MYSTERY SOLVED -Takiya Banwa Fakir

Ever came across a name of a place that is shrouded by mystery, yet no one has an answer to it? So much so that even the experts fail to retrieve information about it.

Takiya Banwa Fakir is one of them, and I’m glad to say, I’ve figured it out.

How did I find it?

While I was researching about protected monuments, I stumbled upon a strange monument with the name “Takiya Banwa Fakir” on a list of the Archeological Survey of India, and it’s location was stated Panchkula. I didn’t have any particular interest in it; however, out of curiosity, I decided to visit this place, and asked one of my friends, who’s been living in Panchkula since his birth, to come along. Strangely, to my surprise, he said it’s the first time he has heard this name.

Although I prefer not to rely on Google for information, this time I had no choice, and I must’ve visited at least 20 different websites to find something about this place, yet all of them just had the same information, which was that it is a protected monument, and nothing else was known about it, even Wikipedia was empty.

Now, it had sparked my curiosity, and I wanted to know about this monument; however, not a single person knew about it, nor was there any photograph of it. Unless you know Urdu, you would be as confused as I was, as to what exactly is this place. Fortunately, I had one clue, a code (S-HR-21), which was mentioned on each website I visited. Thus began my journey of collecting clues of this mysterious monument.

Collecting Clues

Clue 1: As I mentioned earlier, the internet was not proving of any use. I tried using all the available search engines, Google Scholars, and even dived into the Dark Web, but it was to no avail. After countless hours of research, I found the first clue; A sketch of the lord Ganesha with Takiya Banwa Fakir mentioned underneath in the document of CENSUS OF INDIA 1981.

Clue 2: This I mentioned already, the serial number - S-HR-21 mentioned over wikipedia.

Clue 3: While the other two clues were important, they were not proving much helpful, and I needed something that would propel my search. After trying for days on end, I found out that one can file an RTI to the government of India, and they’ll research for you. This was exactly what I needed, so I filed the RTI with my queries about this monument. Since I didn’t know what department to ask, it took a painfully long time to retrieve the information, 1.5 months to be exact. Even after such a long period, all I got was the exact same response as other websites, with just one direction that told me to visit the Bhima Devi Temple in Pinjore.

Now, was I satisfied with the answers? Well, a part of me wants to say yes, but I’ll let you decide if it was really a response worth waiting for over a month.

Clue 4: At this point, I was still searching, and came across a name, Ashok Jindal. I was told he was the draftsman of Panchkula Area Monuments. Upon calling him, I got to know that he had retired a long time ago and didn't know about such a monument, but he asked me to visit the Bhima Devi Temple, and he said, you’ll meet someone there, and he is bound to know about it.

Now, I was left with more question like

1. What exactly is this Takiya Banwa Fakir, is it a structure, a statue, or what?

2. Why has no one ever clicked a photograph of it?

3. It’s a state protected Monument, but how come no one knows about it? Even the locals.

4. Why did the Department of Archaeology and Museum respond to my queries, shouldn’t it be under the rule of the Tourism Department?

5. Who was that person that Mr. Ashok Jindal was referring to?

6. Bhima Devi temple is related to Pandavas, as they stayed there during their exile. What does it have to do with Takiya Banwa Fakir?

The Search

Now, since I had a clear destination, i.e., Pinjore Garden, I was planning to visit this place soon. On one Sunday, when I didn’t actually had any plans, my friend and I randomly decided to visit this spot, so with a backpack loaded with water and nothing else, we headed in the search of Bhima Devi Temple. Upon arriving at the gate of Bhima Devi Temple, we were greeted by Samarjeet, incharge of the Bhima Devi Temple. Upon enquiring about the Takiya Banwa Fakir, at first, he said that it is a museum, and doesn’t know much about it. Here, we even called Ashok Jindal once again to get their known person, Samarjeet waved at someone standing in the background, and called him over. This person, who appeared to be in his early 60s, has been working there for 15 years, and had a vast knowledge about the area. Samarjeet referred to him by Nirmal Ji, and it seemed it was Nirmal Ji that Ashok Jindal was referring to earlier. After having been asked about Takiya Banwa Fakir so many times, we simply referred to it as Takiya Fakir now, and obviously, he said he didn't know about such a place. Later he asked, if we were referring to Banwa Fakir? It was that point, when he simply laughed and asked us to follow him on foot, as the location was nearby. One thing to note is that Nirmal Ji was walking barefoot on a road filled with gravel and small pebbles. Upon asking if he was alright, he said that he’s used to it and prefers walking barefoot.

The Location and its History

During our 5 minute walk to the location, he told us that Takiya simply means a Majar or mosque. Takiya Banwa Fakir comprises three words; Takiya, Banwa, and Fakir. After revealing the meaning of Takiya, he told us that a person was returning from Hajj, and he rested here for a bit. While this person’s original name is unknown, and he was not a renunciate, his spiritual wisdom and liberated expression earned him the name of Fakir. The word Banwa means something or someone that was made, therefore, the word Takiya Banwa Fakir means A renunciate that was made, and this place is his mosque.

He also revealed that the original location of this Majar was just on the rear-right of the Bhima Devi Temple, which in modern world has been turned into a major road, and for this reason the Majar was shifted to another location, which is now towards the wall of Yadavindra Garden along with an ancient banyan tree.