A Hindu dargah
A Hindu dargah
Published in The News on Sunday TNS
Zahida Rehman Jatt June 5, 2016 1 Comment
Lal Shahbaz Qalandar’s dargah in Sindh that is replete with Hindu, Sufi and Sikh symbology and
iconography
View from verandah of Saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar.
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It is generally believed a dargah is a place where a Muslim saint (pir) or qalandar is buried, but it
would be a bit surprising to hear of a Hindu dargah and it would be even more strange to know it is
dedicated to a Muslim saint.
But, there is a place where such a dargah exists in all its glory.
Yes, there is such a dargah dedicated to the famous saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in a remote Kohistani
town of Thano Ahmad Khan, almost 150 kilometres away from Karachi.
It was a cloudy day in the first week of April when we headed towards Thano Ahmad Khan in search
of a sanctuary of river deity Udero Lal also called Jhulay Lal. We were working on a research project
titled Udero Lal Research Project or URLP headed by renowned French anthropologist Dr Michel
Boivin.
However, as we left the Super Highway and turned towards a link road, the countryside turned into
small, desolate, rugged mountains and the road zigzagged through hillocks. There were only a few
goats and even fewer humans that we encountered on the way. As we drove deeper into the
mountains, we saw small temples and an ashram testifying to the presence of considerable Hindu
population around.
Eventually, we reached Thano Bula Khan which is a neat but silent town, with the exception of its
main market that is busy yet not chaotic like in other towns in Sindh. The roads were relatively clean
and there were many shops and homes bearing the sacred Hindu symbol ‘Om’ on their facades.
Our destination still lay ahead, so we drove another 10 miles and reached Thano Ahmad Khan near
mid-day. This town was also similar to the last one. We asked about the address of the temple and a
young man guided us towards it. We were excited to have finally discovered the temple in that far off
town.
However, what we saw there left us baffled; instead of Jhulay Lal mandir we saw a small replica of
Lal Shahbaz Qalandar’s dargah that is originally located in Sehwan Sharif. While, we were still
considering what to do, a man came outside and took us into the sanctuary.
What we saw there left us baffled; instead of Jhulay Lal mandir we saw a small replica of Lal
Shahbaz Qalandar’s dargah that is originally located in Sehwan Sharif. While, we were still
considering what to do, a man came outside and took us into the sanctuary.
Now the interior was the perfect example of Sindhi syncretism. The dargah was replete with Hindu,
Sufi and Sikh symbology and iconography. In fact, speaking strictly, it could be a mandir, shrine or
even Sikh darbar but interestingly it was none of these.
It was simply a dargah of Qalandar but one that was built by Hindus. So, they used mixed symbols
containing posters, paintings, panaflexes and calligraphy, most conspicuously large images of Lal
Shahbaz and his dargah at Sehwan. Adjacent to this dargah were residential quarters where people
from all Kohistani areas would come and stay for urs celebrations.
The ceiling.
The photos included Lords Shiva’s iconic poster with a snake winding around his neck, Baba Guru
Nanak’s serene portrait with one hand raised in blessing and encircled with small portraits of ten Sikh
Gurus, Krishna playing the flute accompanied by Radha, Ramdev Pir, Pir Shah Sadar Lakyari and
one would also see the famous phrase ‘Jhulay Lal, Bairapaar’written on various places.
The inner sanctum is very lavishly decorated with mosaic, and in the centre there is a beautiful
wooden canopy where various relics related to the saint are kept. Besides, on every corner there are
beautiful verses etched on mirror work in Urdu, Sindhi and Persian by such famous poets as Shah
Abdul Latif, Allama Iqbal and Bhagat Kabir among others.
The shrine of Qalandar flanked by Shiva (right) and Guru Nanak (left).
The caretaker of this dargah is a nice gentleman from Mithi and is deeply inspired by Sufi ideals of
life. He specially pointed towards a verse ‘Tamanna dard-e-dil ki ho tou khidmat kar faqeeron
ki’ reading it aloud which means ‘the cure of matters of heart can only be found in the service of
saints or dervishes, this spiritual treasure would not be found in wealth or material possessions’.
A local resident told that the partition of Indo-Pak and its aftermath was not felt very strongly in this
mountainous region that is locally called Kohistan; partly owing to its distance and inaccessibility.
The people living in this area are called ‘Jaablu’ derived from Jabal that means ‘mountain’. This area
is very rich in terms of anthropology and archaeology and it is not very well-documented.
The syncretic and pluralistic concepts of Sindhi religion are a unique example of how various
religions fuse together forming a kaleidoscope of tolerance and peaceful coexistence. This is what we
need in this era of ethnic strife, communal violence and extremism that has greatly damaged our
society.
Share !Zahida
Rehman Jatt
Published in The News on Sunday TNS
Zahida Rehman Jatt June 5, 2016 1 Comment
Lal Shahbaz Qalandar’s dargah in Sindh that is replete with Hindu, Sufi and Sikh symbology and
iconography
View from verandah of Saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar.
Share !
inShare
11
It is generally believed a dargah is a place where a Muslim saint (pir) or qalandar is buried, but it
would be a bit surprising to hear of a Hindu dargah and it would be even more strange to know it is
dedicated to a Muslim saint.
But, there is a place where such a dargah exists in all its glory.
Yes, there is such a dargah dedicated to the famous saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in a remote Kohistani
town of Thano Ahmad Khan, almost 150 kilometres away from Karachi.
It was a cloudy day in the first week of April when we headed towards Thano Ahmad Khan in search
of a sanctuary of river deity Udero Lal also called Jhulay Lal. We were working on a research project
titled Udero Lal Research Project or URLP headed by renowned French anthropologist Dr Michel
Boivin.
However, as we left the Super Highway and turned towards a link road, the countryside turned into
small, desolate, rugged mountains and the road zigzagged through hillocks. There were only a few
goats and even fewer humans that we encountered on the way. As we drove deeper into the
mountains, we saw small temples and an ashram testifying to the presence of considerable Hindu
population around.
Eventually, we reached Thano Bula Khan which is a neat but silent town, with the exception of its
main market that is busy yet not chaotic like in other towns in Sindh. The roads were relatively clean
and there were many shops and homes bearing the sacred Hindu symbol ‘Om’ on their facades.
Our destination still lay ahead, so we drove another 10 miles and reached Thano Ahmad Khan near
mid-day. This town was also similar to the last one. We asked about the address of the temple and a
young man guided us towards it. We were excited to have finally discovered the temple in that far off
town.
However, what we saw there left us baffled; instead of Jhulay Lal mandir we saw a small replica of
Lal Shahbaz Qalandar’s dargah that is originally located in Sehwan Sharif. While, we were still
considering what to do, a man came outside and took us into the sanctuary.
What we saw there left us baffled; instead of Jhulay Lal mandir we saw a small replica of Lal
Shahbaz Qalandar’s dargah that is originally located in Sehwan Sharif. While, we were still
considering what to do, a man came outside and took us into the sanctuary.
Now the interior was the perfect example of Sindhi syncretism. The dargah was replete with Hindu,
Sufi and Sikh symbology and iconography. In fact, speaking strictly, it could be a mandir, shrine or
even Sikh darbar but interestingly it was none of these.
It was simply a dargah of Qalandar but one that was built by Hindus. So, they used mixed symbols
containing posters, paintings, panaflexes and calligraphy, most conspicuously large images of Lal
Shahbaz and his dargah at Sehwan. Adjacent to this dargah were residential quarters where people
from all Kohistani areas would come and stay for urs celebrations.
The ceiling.
The photos included Lords Shiva’s iconic poster with a snake winding around his neck, Baba Guru
Nanak’s serene portrait with one hand raised in blessing and encircled with small portraits of ten Sikh
Gurus, Krishna playing the flute accompanied by Radha, Ramdev Pir, Pir Shah Sadar Lakyari and
one would also see the famous phrase ‘Jhulay Lal, Bairapaar’written on various places.
The inner sanctum is very lavishly decorated with mosaic, and in the centre there is a beautiful
wooden canopy where various relics related to the saint are kept. Besides, on every corner there are
beautiful verses etched on mirror work in Urdu, Sindhi and Persian by such famous poets as Shah
Abdul Latif, Allama Iqbal and Bhagat Kabir among others.
The shrine of Qalandar flanked by Shiva (right) and Guru Nanak (left).
The caretaker of this dargah is a nice gentleman from Mithi and is deeply inspired by Sufi ideals of
life. He specially pointed towards a verse ‘Tamanna dard-e-dil ki ho tou khidmat kar faqeeron
ki’ reading it aloud which means ‘the cure of matters of heart can only be found in the service of
saints or dervishes, this spiritual treasure would not be found in wealth or material possessions’.
A local resident told that the partition of Indo-Pak and its aftermath was not felt very strongly in this
mountainous region that is locally called Kohistan; partly owing to its distance and inaccessibility.
The people living in this area are called ‘Jaablu’ derived from Jabal that means ‘mountain’. This area
is very rich in terms of anthropology and archaeology and it is not very well-documented.
The syncretic and pluralistic concepts of Sindhi religion are a unique example of how various
religions fuse together forming a kaleidoscope of tolerance and peaceful coexistence. This is what we
need in this era of ethnic strife, communal violence and extremism that has greatly damaged our
society.
Share !Zahida
Rehman Jatt