By Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro

Village shrines are sites of veneration in Sindh in general and Badin district in particular. Devotees frequent these village shrines on different occasions. On special occasions such as the annual fair, these village shrines are swarmed with devotees who visit to seek the blessings of the saints. One such famous shrine is located in Badin’s Talhar taluka and belongs to Syed Sajan Sawai. The shrine of Syed Sajan Sawai is located about 4 km southeast of Dando town. Syed Sajan Sawai was an eminent deputy (khalifo) of Makhdoom Nooh Sarwar. He played an important role in disseminating Makhdoom Nooh’s teachings in lower Sindh. Makhdoom Lutufullah, also known as Makhdoom Nooh Sarwar, was a revered mystic from 16th-century Sindh, recognized for his spirituality and teachings. As a mystic and spiritual master, he attracted many followers. The shrine of Makhdoom Nooh, the spiritual master of Syed Sajan Sawai, is located in the town of Hala in the Matiari district. This shrine is not only a place of reverence but also a center for those who wish to learn more about the spiritual heritage of the region. It attracts visitors from far and wide, who come to pay their respects and seek blessings. The shrine reflects the architectural beauty of its time and serves as a testament to the enduring legacy of Makhdoom Nooh and his profound impact on the spiritual landscape of Sindh.

It is believed that Makhdoom Nooh Sarwar did not obtain initiation from any eminent Sufi of that time. His ancestors were adherents of Suhrawardi silsila. He was a Suhrawardi-Awaisi Sufi and the founder of the Sarwari order in Sindh. Makhdoom Nooh Sarwar was the first Islamic scholar and Sufi of Sindh to translate the Holy Quran into Persian, showing his command of Persian and Arabic. He was also an accomplished scholar of all the esoteric and exoteric subjects of his time.

Many religious discourses and lectures used to take place at Makhdoom Nooh’s khanqah at Halakandi, where eminent Sufis and dervishes of that time used to take part. Many people were impressed by his mystic knowledge during these religious discourses and became his disciples. Many of the books his disciples and descendants wrote and compiled give detailed information on his hagiography, religious education, activities, miracles and mystic knowledge. The sources also provide information about his descendants and disciples. Makhdoom Nooh died in 998 AH/ 1590 AD.

The list of disciples and deputies of Makhdoom Nooh is very long. However, some books, including Daleel ul Zakirin, Anis ul Fuqra, Bayan ul Arifin, Hadiqat ul Auliya, Tufat ul Tahirin and Tufat ul Kiram, mention some of the names of his deputies and disciples, which include Dervish Qasim Jolah, Miran Katiyar, Ladho Bahar, Dervish Qutub, Dervish Bado, Makhdoom Abu Mustafa Thattvi, Mian Mitho Faqir, Sajan Sawai, Syed Abdul Karim Bulri, Syed Abu Bakar Lakiyari, Dervish Umar, Usman Chaki, Mitho Faqir, Bahauddin Dalqposh, Dervish Khman, Syed Taib Shah, Dervish Arisar Sodho, Sheikh Mehmood walad Siddiq Fakhari, Dervish Zakariya Samo and many others.

Syed Ali (1914), the author of Azkar Qalandari, also mentions the disciples of Makhdoom Nooh, which include Pak Sinhgar (dargah at Pak Singhar village), Haji Jalal, Hussain Singhar (dargah at Bukera Sharif), Syed Abhuro (dargah at Kesano wah, Hyderabad), Shah Bango, Pinio Kapri (dargah near Sajan Sawai) and others.

The shrine of Syed Sajan Sawai is famous in the Talhar taluka. According to Mir Ali Sher Qani (1989:418), the author of Tuhfat ul Kiram, Syed Sajan Sawai, was the son of Syed Qasim and was a disciple of Makhdoom Nooh. He was originally from Matiari, where he was known for his piety. Later, he migrated from Matiari to the Kochho area near Talhar. He died in the Kochho area, where he was laid to rest, and later, an impressive tomb was built over his grave. The shrine of Syed Sajan Sawai attracts many devotees daily. The annual fair held at his shrine attracts thousands of visitors from far and wide. People travel from distant regions to participate in this vibrant event, which features a variety of stalls, traditional performances, music and local delicacies. People from both Hindu and Muslim communities gather in large numbers at the shrine of Syed Sajan Sawai, attracted by its spiritual significance. Devotees pray and express their gratitude by leaving various votive objects at the shrine. These offerings include colorful threads, small tokens and handmade items, which are often tied to the branches of nearby trees, adorning the shrine’s main entrance. The sight of these objects fluttering gently in the breeze creates a vibrant and sacred atmosphere, reflecting the devotion and faith of those who visit.

The Syed Sajan Sawai graveyard is among the oldest in the Badin district. It contains many old structures, most of which have disappeared now. The tomb of his grandson Syed Pani Ladho, alias Panio Kapri, stands in the necropolis. It is a square tomb without a dome. It is believed that Syed Pani Ladho never allowed his descendants to construct a dome over his tomb. The tomb contains the graves of Syed Pani Ladho and his family. The lower part of the tomb was in a bad state of preservation, and his descendants recently renovated it. Adjacent to the tomb of Syed Pani Ladho is a walled enclosure of Bibi Lal, who was also a descendant of Syed Sajan Sawai.

Bibi Lal dedicated her entire life to spiritual practices and devotional activities. Known for her piousness, she spent her days reciting the Holy Quran and offering prayers. As an unmarried Sufi saint, she chose a life of solitude and deep spiritual engagement. This devotion colored her existence, and she found joy and purpose in her worship. Throughout her life, Bibi Lal remained steadfast in her dedication, embodying the principles of love and spirituality at the core of Sufism. She attended the annual Syed Sajan Sawai festival every year. Bibi Lal also built a three-domed mosque in Dando town in Tando Muhammad Khan’s Tando Ghulam Hyder taluka. The Jamia mosque of Dando was built in 1957, and the inscription on the mosque’s gate bears both the builder’s name and the construction date.

Read: Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro’s Book on Sindh’s Sufi Heritage

The tomb of Syed Sajan Sawai is built in a square plan with a hemispherical dome. It is one the most magnificent tombs in Badin district. The tomb undergoes annual repairs, which have impacted its original condition. Recently, the front of the tomb was adorned with ceramics. The exact date of Syed Sajan Sawai’s death is unknown; however, his hagiographers suggest that he died in the sixteenth century. It is believed that he left behind a son named Ibrahim Shah and a daughter to carry on his Sufi legacy.

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The writer is an anthropologist. He has authored 16 books on Pakistan’s cultural heritage and anthropology. He tweets @kalhorozulfiqar. He may be contacted at zulfi04@hotmail.com

Courtesy: Youlin Magazine (Posted on November 21, 2024)

The post The Village Shrines of Sindh first appeared on Sindh Courier.

Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro

Village shrines are sites of veneration in Punjab’s Pothohar in general and the Gujar Khan region in particular. Devotees frequent these village shrines on different occasions. On special occasions such as pre- and post-wedding ceremonies, these village shrines are swarmed with devotees who visit to seek the blessings of the saints. The majority of the shrines in Gujar Khan do not belong to any established Sufi order, while others connected to Sufi orders are more popular. Such a shrine is located in Wasala Bangial and belongs to Faqir Mian Fazaluddin Qadiri Qalandari.

Wasala Sharif was once a thriving centre of Qadiri Sufi saints in Gujar Khan, which is spiritually connected to the Naushahiyya Silsila, founded by Haji Naushah Ganj Bakhsh Qadiri (d 1654). Qadiri saints of Wasala Bangial received initiation (bayat) from the descendants of Pir Muhammad Sachiar (d 1707), who was a deputy of Haji Muhammad Naushah Ganj Bakhsh Qadiri. Sachiari, a branch of Naushahiyya Silsila, is named after Pir Muhammad Sachiar. If any new entrant was initiated into Sachiari silsila, he always adopted and preferably used the titles of the main Silsila Qadiriyya and its offshoots and sub-branches – such as Qadiri-Naushahi-Sachiari or Qadiri-Naushahi-Barqandazi – along with his name, depending on in which sub-branch of the Naushahiyya one was initiated into.

Wasala Bangial village, noted for Qadiri Naushahi Sachiari saints, is located about 10 km east of Mandra town and 17 km from Gujar Khan town. I visited the village twice, first in 2021 and the second time on 10 February 2024. In both visits, I sought to interview a few village intellectuals and oral historians. In the second visit, I interviewed Qazi Touhid Rabbani, a Sajjada Nashin of the Darbar of Faqir Mian Fazaluddin Qadiri Naushahi. Two Sajjada Nashins manage the shrine complex of Faqir Mian Fazaluddin Qadiri Naushahi- Qazi Ghulam Mohiuddin, son of Qazi Ghulam Mursaleen, and Qazi Touhid Rabbani, son of Qazi Abdul Aziz. I interviewed Qazi Touhid Rabbani about the history of the village and Qadiri Naushahi-Sachiari saints of Wasala Bangial, also called Wasala Sharif. Qazi Touhid Rabbani knows not only about the spiritual genealogy of his family but also about the oral history of the surrounding villages of Wasala Bangial.

Qazi Touhid Rabbani told me that his ancestor Maulana Ghulam Hyder was the first person from his family to settle in Wasala Bangial on the instruction of his spiritual master Syed Pir Mehar Ali Shah alias Banbriyan Wali Sarkar whose shrine is located in Darkali Syedan village.

One gets to know from Khazinat ul Nisab Fi Anwar ul-Sadaat by Syed Sabir Hussain Shah Gilani (2013) that Syed Pir Mehar Ali Shah was the great-grandson of Syed Mohiuddin Ahmad Gilani. Syed Mohiuddin Ahmad Gilani was the grandson of Syed Abdul Razzaq Shah Chirag Lahori (d 1068 AH/1658 AD) whose tomb is located near Lahore High Court. I will write separately on the Gilani Saints of Gujar Khan.

Maulana Ghulam Hyder belonged to the Awan tribe. He was a deputy of Syed Pir Mehar Ali Shah. On the instruction of his spiritual master, he migrated from Mahinder village, a village located 6 km east of Wasala Bangial village.

Maulana Ghulam Hyder established a madrassah in the village and started preaching the Qadiri Silsila. It is not known when he died. He was buried behind the mosque, which he had built in the village. There are four graves inside the enclosure of Maulana Ghulam Hyder. His brother’s grave, Maulana Abdul Aziz, is also in the enclosure.

The Qadiri saints of Wasala Bangial are not only revered by the devotees but also by the local community, which flocks to the shrine complex on special occasions.

According to Muhiban-e-Ahlebait: Tazkira Auliya-e-Karam Wasala Sharif by Abdul Majid Alavi (n.d:15), Maulana Ghulam Hyder had four sons: Faqir Mian Fazaluddin, Molvi Qutabuddin, Mian Kamaluddin and Qazi Ghulam Mohiuddin. The Maulana Ghulam Hyder family also used the term Qazi with their names.

Faqir Mian Fazaluddin Qadiri was also an eminent Qadiri sufi saint of Wasala Bangial who became the first custodian of Maulana Ghulam Hyder’s Darbar. Faqir Mian Fazaluddin first studied at the madrasah of his father in the village. Later, he studied in the madrassah of Molvi Abdul Rehman of Bhagpur village.

He also used to visit Syed Pir Mehar Ali Shah at Darkali Syedan with his father, Maulana Ghulam Hyder. According to Qazi Touhid Rabbani, Faqir Mian Fazaluddin Qadiri Qalandari also spent some time serving Rodey Shah who was a Qalandar whose shrine is located at Old Changa Maira village in Gjuar Khan Tehsil.

Faqir Mian Fazaluddin became the disciple of Rodey Shah and hence was also called Faqir Fazaluddin Qadiri Qalandari. Maqsood Ahmad Rahi (2010:82), the author of Takira Auliya-e-Pothohar, believes that Pir Nawab Ali gave the title Faqir to Mian Fazaluddin Qadiri Naushahi.

One gets to know from Muhibban-e- Ahlebait: Tazkira Auliya-e- Karam Wasala Sharif by Abdul Majeed Alavi (n.d:18-19) and Takira Auliya-e-Pothohar by Maqsood Ahmad Rahi (2010:82), he s initiated into Naushahiyya Silsila by Pir Nawab Ali. Pir Nawab Ali was the 8th Sajjada Nashin of the Darbar of Pir Muhammad Sachiar (d 1119/1707), whose shrine is located at Nowshera Sharif in the Gujrat district. According to Muhibban e- Ahlebait: Tazkira Auliya Karam Wasala Sharif by Abdul Majeed Alavi (n.d:27), Faqir Fazaluddin died in 1885. He died about 55 years before his spiritual master, Pir Nawab Ali Nowshervi (d 1358/1940), which means that Faqir Fazaluddin might have received the robe initiation (khirqa) when he became very old.

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Pir Nawab Ali also wrote Azkar ul-Abrar, which was the biography of Pir Muhammad Sachiar.

After the death of Faqir Mian Fazaluddin in 1885, his brother Mian Kamaluddin Qadiri Naushahi became the custodian of Darbar. Mian Kamaluddin Qadiri Naushahi was also known for his piety. He was also initiated into Naushahiyya Silsila. He continued to preach Qadiriyya Naushahiyya Silsila in Wasala and neighbouring villages. Mian Kamaluddin Qadiri Naushahi Sachiari died in 1922, leaving behind four sons- Mian Muhammad Alam, who died at a young age in 1890, Molvi Abdul Karim Qadiri Naushahi, Qazi Abdul Rahim (d 1993) and Qazi Hafiz Fazal Karim (d 1954).

Molvi Abdul Karim Qadiri Naushahi became the sajjada Nashin of darbar of Faqir Mian Fazaluddin Qadiri Naushahi. Like his ancestors, he also preached Qadiri Naushahi Silsila in the area. He also rebuilt the mosque, first built by Maulana Ghulam Hyder and later extended and renovated by Faqir Mian Fazaluddin and Mian Kamaluddin, respectively. As per the inscription on the facade of the Jamia Mosque Qadiriyya Naushahiyya- Sachiariyya Darbar-e- Aliya, it was constructed in 1968 when Molvi Abdul Karim Qadiri Naushahi was the Sajjada nashin of the Darbar of Faqir Mian Fazaluddin Qadiri Naushahi. Molvi Abdul Karim died in 1977 and was succeeded by his nephews Qazi Ghulam Mursaleen and Qazi Abdul Aziz. Both became the Sajjada Nashins of Darbar of Faqir Mian Fazaluddin Qadiri Naushahi.

The Qadiri Naushahi saints of Wasala Bangial were known for their piety. As one enters the shrine complex of Faqir Mian Fazaluddin Qadiri Naushahi, one notices three graves on the right side that belong to Qazi Muhammad Ehsan Fami (d 2015), Faqir Qazi Ghulam Mursaleen Qadiri Naushahi Sachiari (d 2013) and Qazi Abdul Aziz Qadiri Naushahi (d 2022) respectively.

Qazi Muhammad Ehsan ‘Fami’ was an eminent Sana Khawan and Shair Khawan of Pothohar. He also created a channel on YouTube where he uploaded his videos on Shair Khawani. Qadiri Naushahi family of Wasala produced a few eminent Sana and Shair Khawans. Another famous Sana Khawan from the family of Qadiri Naushahi of Wasala Sharif was Qazi Abdul Wahid (d 2001). The tradition of Shair khawani (poetry recitation) is very old in Pothohar.

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There are two graves on the platform on the east of the tomb of Faqir Mian Fazaluddin Qadiri Naushahi, which belong to Mian Kamaluddin (d 1922) son of Maulana Ghulam Hyder and Qazi Muhammad Alam (d 1890) son of Mian Kamaluddin. On the west of the tomb of Faqir Mian Fazaluddin is the grave of Molvi Abdul Karim Qadiri Naushahi (d 1977). On the southwest are two graves of females on the platform.

The tomb of Faqir Mian Fazaluddin Qadiri Naushahi contains two graves, one of Faqir Mian Fazaluddin and the other of his sister. There are also several other graves inside the Faqir Mian Fazaluddin Qadiri shrine complex. A few graves are also located outside the tomb enclosure. One of the prominent stone graves with an inscription is located on the western wall of the tomb of Faqir Mian Fazaluddin. An inscription on this grave bears” Fazal Ahmad Khalifa Darbar”. Another grave adjacent to Fazal Ahmad belongs to Chaudhry Inayatullah (d 1973), son of Sardara Khan.

The Qadiri saints of Wasala Bangial are not only revered by the devotees but also by the local community, which flocks to the shrine complex on special occasions.

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The author is an anthropologist and author of over a dozen books. He tweets at: @Kalhorozulfiqar

Courtesy: The Friday Times Lahore (Posted on Feb 17, 2024)

The post Village Shrines in Pothohar area of Punjab first appeared on Sindh Courier.