Jhuley Lal's 1,068th Urs

By Z. Ali, *Hindus, Muslims pray together at Jhuley Lal’s shrine to remember the avatar, the saint* - The Express Tribune - Karachi, Pakistan; Sunday, April 10, 2011

Hyderabad: Clang, ring, clap. The entrance to Jhuley Lal’s shrine resonates with chimes, bells and rhythmic clapping. An avatar for Hindus and a Sufi saint for Muslims, he is remembered by his devotees for his austerity, his message of love and peace — and even miracles. He was known as Jhuley Lal because he had a swing that swayed on its own, which was one of his many miracles.

Both Hindus and Muslims unite in reverence for his 1,068th urs. It begins on the first day of the Chait or Chaitra month of the lunar Bikram Sambath calendar. Historically, the day marks the start of ploughing fields after the wheat harvest. But for a Hindu follower, the celebrations have a different significance.

The avatar

“He was an avatar of the god Varuna — the god of rivers. Born to Mata Devki on the first moon of Chait, his birth was the acceptance of invocations for deliverance from a cruel ruler during the Soomro dynasty,” explains Dewan Lekhraj, the Hindu custodian of the shrine.

According to the Hindus, Jhuley Lal’s real name was Udaichand. Uday in Sanskrit means moonbeam. He was also called Uderolal which means ‘one who has sprung from water’ — this explains the belief of him being an incarnation of the Hindu river god.

The tyrant Mirkshah Badshah, enthroned in Thatta in the 10th century AD, had unleashed a reign of terror and forced the conversions of Hindus, they believe. The Hindus went through a 40-day penance and implored god Varuna — the Indus River — to rid them of the persecutor. Their supplication was accepted with the birth of Uderolal.

After coming of age, Jhuley Lal went to Mirkshah Badshah and with his miracles and charismatic personality convinced him to desist oppression. “Whatever you see around you is the creation of only one God, ‘Allah’ or ‘Ishwar’, he had told the despot,” narrates Lekhraj. Mirkshah.

The Sufi saint

Muslims believe that Jhuley Lal, who is also known as Shaikh Tahir, was a saint who performed many miracles to promote love, peace and harmony. “Shaikh Tahir is our pir (spiritual guide). He saved the Hindu dharma in Sindh,” says Ghulam Abbas Shaikh, the Gadi Nashin of the shrine.

The shrine, in Ordero Lal village, Matiari, has walls inscribed with the ‘Kalima’ and the names of Hindu deities.

Abbas says that it is probably the only shrine in the sub-continent where believers of the two faiths pray together. Devotees mostly hail from Karachi, Thatta and interior Sindh.

Interfaith harmony

The place has remained a bastion of peaceful co-existence between the two faiths. However, there is one incident of conflict reported. In the late 19th century, an idol was placed inside the shrine which led to a quarrel. However, Sir Charles Napier intervened and the issue was settled.

Many people attribute the revival of Jhuley Lal’s following in the 20th century to Professor Ram Panjwani, who shouted a slogan in Sindhi: “Jeko Chawando Jhuley Lal, Tehnja Theenda Bera Paar (Whoever will say Jhuley Lal, his worries will sail through)”.