In the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

, mannat (, ) is a

wish A wish is a hope or desire for something. In fiction, wishes can be used as plot devices. In folklore, opportunities for "making a wish" or for wishes to "come true" or "be granted" are themes that are sometimes used. Sociology Several cu ...

that one desires to come to fruition and the

vow A vow ( Lat. ''votum'', vow, promise; see vote) is a promise or oath. A vow is used as a promise that is solemn rather than casual. Marriage vows Marriage vows are binding promises each partner in a couple makes to the other during a weddin ...

one makes to a

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...

saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

after his/her wish comes true. The word comes from the

Persian language Persian ( ), also known by its endonym and exonym, endonym Farsi (, Fārsī ), is a Western Iranian languages, Western Iranian language belonging to the Iranian languages, Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian languages, Indo-Iranian subdivision ...

in which ''mannat'' (منّت), means "grace, favour, or praise". The word was first used at ''

dargah A Sufi shrine or dargah ( ''dargâh'' or ''dargah'', Turkish: ''dergâh'', Hindustani: ''dargāh'' दरगाह درگاہ, ''dôrgah'') is a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often a Sufi saint or dervi ...

s'',

Sufi Islam Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

ic shrines of deceased ''

fakir Fakir, faqeer, or faqīr (; (noun of faqr)), derived from ''faqr'' (, 'poverty'), is an Islamic term traditionally used for Sufi Muslim ascetics who renounce their worldly possessions and dedicate their lives to the worship of God. They do ...

s''. South Asians often make

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

s to houses of worship that are associated with the fulfillment of one's mannat; while these sites have a certain religious affiliation, people of all faiths visit them, reflecting a historical composite culture of the Indian subcontinent. Devotees make a promise to do a good work for God when their mannat is fulfilled, such as distributing sweets at the house of worship, giving

alms Alms (, ) are money, food, or other material goods donated to people living in poverty. Providing alms is often considered an act of Charity (practice), charity. The act of providing alms is called almsgiving. Etymology The word ''alms'' come ...

to feed the poor, and resolving to pray every day. Examples of mannat asked for at various religious sites include childless couples praying for a baby, women praying for their husbands to find a good job, etc.

Sites frequented for ''Mannat''

Ajmer Sharif Dargah The Shrine of Mu'in al-Din Chishti, also known as the Ajmer Dargah Shareef, is a Sufism, Sufi dargah complex incorporating the Sufi shrine, shrine of Mu'in al-Din Chishti, several tombs, and a mosque, located at Ajmer, in the state of Rajasthan ...

in India *

Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount, Bandra Officially, the Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount, colloquially known as Mount Bandra and Mount St Mary Church; is a basilica (shrine) of the Roman Catholic Church, located at the Bandra neighbourhood of Bombay (Mumbai), India. The festival o ...

Bombay (Mumbai) Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12.5& ...

, India. *

Imambaras of Lucknow Lucknow is known as a city of Husayniyya, imambaras as it contains a large number of them, among which, some are very well known. Lucknow the center of Azadari in India Lucknow is the center of Azadari in India because of the large number of ...

, India *

Pakka Pul Pir Pakka Pul Pir / Pakke Pul Wali is a Dargah located in Madhuban Karnal Haryana. This Dargah has five mazars, namely Ilahi Bakhsh Ilahi Bakhsh was a Muslim Punjabi general who served in the Sikh Khalsa Fauj for over forty years and was regarded ...

in India *

Shrine of Baba Farid The Shrine of Baba Farid (; ) is a 13th-century Sufi shrine located in Pakpattan, Punjab, Pakistan dedicated to the Punjabi Sufi mystic and poet Baba Farid. The shrine is one of the most important in Pakistan, and was among the first Islamic hol ...

in Pakistan. *

Siddhivinayak Temple, Mumbai The Shri Siddhivinayak Ganapati Mandir is a Hindu temple dedicated to Ganesha. It is located in Prabhadevi neighbourhood of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It was originally built by Laxman Vithu and Deubai Patil on 19 November 1801. It is one of t ...

, India.

References

{{reflist Culture of India Culture of Pakistan Hindi words and phrases Urdu-language words and phrases

Sites frequented for ''Mannat''

See also

References