I remember a beggar asking me for money for tea. When I gave him a note of 100 rupees, he returned it saying that tea costs only 2!

People from all over India come to visit Jhira Sahib, as it is said that if you pray with true devotion here, your wishes will be fulfilled. I went there before the release of Lagaan , and now that Muskaan and Shart , two films very close to my heart are releasing shortly, I am planning a trip to Bidar once again to seek the blessings of God.

This interview was adapted from an article that appeared on the Times of India on Sunday March 21st 2004, just before the release of Muskaan and Shart.