The mausoleum of the great mystic saint Abu Hasan Ali Hajweri is situated near Bha'tee Gat
e lahore, Pakistan. The shrine of Data Sahib is visited round the clock by the devotees from all over the country. This shrine is the older and perhaps the most vibrant cultural marker of the past one millennium in Lahore. The greatest of the experiences at Data Darbar is to find one connected to a stream of humanity, shoulder to shoulder, with a shared sense of spirituality that cuts across ethnicity, sect, ritual and even religion at times. The serenity of the place despite the mayhem is also soothing. On less busy days, the interaction with the shrine becomes even more comforting for the devotees.
Mian Mir is regarded as one of the greatest Sufi saints of the Subcontinent. He belonged t
o the Qadiria order of the Sufis. He was famous for being a spiritual instructor to Dara Shikoh, the eldest son of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, who also held Mian Mir in great esteem. Mian Mir’s Mazar (mausoleum) attracts hundreds of devotees every day. Sikhs and Muslims equally revered the great Sufi saint of the Subcontinent. The shrine is square in shape, green in color, and elevated above the stone courtyard. On Thursday evenings and the `urs (death-day anniversary) of Mian Mir it has hundreds of devotees, qawwali singers, drummers, and harmonium players
Baba Shah Jamal is known to have used drums and dancing to preach his beliefs and following th
e tradition, popular drummer Pappu Saeen performs at the shrine every Thursday evening. The shrine is more than a historical site for many, who visit it for food, shelter or solace. Baba Shah Jamal’s shrine is different from the other major shrines because most of the people visiting it take hashish. A number of foreigners and the youth of both upper and lower middle class also visit it for the same purpose. After taking the opium derivative, they perform what they call “holy dance” on high beat of drums.
I appreciate the fact that you have actually gone to places like this to unveil certain social evils of the society. These are the things which one should take notice of and should try to do something about it. The government can is a major stakeholder in this scenario and should try to eradicate such evils from places which are supposed to be places related to the spiritual link and not the deeds which are bringing disfame to such places.
ReplyDeleteIts good that you have kept the analysis focussed, Otherwise the analysis on this subject can be taken to different directions and may also include the type of people that visit different shrines, secondly the beliefs and the expectations that people attach with these shrines etc.
For example, I think that there are some marked differences between the people who visit these 3 shrines. For example, the most striking difference between Data Darbaar and the rest of shrines is that there is a Jamia Mosque attached to the shrine rather the shrine is actually and officially a part of the mosque. This feature is missing in rest of the two shrines. What happens is that a lot of people who visit Data Sahib is just for the sake of offering prayers. This thing is absent in the case of other two shrines and they are associated with certain type of people who visit them to pay homage to great sufi saints.
Another important thing to know is the beliefs that people have associated with these places. If you spend some time there asking the visitors that what is the motive of their visit to this place, a wide majority would say that its either to say Salam or for some 'mannat'. You may think this belief to be an irrational one, but the fact of the matter is that people who come to shrines for mannat or any other duaas have history behind these actions. They have been doing these practices for quite some time and once, their desires get fulfilled (by any means, and by means i meant may it be by divine intervention), thie irrational belief of theirs become so strong that even if you tell them that its not right and it will not bring any good to you, that person would answer you that you are talking some theoratical literature but i have actually experienced the 'faiz' and you wont be able to understand this.
One of the most important reason for the development of such beliefs is the fact that a good fractions of the population that visits these shrines are quite low on the education and this gives a very valid reason for them to develop such 'Irrational' beliefs.
I thank you for your appreciation.but here as you already said that we have tried our level best to stay focused on our topic which is "HIDDEN REALITIES". the reality of human exploitation. I wont be able to justify myself if i question anybodies belief. if you have the chance to follow our blog, you'll come across a documentary in which we have interviews of devotees. yes alot of people indeed 75% of the people come for SALAM and MANNAT purposes but the rest 25% take advantage of time and place. as you already know "Red light area of lahore" is adjacent to Data Darbar, so pimps of that area find DATA Darbar a place to find preys. they take advantage of the fact that people visiting their are innocent, have low educational level and therefore are new to the place and the environment. there was a girl at "Dar Ul AMan" who ran with her boyfriend from her village and ended up being sold by the guy to a lady who was an employee of Punjab Police. later that girl ran away from her place (where she invited men) and ended up at "Dar Ul Aman".
ReplyDeleteComing to Shah Jamal, one cannot deny the fact that it is a place famous for drugs. people get stupor on the beat of the DHOL of famous Papu Saeen. in an article by Zulqarnain Tahir in Dawn, he quoted that he met a lady who confessed that she visit Shah Jamal only for the purpose of taking drug in peace, without any fear of police.
You are right about the point that the type of people who visit such places have an impact on them, but there are other important reasons that make such indecent acts flourish!
nice
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ReplyDeleteCan you please give more historical perspective of Data Ganj Baksh Hajveri. I am from India and our family has always lived here for centuries. I've heard about Data Saheb through my elders and we have little knowledge about him.
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DeleteDear zafar
DeleteData sahib is a mureed of hazrat qutbuddin bakhrityar kaki r.a who was a mureed of hazrat moinuddin chisti of ajmer...data sahib was a brother of sabir alhuddin r.a's mother of kaliyar india and a sheikh of sabir allahuddin aulia r.a who sent him to kaliyar to spread islam....may Allah forgive my mistakes in this if any.
Data sahib was not mureed of Bakhtiar kaki infact khawaja of ajmeer sharif performd chillah when he was on his way to india ajmeer sharif
ReplyDeleteDear zafar Sb,
ReplyDeletekindly correct your knowledge about these noble personalities who spread Islam with love and kindness in Sub Continent. Khawaja Ajmair R.A visited the shrine of Data Sahib on his way to Ajmair Sharif and earned Faiz after performing Chilla/spiritual stay and said most famous poetry Quote as Follow:
Ganj Baksh Faiz e Alam Mazhar e Noor e Khuda....
Naqisan Ra Peer Kalim, kamilan Ra Rahnuma....
Ganj Baksh Faiz e Alam Mazhar e Noor e Khuda....
ReplyDeleteNaqisan Ra Peer Kamil, kamilan Ra Rahnuma....