Bengaluru, March 1: Alipur, a small village around 100 kms from Bengaluru, in Gauribidanur taluk, Chikkaballapura district, has declared three-day mourning in the wake of the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by Israel and US forces.
Village draped in black flags
The village is draped with black flags all over, and the villagers held a protest march on Sunday afternoon, condemning the killing of their leader, and the Anjuman E Jafariya Committee is spearheading the protest march.
Historic visit and religious ties
Interestingly, the slain leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had visited this village in 1986, and the people of the village religiously followed the preaching of Khamenei. A local television channel called Ali TV regularly telecasts the preachings of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
1986 visit and institutional links
In 1986, the local businessmen, who used to frequent Iran for trade, constructed a house in the name of Ayatollah Imam Khomenei, who was a religious teacher of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had visited Alipur to inaugurate the hospital in 1986, and since then, the local Anjuman E Jafariya Committee launched a cable TV network -- Ali TV to keep updated about the developments in Iran.
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Iran connection dates back centuries
The Iran connection of this Shia-dominated village goes back to the Adil Shah rule in Bijapur (now Vijayapur) district. A group of Shia Muslims arrived at a place called ‘Bellikunte’ village near Gauribidanur and renamed it as Alipur.
They believe themselves to be from Iran and still maintain trade relationships with most of the Gulf countries. Most of the people in this village are into the gems export business, and they export to Middle East countries, including Iran.
