Rahul Gandhi to visit Khwaja Bande Nawaz Dargha in Karnataka

Bengaluru, Feb 09: Congress President Rahul Gandhi will begin his Karnataka election campaign on February 13 and plans to start his journey by visiting Sufi Shrine in Kalaburagi which is a popular shrine in Karnataka - Khwaja Bande Nawaz dargha.

Gandhi's visit to the shrine of Khwaja Bande Nawaz, a 13th century Sufi saint, will be part of his tour of the Hyderabad-Karnataka region between February 10 and 13. A Congress stronghold comprising the districts of Ballari, Koppal, Kalaburagi, Raichur, Bidar and Yadgir, it accounts for 40 of the 224 seats in the state assembly. Significantly, only one of the four religious sites likely to be visited by Gandhi is a temple. It is the Huligemma temple in Koppal, which holds special significance for Dalits

Gandhi will also visit the Gavisiddeshwara Mutt and Anubhava Mantapa, two religious sites revered by Lingayats. The Anubhava Mantapa, which was set up by 12th century philosopher Basaveshwara, is believed to be the world's first Parliament.