Baba Ram Thaman Shrine is a Hindu Shrine located in the Khala Kharu village, in
Kasur District
Kasur District ( Punjabi, ), is a district located in Lahore Division of Punjab, Pakistan. It came into existence on 1 July 1976; prior to its creation, the area comprised two tehsils ( Kasur Tehsil and Chunian Tehsil) of Lahore District. Acc ...
in the
Punjab province of
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
. The Shrine is dedicated to Ram Thaman, a 16th-century Vaishnav saint. The Shrine is famous for its annual
Vaisakhi
Vaisakhi, also known as Baisakhi or Mesadi, marks the first day of the month of Vaisakh and is traditionally celebrated annually on 13 April or sometimes 14 April.
It is seen as a spring harvest celebration primarily in Punjab and Northern In ...
fair.
The Shrine is a Smadh i.e. a sacred space constructed over the ashes and burial ground of a Hindu saint.
This is the one of 36 Dwaras of
Ramanandi Sampradaya
The Ramanandi (), also known as Ramavats (), is one of the largest sects of Vaishnavas. Out of 52 sub-branches of Vaishnavism, divided into four Vaishnava '' sampradayas'', 36 are held by the Ramanandi. The sect mainly emphasizes the worshi ...
of
Vaishnavas
Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole Para Brahman, supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, ''Mahavishnu''. It is one of the majo ...
.
History
The Baba Ram Thaman was a 16th-century Hindu saint and an older cousin of
Guru Nanak
Gurū Nānak (15 April 1469 – 22 September 1539; Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ; pronunciation: , ), also known as ('Father Nanak'), was an Indian spiritual teacher, mystic and poet, who is regarded as the founder of Sikhism and is t ...
, the founder of
Sikhism
Sikhism is an Indian religion and Indian philosophy, philosophy that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century CE. It is one of the most recently founded major religious groups, major religio ...
. In the 16th century, he set up his camp near the Khala Kharu village. After his death, a shrine was built at the place. Several temples and a pond were later added over time. His devotees also settled at the temple complex till the Partition.
The
Vaisakhi
Vaisakhi, also known as Baisakhi or Mesadi, marks the first day of the month of Vaisakh and is traditionally celebrated annually on 13 April or sometimes 14 April.
It is seen as a spring harvest celebration primarily in Punjab and Northern In ...
fair was held annually at the shrine since 16th century CE and it was attended by around 60,000 pilgrims.
Even after the Partition, the Vaisaki celebrations are conducted annually in the Shrine and the majority of the attendants are Muslims.
See also
*
Hinglaj Mata mandir
Hinglaj Mata (Hindi: हिंगलाज माता, , , ), also known as Hinglaj Devi, Hingula Devi and Nani Mandir, is a Hindu temple in Hinglaj, a town on the Makran coast in the Lasbela District, Lasbela district of Balochistan, Pakistan, ...
*
Ramapir Temple, Tando Allahyar
The Rama Pir Mandir is a Hindu temple dedicated to Ramdev Pir in Tando Allahyar in Sindh, Pakistan. The annual Ramapir Mela festival is the second largest Hindu pilgrimage in Pakistan, after the annual Hinglaj yatra, which is the largest Hindu ...
References
{{Hindu temples in Pakistan
Kasur District
Hindu temples in Punjab, Pakistan