By Hassan Shehzad - Daily Times - Pakistan
Friday, May 19, 2006
ISLAMABAD: Visitors chant prayers of devotion and hopes for future reunion, as they obsequiously admit their own insignificance in comparison to the piety of renowned saint, Bari Imam, during the final day of his urs (death anniversary).
Around 200,000 devotees return home today, after five days and six nights at the shrine, where a rather sad environment greets visitors. Some devotees cry, as others comfort them. “Who knows if we will get another chance to pay homage to Bari Badshah (king),” said a visitor.
The climax of the annual urs is the mehndi (henna) ceremony. In the sub-continent, the mehndi ceremony is part of marriage celebrations. This practice, however, is common to urs celebrations as well, as the word ‘urs’ means marriage. In Sufi philosophy, the soul of a saint unites with God on the day of his death. Sufism, therefore, takes a saint’s death to be his marriage to God, which is why death anniversaries of saints are called urs, where people dance and beat drums to celebrate the event just like marriages in the sub-continent are celebrated.
Ghulam Jafar, a devotee visiting the shrine, said that his caravan had brought henna to the shrine from Peshawar, from where he had travelled by foot with a party of 800 men. The caravan travelled 15 kilometres a day and stopped at 25 places on the way, he said, adding that more devotees joined their caravan at every stop. “It takes eight days for the caravan to reach the shrine. However, women and children cannot join the caravan. Only men with beards can join us,” he said.
The urs tradition is around 250 years old and was pioneered by Davang Shah, a saint, said Jafar, adding that the tradition was celebrated by decoratively placing a ‘gharroli’ (small pitcher), ‘charaghs’ (earthen lamps), ‘desi ghee’ (cooking oil made of animal fat) and henna at 10pm at the saint’s tomb. The ‘hujra’ (the room where the saint is buried) was then locked and reopened at 3am, he said. When the plate of henna was taken back before dawn, said Jafar, the impression of Bari Imam’s hand could be seen on it.
Hundreds of people, including transvestites, placed their henna plates at the tomb, he said. He claims that a group of saints known as the ‘Pirs of Peshawar’ are the real custodians of the shrine, which included Syed Rozi Aga, Syed Gul Aga, Syed Sheri Aga, Syed Hassan Aga and Syed Muhammad Raza Shah. However, approximately 60 families living in the areas surrounding the shrine, claim to be the saint’s heirs. So far, the only verifiable one is Raja Sarfaraz Akram, who had been recognised by the government as Bari Imam’s true heir. Akram is a young law graduate who runs his own tax consultancy firm in Islamabad. “No pictures please. We are here to serve the masses, not ourselves. I cannot give you a formal interview, because my murshid (spiritual teacher) disliked publicity. But you may share your thoughts with me. I’m no custodian of the shrine, only a servant,” he said while talking to Daily Times, as he personally served food and offered tea to the devotees who had gathered for the langer (free food). He paused in between only to stop admiring visitors from kissing his hands and touching his feet.
Many of Bari Imam’s relations are currently involved in disputes as to the rightful heir and custodian of his shrine. “Bari Imam was born in 1617 and his real name was Syed Abdul Latif Shah. His lineage dates back to the seventh Shia imam. At Nurpur Shahan, Bari Imam prayed for many years. After the sad demise of his wife and daughter, he became reclusive and spent most of his time praying. He preached throughout his life to non-believers,” said a research paper by Dr Hafeezur Rehman Chaudhry, the head of the Anthropology Department at Quaid-e-Azam University.
Urs celebrations are part of a tradition that has lasted for centuries. The 1893 District Gazetteer of Rawalpindi refers to the urs - “The principal religious gathering in the district takes place at Nurpur, a small village at the foot of the Margalla hills, where the shrine of a Musalman saint, Bari Imam Latif Shah, is located. It is visited by large crowds at the time of the fair or mela. Latif Shah got the name of Bari from his constant wanderings in the forest. The last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah, is said to have visited Nurpur in the saint’s lifetime, when some of the buildings were erected.”
One of the major attractions for devotees at the shrine are manats (solemn pledges), which they make at the tomb of the saint. Manats are promises made by visitors that require fulfilment, such as arranging for food at the shrine, in return for the saint’s help to solve the devotee’s personal problems, that range from employment or academics to bearing children. A woman at the shrine claimed that though she had been infertile, the saint had helped her bear children, after which she vowed to visit the shrine once a month for the rest of her life. Fourteen-year-old Rani, a devotee from Haripur, said she had attended Bari Imam’s urs 14 times with her family. “As my birth was the result of a manat that my parents had made, my family brings me to shrine every year. I have developed a passion for the urs. I was able to pass my class 8 examination because of a manat,” she said.
Din Muhammad from Sindh said that though he had been visiting the shrine for three years, his manats had not been fulfilled. “There is a time for everything. However, if the government would only ensure better living standards for the people, they might stop making mantas,” he said.
Police officials were quite active during the urs.
Monday, October 30, 2006
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Monday, October 30, 2006
Bari Imam urs ends: ‘If govt improved living standards, people would stop making manats’
By Hassan Shehzad - Daily Times - Pakistan
Friday, May 19, 2006
ISLAMABAD: Visitors chant prayers of devotion and hopes for future reunion, as they obsequiously admit their own insignificance in comparison to the piety of renowned saint, Bari Imam, during the final day of his urs (death anniversary).
Around 200,000 devotees return home today, after five days and six nights at the shrine, where a rather sad environment greets visitors. Some devotees cry, as others comfort them. “Who knows if we will get another chance to pay homage to Bari Badshah (king),” said a visitor.
The climax of the annual urs is the mehndi (henna) ceremony. In the sub-continent, the mehndi ceremony is part of marriage celebrations. This practice, however, is common to urs celebrations as well, as the word ‘urs’ means marriage. In Sufi philosophy, the soul of a saint unites with God on the day of his death. Sufism, therefore, takes a saint’s death to be his marriage to God, which is why death anniversaries of saints are called urs, where people dance and beat drums to celebrate the event just like marriages in the sub-continent are celebrated.
Ghulam Jafar, a devotee visiting the shrine, said that his caravan had brought henna to the shrine from Peshawar, from where he had travelled by foot with a party of 800 men. The caravan travelled 15 kilometres a day and stopped at 25 places on the way, he said, adding that more devotees joined their caravan at every stop. “It takes eight days for the caravan to reach the shrine. However, women and children cannot join the caravan. Only men with beards can join us,” he said.
The urs tradition is around 250 years old and was pioneered by Davang Shah, a saint, said Jafar, adding that the tradition was celebrated by decoratively placing a ‘gharroli’ (small pitcher), ‘charaghs’ (earthen lamps), ‘desi ghee’ (cooking oil made of animal fat) and henna at 10pm at the saint’s tomb. The ‘hujra’ (the room where the saint is buried) was then locked and reopened at 3am, he said. When the plate of henna was taken back before dawn, said Jafar, the impression of Bari Imam’s hand could be seen on it.
Hundreds of people, including transvestites, placed their henna plates at the tomb, he said. He claims that a group of saints known as the ‘Pirs of Peshawar’ are the real custodians of the shrine, which included Syed Rozi Aga, Syed Gul Aga, Syed Sheri Aga, Syed Hassan Aga and Syed Muhammad Raza Shah. However, approximately 60 families living in the areas surrounding the shrine, claim to be the saint’s heirs. So far, the only verifiable one is Raja Sarfaraz Akram, who had been recognised by the government as Bari Imam’s true heir. Akram is a young law graduate who runs his own tax consultancy firm in Islamabad. “No pictures please. We are here to serve the masses, not ourselves. I cannot give you a formal interview, because my murshid (spiritual teacher) disliked publicity. But you may share your thoughts with me. I’m no custodian of the shrine, only a servant,” he said while talking to Daily Times, as he personally served food and offered tea to the devotees who had gathered for the langer (free food). He paused in between only to stop admiring visitors from kissing his hands and touching his feet.
Many of Bari Imam’s relations are currently involved in disputes as to the rightful heir and custodian of his shrine. “Bari Imam was born in 1617 and his real name was Syed Abdul Latif Shah. His lineage dates back to the seventh Shia imam. At Nurpur Shahan, Bari Imam prayed for many years. After the sad demise of his wife and daughter, he became reclusive and spent most of his time praying. He preached throughout his life to non-believers,” said a research paper by Dr Hafeezur Rehman Chaudhry, the head of the Anthropology Department at Quaid-e-Azam University.
Urs celebrations are part of a tradition that has lasted for centuries. The 1893 District Gazetteer of Rawalpindi refers to the urs - “The principal religious gathering in the district takes place at Nurpur, a small village at the foot of the Margalla hills, where the shrine of a Musalman saint, Bari Imam Latif Shah, is located. It is visited by large crowds at the time of the fair or mela. Latif Shah got the name of Bari from his constant wanderings in the forest. The last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah, is said to have visited Nurpur in the saint’s lifetime, when some of the buildings were erected.”
One of the major attractions for devotees at the shrine are manats (solemn pledges), which they make at the tomb of the saint. Manats are promises made by visitors that require fulfilment, such as arranging for food at the shrine, in return for the saint’s help to solve the devotee’s personal problems, that range from employment or academics to bearing children. A woman at the shrine claimed that though she had been infertile, the saint had helped her bear children, after which she vowed to visit the shrine once a month for the rest of her life. Fourteen-year-old Rani, a devotee from Haripur, said she had attended Bari Imam’s urs 14 times with her family. “As my birth was the result of a manat that my parents had made, my family brings me to shrine every year. I have developed a passion for the urs. I was able to pass my class 8 examination because of a manat,” she said.
Din Muhammad from Sindh said that though he had been visiting the shrine for three years, his manats had not been fulfilled. “There is a time for everything. However, if the government would only ensure better living standards for the people, they might stop making mantas,” he said.
Police officials were quite active during the urs.
Friday, May 19, 2006
ISLAMABAD: Visitors chant prayers of devotion and hopes for future reunion, as they obsequiously admit their own insignificance in comparison to the piety of renowned saint, Bari Imam, during the final day of his urs (death anniversary).
Around 200,000 devotees return home today, after five days and six nights at the shrine, where a rather sad environment greets visitors. Some devotees cry, as others comfort them. “Who knows if we will get another chance to pay homage to Bari Badshah (king),” said a visitor.
The climax of the annual urs is the mehndi (henna) ceremony. In the sub-continent, the mehndi ceremony is part of marriage celebrations. This practice, however, is common to urs celebrations as well, as the word ‘urs’ means marriage. In Sufi philosophy, the soul of a saint unites with God on the day of his death. Sufism, therefore, takes a saint’s death to be his marriage to God, which is why death anniversaries of saints are called urs, where people dance and beat drums to celebrate the event just like marriages in the sub-continent are celebrated.
Ghulam Jafar, a devotee visiting the shrine, said that his caravan had brought henna to the shrine from Peshawar, from where he had travelled by foot with a party of 800 men. The caravan travelled 15 kilometres a day and stopped at 25 places on the way, he said, adding that more devotees joined their caravan at every stop. “It takes eight days for the caravan to reach the shrine. However, women and children cannot join the caravan. Only men with beards can join us,” he said.
The urs tradition is around 250 years old and was pioneered by Davang Shah, a saint, said Jafar, adding that the tradition was celebrated by decoratively placing a ‘gharroli’ (small pitcher), ‘charaghs’ (earthen lamps), ‘desi ghee’ (cooking oil made of animal fat) and henna at 10pm at the saint’s tomb. The ‘hujra’ (the room where the saint is buried) was then locked and reopened at 3am, he said. When the plate of henna was taken back before dawn, said Jafar, the impression of Bari Imam’s hand could be seen on it.
Hundreds of people, including transvestites, placed their henna plates at the tomb, he said. He claims that a group of saints known as the ‘Pirs of Peshawar’ are the real custodians of the shrine, which included Syed Rozi Aga, Syed Gul Aga, Syed Sheri Aga, Syed Hassan Aga and Syed Muhammad Raza Shah. However, approximately 60 families living in the areas surrounding the shrine, claim to be the saint’s heirs. So far, the only verifiable one is Raja Sarfaraz Akram, who had been recognised by the government as Bari Imam’s true heir. Akram is a young law graduate who runs his own tax consultancy firm in Islamabad. “No pictures please. We are here to serve the masses, not ourselves. I cannot give you a formal interview, because my murshid (spiritual teacher) disliked publicity. But you may share your thoughts with me. I’m no custodian of the shrine, only a servant,” he said while talking to Daily Times, as he personally served food and offered tea to the devotees who had gathered for the langer (free food). He paused in between only to stop admiring visitors from kissing his hands and touching his feet.
Many of Bari Imam’s relations are currently involved in disputes as to the rightful heir and custodian of his shrine. “Bari Imam was born in 1617 and his real name was Syed Abdul Latif Shah. His lineage dates back to the seventh Shia imam. At Nurpur Shahan, Bari Imam prayed for many years. After the sad demise of his wife and daughter, he became reclusive and spent most of his time praying. He preached throughout his life to non-believers,” said a research paper by Dr Hafeezur Rehman Chaudhry, the head of the Anthropology Department at Quaid-e-Azam University.
Urs celebrations are part of a tradition that has lasted for centuries. The 1893 District Gazetteer of Rawalpindi refers to the urs - “The principal religious gathering in the district takes place at Nurpur, a small village at the foot of the Margalla hills, where the shrine of a Musalman saint, Bari Imam Latif Shah, is located. It is visited by large crowds at the time of the fair or mela. Latif Shah got the name of Bari from his constant wanderings in the forest. The last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah, is said to have visited Nurpur in the saint’s lifetime, when some of the buildings were erected.”
One of the major attractions for devotees at the shrine are manats (solemn pledges), which they make at the tomb of the saint. Manats are promises made by visitors that require fulfilment, such as arranging for food at the shrine, in return for the saint’s help to solve the devotee’s personal problems, that range from employment or academics to bearing children. A woman at the shrine claimed that though she had been infertile, the saint had helped her bear children, after which she vowed to visit the shrine once a month for the rest of her life. Fourteen-year-old Rani, a devotee from Haripur, said she had attended Bari Imam’s urs 14 times with her family. “As my birth was the result of a manat that my parents had made, my family brings me to shrine every year. I have developed a passion for the urs. I was able to pass my class 8 examination because of a manat,” she said.
Din Muhammad from Sindh said that though he had been visiting the shrine for three years, his manats had not been fulfilled. “There is a time for everything. However, if the government would only ensure better living standards for the people, they might stop making mantas,” he said.
Police officials were quite active during the urs.
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