The death of a pregnant woman in a remote Karnataka village became the reason a hospital was eventually built there. It has an Ali Khamenei connection.
During a visit to India in early 1980s, Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was deeply moved by a tragedy in Alipura village in Chikkaballapur district, Karnataka. When he learnt that a pregnant woman had died on the way to Bengaluru because there was no hospital nearby, the incident affected him deeply. He decided to help fund a hospital in the area so villagers would not have to travel long distances for basic medical care again.
Speaking at the India Today Conclave 2026, Abdul Majid Hakeem Ilahi, who represents Iran’s Supreme Leader, recounted how the incident unfolded during Ali Khamenei’s visit to India. Ilahi said the Iranian leader had a deep admiration for India and often spoke about the country’s diversity and civilisation.
STORY BEHIND A KARNATAKA HOSPITAL NAMED AFTER KHAMENEI
“When he came here and visited Alipur, an incident occurred. A woman had passed away, and people asked him to come and pray for her. He asked the people there why she had died. They told him she was pregnant and there was no hospital in the area. Because of that, they had tried to take her to Bangalore, but she died on the way.”
“He became very angry when he heard this. He said he would pay for building a hospital, and he did. That hospital was later built there.”
According to Iranian documentary archival records, Ali Khamenei travelled to India as part of diplomatic outreach launched by the government of Ruhollah Khomeini after the Islamic Revolution. The visit came just months before he rose to Iran’s presidency in October that year.
KHAMENEI’S DEEP FASCINATION WITH INDIA
Responding to a question about sectarian divisions in the Muslim world, Ilahi said that unity among Muslims had long been central to Khamenei’s outlook.
“Actually, the ultimate goal of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was unity among Muslims and also greater awareness in society among all people. Several times — because I met him many times — he insisted on coexistence in India,” Ilahi said.
He added that Ali Khamenei frequently quoted India as an example of different communities living together. While recounting several personal anecdotes about the late Iranian leader, Ilahi said Khamenei held India in high regard.
“He praised India greatly. He often spoke highly of Indians and of India itself. He would say, ‘Look at them. They have many religions and different sections of society, yet they live together.'”
According to him, Ali Khamenei’s interest in India began early in his life. “The first book he wrote — when he was around 22 or 23 years old — was about India. It was written in Persian, in two volumes, and it discussed India’s independence. He tried to translate it into English later.”
Ilahi also recalled a meeting between Khamenei and former Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) that lasted far longer than expected. “Once, a former prime minister of India met him. The meeting was supposed to last 15 to 20 minutes, but it continued for more than one and a half hours. During that time, he spoke about his life, about India, and about India’s civilisation, culture and philosophy.”
“At one point, someone remarked that he seemed more knowledgeable than a professor of Indian history,” Ilahi said.
STORIES FROM KHAMENEI’S INDIA VISITS
Decades before he became Iran’s most powerful figure, Ali Khamenei travelled through India as a young cleric. In the 1980s, at the age of 41, he visited Karnataka and Kashmir in the early years after Iran’s Islamic Revolution.
Ilahi portrayed Ali Khamenei as someone deeply interested in history and culture. During a visit to Hyderabad, Ilahi said the Iranian leader even corrected historical details during a tour of landmarks such as the Charminar and Jama Masjid.
“Even when he visited Hyderabad, one of my friends who was acting as a tour guide said that while visiting Charminar and Jama Masjid, Khamenei corrected him on historical details. He pointed out who actually built certain monuments.”
Ilahi said Ali Khamenei also had a deep love for poetry and admired India’s rich literary traditions. According to him, the Iranian leader often spoke about the spiritual depth of Indian poetry and its strong sense of mysticism. “He was also a poet and loved poetry very much. Every year, he emphasised that Indian poetry is very spiritual, and that the mysticism in Indian poetry is very beautiful,” Ilahi said, adding that Khamenei even invited poets from India to gatherings where they would recite their work.
Ali Khamenei also believed Iran and India should keep close and friendly ties. “He always insisted on maintaining good and strong relations with India and encouraged greater collaboration,” he said, adding that even in his final years Ali Khamenei would often ask whether there were any issues between the two countries that needed attention.
“He often said that the people of India are very loyal and very kind. That was his view,” Ilahi added.
Iran’s then Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed in US-Israeli strikes on June 28. Following his death, Iran’s powerful Assembly of Experts moved quickly to name his successor, choosing his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as the country’s new Supreme Leader.
