On your way from Gujar Khan towards Rawalpindi, as you take a turn from G.T road to the left, you enter to the village of Kaliyam Shareef in Tehsil Gujar Khan. The queue of vehicles can be observed from the starting road of Kaliyam Shareef till the end at “Darbar”(shrine) of Hazrat Khuwaja Fazal Shah. Basically, these are the days of observance of “Urs” of ten days. Devotees arrive here to pay tribute to the saint from all across the country. The word Urs originates from the Persian word “Uroos” which means ‘to meet’. So the death of the saints is celebrated because it is considered that they are reunited with their Lord, Allah, and they have only veiled from the world but their soul is present.
Talking about Hazrat Khuwaja Fazal Shah is a 19th-century saint of the Chishti-Sabri order linked to Baba Farid Ganj Shakar of Pakpattan Shareef near Sahiwal. He settled in the village of Kaliyam Awan in the 19th century, where he preached Islam and spiritually guided people to the right path. The celebrations start every year from 31st December till 9th January. From the first day of Urs, after every Fajar prayer, the complete Holy Quran is recited and prayer is held. After that, a big drum called “Gahriyaal” is beaten. After these rituals, all the devotees from different parts of the country come to visit the holy shrine. One unique feature of this Urs is that it is called the festival of camels. Caravans from parts of Punjab and Sindh like Jhelum, Tala Gang, etc. reach Kaliyam Shareef barefoot to take part in the celebrations. The time when the Urs is held is the time when the seeds of wheat are sown in the fields and the crop starts to grow.
But crops are partially destroyed by the camels. But it is witnessed by the locals that after the Urs ends, the crops once again start to grow and give double yield. If we talk about the hospitality of the locals towards the devotees that come to visit the shrine, every house’s guest room locally called “baithak” is open for the devotees who usually stay at night. Every household keeps a separate set of blankets and other items to give to the shrine management, who then distribute them to the devotees who stay. The caretakers of the shrine are called “Saeen”. “Langar” is distributed all the time among all the people visiting the shrine and it is said that no one is left hungry. One more basic feature of the Urs is “qawali”. Qawali is more prevalent in the Chishti order of Sufism. Because Hazrat Khuwaja Fazal Shah belongs to the Chishti order, qawali is the main feature of his Urs. Mehfil e Sama’a is held all ten days where all the renowned qawwals wait for their turn to perform.
On the 9th day of Urs, qawali is held all night and devotees reach to attend that mehfil e sama’a. Local people convey that when Hazrat Khuwaja Fazal Shah was alive in around the 19th century, he used to travel on a palki (litter) held by his devotees all the way to Pakpattan, near Sahiwal in Punjab to visit the shrine of Baba Farid Ganj Shakar. So, on the 10th and the final day of the Urs, this act is commemorated when the same ‘palki’ held by the devotees is circulated through the whole of the village and then taken back to the shrine. Besides all these celebrations a big “mela” (fair)is held in the nearby fields where vendors from different places set up their stalls. So here the economical aspect of the Urs can also be highlighted. It is a kind of festivity for all the devotees and the local people. Celebrations end on the 10th day with a prayer and massive fireworks when ‘palki’ arrives at the shrine.
In this article, only the main areas of Urs and the rituals that are performed are highlighted. But there is much more to be explored yet. There could be a whole new debate about the perceptions of people and their beliefs. I look forward that more researchers trying to explore the holy site and deeply studying all the facets and the perceptions associated with Sufism, shrines, and rituals.
