Sakhi Sarwar (saint)

Last updated

Sakhi Sarwar سلطان سخی سرور
Miniature painting depicting the Punjabi folk deity Sakhi Sarwar, also known as 'Lakhdata'.jpg
Miniature painting depicting Sakhi Sarwar, also known as 'Lakhdata'
Born1128
Shahkot, Jhang, Punjab
Died1174
Sakhi Sarwar, Dera Ghazi Khan, Punjab
Venerated in Sufism

Sakhi Sarwar was a Punjabi Muslim [1] Sufi saint who is believed to have lived in the Punjab region during the 12th century.

Contents

In the colonial Punjab, the shrine of Sakhi Sarwar attracted Muslim, Hindu and Sikh devotees alike and held special significance for Sikhs of Punjab. [2] He features prominently in the Punjabi Sufism. [3]

Biography

In spite of the popularity of the Sarwar cult in Punjab, especially during the 19th and 20th centuries, there is no reliable biographical account about Sakhi Sarwar. It is difficult to ascertain whether he was a historical or a mythical personality. [4]

According to a myth prevalent in the 19th century Punjab, he was born to Syed Zain-ul-Abidin in 1128 at Shahkot in Jhang. His real name was Syed Ahmad Sultan, and his mother was a daughter of a Khokhar herdsman from a neighbouring village. [4] Due to a feud with his family, he left for Baghdad and later travelled to various parts of Punjab. He shifted to the village of Nigaha in the Dera Ghazi Khan, where he was killed by his relatives in 1174. According to another myth, he was killed due to enmity with Jats and Pathans when he married a daughter of an Afghan chief. [5]

Shrines

Dera Ghazi Khan

Sakhi Sarwar is also known by various other appellations such as Sultan (king), Lakhdata (bestower of millions), Lalanvala (master of rubies), Nigahia Pir (the saint of Nigaha) and Rohianvala (lord of the forests). His followers are known as Sultanias or Sarwarias. [6] Sakhi Sarwar's shrine was originally built during the reign of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, and was later reparated by two non-Muslims Lakhpat Rai and Jaspat Rai in 1730. [1] Before independence of Pakistan in 1947, devotees from Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur and Gurdaspur areas would come to his main shrine to seek spiritual blessings. [7]

Nigaha

The saint selected the town of Nigaha to settle down and live there. It is known as the ‘last place’ because of the hostile geographical and climatic condition. According to Rose (1970), the buildings of the shrine consist of Sakhi Sarwar's tomb on the west and a shrine associated with Guru Nanak Dev Ji on the north-west. On the east is an apartment containing a stool and spinning wheel of Mai Ayesha, Sakhi Sarwar's mother. Nearby is Thakurdwara, and in another apartment is an image of Bhairava. [8]

Annual Urs celebrations at the shrine of syed Zain ul Abideen, sultan sarwar Annual Urs celebrations at the shrine of Hazrat syed Zain ul Abideen,sultan sarwar.jpg
Annual Urs celebrations at the shrine of syed Zain ul Abideen, sultan sarwar

Within the enclosures of the shrine are the tombs of Sakhi Sarwar, his wife, known as Bibi Bai, and of the jinn he was said to have held in his power and who was reportedly credited with making many miracles happen for him. [6]

Near the shrine at Nigaha, there are two other holy spots called Chom and Moza, both associated with Murtaza, the son-in-law of Sakhi Sarwar. At Chom, an impression of the former's hand was said to have been imprinted when he prevented a mountain from collapsing over the cave in which he had taken shelter. [6]

To the west of the outhouses and within the shrine enclosure are two dead trees said to have sprung from the pegs which were used for the head and heel ropes of Kaki, the saint's mare. [8]

Other places

Other shrines in his honor are situated at Dhaunkal in Wazirabad district, and also in Peshawar and Lahore. [8]

There are numerous shrines in the Indian Punjab where they are known as Nigaha. At some places, Sakhi Sarwar is worshiped along with Gugga and their common shrines along with other deities are known as Panj Pirs or Nigahas. [8]

The shrine of Baba Lakhdata at district Una in Himachal Pradesh is known as Chotta (minor/small) Nigaha where a large fair is organised every year. [9]

Followers

His followers who visit the Pir's shrine at Nigaha are known as sang who refer to each other as bharais. The drumbeating bards who act as professional guides and priests at local shrines are called pirkhanas. Members of a sang address each other as pirbhaior and pirbahin (brother or sister in faith respectively). [6]

Their halting points on the routes are known as chaukis (posts) where the pilgrims traditionally slept on the ground. Devotees unable to undertake the pilgrimage to Nigaha would attend at least one of the chaukis. If they could not, they went to any other village on the route for a night. Those who could not go anywhere at all slept on the ground at home for at least one night in a year. [6]

This ritual of sleeping on the ground instead of on a cot is called chauki bharna. [6]

Fairs

Various fairs are held in the Punjab region. The shrine at Nigaha holds a week-long Baisakhi fair in the month of April. [10] Fairs are also held at Dhaunkal in Gujranwala district during June/July, at Jhandon Wala Mela (fair of the flags) at Peshawar, and Qadmon Wala Mela (fair of the feet) at Lahore. [10] [8]

A common ritual which is traditionally observed is to offer a raut, (a huge loaf prepared from 18 kilograms of wheat flour sweetened with jaggery weighing half that quantity) once a year on a Friday. [6]

The raut is traditionally prepared by a Bharai, who take one fourth of the rotas offering, the remaining being consumed by the donor family and distributed among fellow Sultanias (followers of Sakhi Sarwar). [6]

A famous fair known as "Chaunkian da Mela" is held in Mukandpur to commemorate Sakhi Sarwar's visit Balachaur, starting his journey from Rattewal and reaching Mukandpur where Sakhi Sarwar reportedly stayed for nine days. Since then, this fair is held in Mukandpur and lasts for nine days. A "Saang" starts from Rattewal and reaches Mukandpur. The leader of the "Saang" holds a flag which is called a "Togh".

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramdev Pir</span> Ruler and Hindu folk deity of Rajasthan

Baba Ramdev (or Ramdevji, or Ramdeo Pir, Ramsha Pir is a Hindu deity of Gujarat and Rajasthan, India. He was a fourteenth-century Rajput ruler of Pokhran region who was said to have miraculous powers and devoted his life to uplifting the downtrodden and poor people. In Rajasthan, people of Meghwanshi or Meghwal community are called Rikhiya. Who are considered to be staunch devotees of Baba Ramdev, they have special rights to worship baba Ramdev and many other social groups in India worship him as Ishta-deva. He is considered as an avatar of the god Krishna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baba Farid</span> Punjabi Muslim preacher and mystic (c. 1188 – 1266)

Farīduddīn Masūd Ganjshakar, commonly known as Bābā Farīd or Sheikh Farīd, was a 13th-century Punjabi Muslim mystic, poet and preacher. Revered by Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs alike, he remains one of the most revered Muslim mystics of South Asia during the Islamic Golden Age.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gogaji</span> Indian folk deity

Gogaji is a folk deity, worshipped in the northern states of India especially in Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Punjab region, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Gujarat. He is a warrior-hero of the region, venerated as a saint and a 'snake-god'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sakhi Sarwar</span> Town in Punjab, Pakistan

Sakhi Sarwar is a town in Dera Ghazi Khan District, Punjab, Pakistan. It is named after a Muslim Sufi saint Syed Ahmad Sultan, also known as Sakhi Sarwar, whose tomb is situated in the vicinity.

The Sheedi Mela or Sheedi Jaat or Pir Mangho Urs is an annual spiritual festival in Manghopir neighborhood of Gadap Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Pir Mangho Urs is the most important event in the cultural calendar of the Sheedi community—a community of East African-descended Pakistanis. It is held every year at the shrine of Manghopir, usually in the summer, for four days, with the exact dates decided upon by the community leaders. The Sheedi Mela is separate from the Manghopir Urs which marks the death anniversary of Mangho Pir and is held in the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakhpur</span> Village in Punjab, India

Lakhpur is a village near Sahni (Lakhpur-Sahni), Tehsil Phagwara, Kapurthala district, in Punjab, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Talhan</span> Village in Punjab, India

Talhan is a village in Jalandhar district, near the Jalandhar Cantonment, in Punjab, India.

Dhaunkal, is a town and Union Council in Wazirabad Tehsil, Wazirabad District, Punjab, Pakistan. It is located on the Lahore-Islamabad Highway, Only 0.5 kilometers away from the district capital, Wazirabad and about 15 kilometres from Gujrat. Dhaunkal is one of the biggest and oldest towns in Wazirabad Tehsil. The population of Dhaunkal is 25,000, of which 10,000 are registered to vote. Due to access to transportation, it is possible to get to Dhaunkal from all over Pakistan in 24 hours because NHA provides full access.

Mukandpur is a village near Banga, Nawanshahr district in Punjab, India.

A Shaheed Shrine is a building constructed to commemorate and show respect to a saint and forms part of Punjabi folk religion in the Punjab region.

Punjabi festivals are various festive celebrations observed by Punjabis in Pakistan, India and the jairish alipreet Punjabi found in Kannada. The Punjabis are a diverse group of people from different religious background that affects the festivals they observe. According to a 2007 estimate, the total population of Punjabi Muslims is about 90 million, with 97% of Punjabis who live in Pakistan following Islam, in contrast to the remaining 30 million Punjabi Sikhs and Punjabi Hindus who predominantly live in India.

Peerahi are a Muslim community found in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India.

Bharai are a Muslim community found in India and Pakistan. They are settled in the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab in India, and in Punjab province and Karachi in Pakistan. They are also known as Parahin and in Uttar Pradesh, the Bharai are also commonly known as Sheikh Sarwari. It is also the name of a Jat and Rajput clan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sufism in Punjab</span> Sufi tradition in Punjab

Sufism has played a major role in the history of Punjab. West Punjab is heavily influenced by Sufi Saints and major Sufi Pirs. The partition in 1947 led to the almost complete departure of Muslims from East Punjab. The Sufi shrines in the region continue to thrive, particularly among so-called ‘low’ caste Dalits that constitutes more than 30% of its population. After the partition the Dalit community took over the care of Sufi shrines in the East Punjab.

Vadbhag Singh Sodhi was a direct descendant of Guru Hargobind and a prominent figure of the heretical Dhirmalia sect of Sikhism.

Punjabis are the majority ethnic group in Pakistan. They celebrate a number of religious and cultural festivals:

A dera is a type of socio-religious organization in northern India. Jacob Copeman defines the deras as "monasteries or the extended residential sites of religious leaders; frequently just glossed as sect".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shrine of Baba Farid</span> Sufi shrine in Pakpattan, Pakistan

The Shrine of Baba Farid is a 13th-century Sufi shrine located in Pakpattan, Pakistan and dedicated to the Sufi mystic Baba Farid. The shrine is one of the most important in Pakistan, and was among the first Islamic holy sites in South Asia – providing the region's Muslims a local focus for devotion. The shrine is also revered by Sikhs, who include Baba Farid's poetry into the Guru Granth Sahib – regarded by Sikhs to be the eternal Guru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shrine of Bahauddin Zakariya</span> Monument in Multan, Punjab, Pakistan

The Shrine of Bahauddin Zakariya is a 13th-century shrine located in the city of Multan, in Pakistan's Punjab province. The tomb is dedicated to the Muslim mystic Bahauddin Zakariya, founder of the Suhrawardiyya order of Sufism. It considered to be one of the most important shrines in southern Punjab province, and is the prototype for Multan's distinct architectural style.

Folk practices prevalent in Punjab incorporate local mysticism and refers to the beliefs and practices strictly indigenous to the Punjabi people, of the Punjab region including ancestral worship, veneration of saints, and local festivals. There are many shrines in Punjab which represent the folk religion of the Punjab region which is a discourse between different organised religions. These shrines represent inter-communal dialogue and a distinct form of cultural practice of saint veneration.

References

  1. 1 2 Roy, Anjali Gera (2023). "Speech Unites, Script Divides". In Takhar, Opinderjit Kaur; Jakobsh, Doris R. (eds.). Global Sikhs: Histories, Practices and Identities. London: Routledge. pp. 241–259. doi:10.4324/9781003281849-15. ISBN   978-1-003-28184-9.
  2. Gilmartin, David (2020). Blood and Water: The Indus River Basin in Modern History. University of California Press. p. 266. ISBN   978-0-520-35553-8.
  3. Mir, Farina (2010). The Social Space of Language: Vernacular Culture in British Colonial Punjab. University of California Press. p. 108. ISBN   978-0-520-26269-0.
  4. 1 2 Oberoi, Harjot (1992). "Popular Saints, Goddesses, and Village Sacred Sites: Rereading Sikh Experience in the Nineteenth Century". History of Religions. 31 (4): 363–384. doi:10.1086/463293. ISSN   0018-2710. JSTOR   1062800.
  5. Singh, Karan (12 May 2023). Syncretic Shrines and Pilgrimages: Dynamics of Indian Nationalism. Taylor & Francis. p. 161. ISBN   978-1-000-88003-8.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "SAKHI SARWAR - Muslim rulers and Sufi saints". The Sikh Encyclopedia.com website. 19 December 2000. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  7. Devotees of varying faiths at Sakhi Sarwar Dawn (newspaper), Published 17 March 2006, Retrieved 20 May 2020
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Bhatti, Harvinder Singh (2000). Folk religion: change and continuity. Jaipur: Rawat Publications. ISBN   978-81-7033-608-2.
  9. "Replicating Memory, Creating Images: Pirs and Dargahs in Popular Art and Media of Contemporary East Punjab". Archived from the original on 9 January 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  10. 1 2 Suhail Yusuf and Muhammad Umar (15 April 2014). "Sakhi Sarwar: The shrine on the mountain". Dawn (newspaper). Retrieved 20 May 2020.