Cremation, Caste, and Cosmogony in Karmic Traditions.

Saint Farid and syncretism
With a population of almost 130 million living in
Bangladesh, the terms “Muslims” and “Hindus” are not
self-explanatory. In a country where the majority is poor
and illiteracy is widespread, questions concerning what
it actually means to be a Muslim or a Hindu, and what
kinds of rituals they observe, are crucial. There is a huge
variation within both Islam and Hinduism, and in certain
spheres there is a tremendous similarity in ways of
thinking, praying and believing within the two religions.
Hinduism is not necessarily opposed to Islam, and viceversa
– the religions may co-exist and even give
contributions to each other – and Faridpur is such a place
where Muslims and Hindus live peacefully together
(Oestigaard and Alam 2002). One of the reasons for this
co-existence and syncretism of two religious paths is
found in the history of Faridpur. On the one hand, there
is a strong Hindu influence penetrating the Muslim
culture and religion. On the other hand, there is what
might be labelled a “downstream Hinduism syndrome”
in Faridpur. The disciples in Sri Angan Ashram, for
instance, emphasise that it is only possible to seek the
proper Hinduism in Kashi. It is in Varanasi where the
real and true Hindu rituals are performed, and not among
the common people in this local area. One of the sadhus
proudly said that he once had participated at Kumbh
Mela, and even though Ganga is sacred as a whole,
certain places and spots are more sacred, and all of them
are in India. Bangladesh lies downstream and in the
backwaters of mainstream Hinduism both physically and
spiritually. There is a kind of second ranked feeling
among many high religion devotees; Muslims surround
them, the core area for their beliefs is far away, and the
common people follow their own tradition which
deviates from the sacred books. Moreover, it is difficult
to recruit young Brahmans for priesthood. There is a
pandit school in Faridpur, but very few students are
studying to become priests. The orthodox Hinduism is
declining and the low-caste practices are flourishing.
The decline of Brahmanism is also a consequence of
Hindu-Muslim syncretism.
Saint Farid is the mythological founding father of
Faridpur. There are three Farids in the Muslim world;
Shah Farid, Gange Farid and Shek Farid, and the first
one is allegedly buried in Faridpur. Shah Farid was a
Muslim saint who, according to some local people, died
in twenty-four places at the same time, and he was
therefore buried at twenty-four places. “Pur” means
village, and the town Faridpur means literally “Farid’s
village”. Shah Farid called people to Islam, and he was a
renowned and charismatic saint. Nobody knows for
Chapter 8:
Hindus in a Muslim World
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certain where he was born or buried, but common people
believe that his grave was in the compound of the
current Dorga mosque in Faridpur. This is a
controversial matter. According to the myths, he stayed
at this place for some time, and after his death a tree
started growing on his alleged grave. Today, devotees
assume that a tree in the compound of Dorga mosque
was that original tree, and that he was buried beneath it.
That tree, which stood where the entrance to the mosque
is today, was cut 35-40 years ago. Muslims worshipped
the tree together with Hindu devotees, and the place was
a pilgrimage site where Hindu sadhus came and smoked
ganja. When the tree was cut, some people believed that
blood came from the roots and both the one who cut the
tree and his family died; others refuse this as a myth and
pure speculations. Nevertheless, both Hindus and
Muslims still worship Saint Farid, and they give
offerings and continue to donate milk, money, and
chickens to the saint.
In Islam there is no ancestral worship. The practice of
praying to a Muslim grave is against the Muslim
orthodoxy. Muslims are not allowed to worship the dead,
and nobody can help the departed. Therefore, this
practice is seen as “pagan” or desecrating the “true”
orthodox Muslim values. Consequently, a local
committee of Muslims destroyed and removed both the
graveyard and the tree, but they built an orphanage on
the site and established a madras school in the name of
Farid. The orthodox Muslims have tried to undermine
and minimise the role of Shah Farid, claiming that he
only passed through this area and spent a few days
before he continued on his wanderings. According to
them, he was not buried in the town. Still, there is a
belief in a “virtual memorial” among the common
people. Regardless of any physical remains, the devotees
commemorate and pray to the symbolical burial and
memorial site of Farid.
The harmony within Islam and between Hindus and
Muslims has, nevertheless, been challenged, and the
problems have their roots in India. The Hindu god Ram
was allegedly born in Ayodya and his birthplace temple
was destroyed by Muslims who built a mosque on the
ruins, which generally are acknowledged to be the
original Ram temple. During the conflicts between
Muslims and Hindus in Ayodya in 1992, it became
difficult for Hindus to perform their rituals in Faridpur.
There were incidents of turbulence between Hindu and
Muslim fundamentalists, and a few Muslim extremists
tried to chase away the Hindus from Faridpur by force.
In the conflict Hindu temples were attacked and statues
destroyed. When they were unable to worship the
statues, the Hindus used the pot of water, coconut, and