Sakhi Sarwar (

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabis, Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a ...

, Balochi: ) is a town in

Dera Ghazi Khan District Dera Ghazi Khan (, Punjabi language, Punjabi: ) is a Districts of Pakistan, district in Punjab, Pakistan. Its administrative capital is Dera Ghazi Khan. The district lies to the west of the Indus River. The Sulaiman Mountains rise to a height ...

Punjab (Pakistan) Punjab (, ) is a province of Pakistan. With a population of over 127 million, it is the most populous province in Pakistan and the second most populous subnational polity in the world. Located in the central-eastern region of the country, i ...

. It is named after a Muslim

Sufi 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 ...

saint Syed Ahmad Sultan, also known as Sakhi Sarwar, whose

tomb A tomb ( ''tumbos'') or sepulchre () is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be called '' immurement'', alth ...

is situated in the vicinity. The tomb itself was built in the

13th century The 13th century was the century which lasted from January 1, 1201 (represented by the Roman numerals MCCI) through December 31, 1300 (MCCC) in accordance with the Julian calendar. The Mongol Empire was founded by Genghis Khan, which stretched ...

in a small village named Muqam in the

Sulaiman Mountains The Sulaiman Mountains, also known as Kōh-e Sulaymān, Kasē Ghrūna Da Suleiman Ghruna (Pashto: د كسې غرونه ، د سلیمان غرونه; "Mountains of Qaes/Kasi and Solomon") ( Balochi:; "Mountains of Solomon") are a north–south ex ...

, from

Dera Ghazi Khan Dera Ghazi Khan, abbreviated as D.G. Khan, is a city in the southwestern part of the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, 16th most-populous city in Punjab and List of most p ...

and 110 Kilometres from

Multan Multan is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fifth-most populous city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the List of cities in Pakistan by populatio ...

.Sakhi Sarwar Town on The News International website
Published 27 March 2017, Retrieved 24 June 2017 It was later expanded by the

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

king Zahir-ud-din Muhammad Babur. It is a unique building of

Mughal architecture Mughal architecture is the style of architecture developed in the Mughal Empire in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries throughout the ever-changing extent of their empire in the Indian subcontinent. It developed from the architectural styles of ea ...

. An ''

urs Urs (from ''‘Urs'') or Urus (literal meaning wedding), is the death anniversary of a Sufi saint, usually held at the saint's dargah (shrine or tomb). In most Sufi orders such as Naqshbandiyyah, Suhrawardiyya, Chishtiyya, Qadiriyya, etc. ...

'', or festival in the honour of Syed Ahmad Sultan, also locally called "Sangh Mela", has been celebrated for centuries during

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 ...

(March–April), with thousands of pilgrims coming to the town from the nearby localities. First they visit to the shrine of Syed Sakhi Zain ul Abideen at Lar Multan to pay homage to the parents of Sakhi Sarwar, then they go to Dera Ghazi Khan. Sarwaris love the belongings of the saint, specially the Mohar Mubarak. Historically, followers of Syed Ahmad Sultan belonged to various religions –

Max Arthur Macauliffe Max Arthur MacAuliffe (11 September 1838 − 15 March 1913), originally known as Michael McAuliffe, was a senior British administrator, prolific scholar and author. MacAuliffe is renowned for his partial translation of Sikh scripture Guru Grant ...

, a colonial office appointed in Punjab, observed in 1875 that not only Muslims but Hindus also visited the shrines during the ''urs''. On 3 April 2011, at the annual festival (''

'') in the honour Syed Ahmad Sultan, a twin suicide attack left 112 dead and almost two hundred injured.https://www.thenews.com.pk/archive/amp/296565-mastermind-of-sakhi-sarwar-carnage-held-from-taunsa, The News International newspaper, Published 19 April 2011, Retrieved 24 June 2017

References

{{Punjabi folk religion Populated places in Dera Ghazi Khan District Union councils of Dera Ghazi Khan District Cities and towns in Punjab, Pakistan Punjabi festivals Punjabi folk religion

See also

References