Introduction
 Lahore is a
wonderful city and a
lot of people
believe they know it
well—but if you have
not traversed the
route that the Sufi
Rahguzar will take
you through, you
have missed an
important cultural
experience which
over centuries has
profoundly
influenced the lives
of Lahorites.
This is a route that
familiarizes you
with the people of
Lahore as no other
would. Their mild
mannerisms, their
concern for
outsiders and their
sense of pride is no
where so evident as
in the areas that
surround the
shrines, mosques and
graveyards of the
city's celebrated
saints. In which
other metropolis, as
you take a turn from
a bustling, noisy
street into a narrow
cul-de-sac, or climb
a few steps would
you be transported
instantly into
another world—a
world of calm and
peace, an oasis of
tranquility and a
haven for troubled
souls! Where else
would you find
graveyards next to
living mohallahs
where even the
street urchins
readily display due
reverence to ancient
saints; where death
is as familiar as
life, and where
shrines and
graveyards abutting
residences are a
daily reminder of
the impermanence of
this world.
Although the advent
of Islam in the
subcontinent is
credited to the
17-year old
conquering hero
Muhammad bin Qasim
and his attack on
Debal (in 711), a
Hindu kingdom in
Sindh, it is the
sufis who are
credited with the
spread of Islam in
the subcontinent.
Where Lahore was
vulnerable in the
face of assaulting
forces arriving from
the northwest, it
was also enriched by
the arrival of
learned and saintly
people following the
train of conquering
armies.
It is thus that
saints and sufis
belonging to Persia,
Iraq and Central
Asia arrived with
their Islamic
missionary zeal and
inhabited the
principality of
Lahore. Due to the
piety and miraculous
powers of the
saints, a large
number of local
people converted to
Islam. Many of the
pirs (saints) not
only developed a
large following of
Muslims but also of
those of other
faiths and became
equally venerated by
all.
Lahore became an
important centre of
Sufism because of a
large number of
pious people
belonging to many
different schools (silsila)
that congregated
here. They
established their
khanqah (hermitage)
and mosques to
impart education and
propagate their
faith. Their mazars
after their death
became the magnet to
which the populace
was attracted in
ever increasing
numbers. The city
thus contains an
immense number of
tombs of auliya
(saints) and
mashaikh (scholars)
because of which
Prince Dara Shikoh
referred to Lahore
as a city of
learning and
spiritualism. The
title given to the
city—Madinat-ul
Auliya (the city of
saints) is apt,
since Lahore at the
time was reputed to
have over 600
eminent saints
buried in its soil.
One neighbourhood
alone, Mohallah
Tullah, contained
3,000 men and women
who could recite the
Holy Book by heart.
Even at the time,
thousands paid their
respects every day
to Hazrat Syed Ali
Hajweri (Data Gunj
Bukhsh), among the
first saints of
Lahore, and would
circumambulate the
tomb for forty
Thursdays or for
forty continuous
days in the hope of
fulfillment of their
desires.
To demonstrate their
piety, many Muslim
rulers of Lahore
erected mosques or
tombs of revered
saints, constantly
adding new centers
of devotion. Even
during the Sikh
rule, when many
valuable structures
were pulled down,
mosques, such as
Moran's mosque, were
built—Ranjit Singh
himself contributing
to the upkeep of his
favorite saints'
rnazars. In spite of
the loss of many
mosques and tombs a
surprisingly large
number have
survived. Sufi
Rahguzar takes you
through the tombs of
many prominent
saints who inhabited
the city. They were
of such import that
even after several
hundred years,
people light candles
or oil lamps (diyas),
offering prayers at
the shrines. The
langar (the soup
kitchen), an
institutionalized
food offering at
many tombs, ensures
that nobody in
Lahore may sleep on
an empty stomach.
Stepping into the
mazars transports
you to another
world—a world of
introspection and
meditation. Entering
the tomb enclosure
as if insulates you
from the outside
world. You could
spend a whole
lifetime in the
enclosure and want
nothing else in
life. For many it is
a world that
shelters them from
the worries of daily
life, and provides
solace and help in
maintaining their
sanity from an
outer, hostile
environment.
Thursday evenings
are usually
dedicated to qawwali—a
genre of mystical
music—an uplifting
experience,
transporting many to
a state of ecstasy.
By demolishing some
of the original
structures of the
tomb of Data Ganj
Bakhsh a
justification has
been provided to
other shrines for
similar acts when
catering to the
growing needs of
devotees. The
antiquity of the
shrine would have
been reinforced
through the
retention of all
historic structures
while building
compatible
additional
facilities. An
alarming consequence
of the new
impressive
construction of the
celebrated saint's
tomb is a spate of
renovations and
reconstructions that
we witnessed in many
other Sufi tombs.
The custodians of
these 'living
shrines' feel the
necessity for
renovation which
makes the tombs look
rather new,
destroying the
historic evidence in
the process.
Although if they
were sensitive to
the shrine's
historicity, the
results could be far
more rewarding. It
is interesting to
note that where
intervention has
been the least, the
shrine is imbued
with a particularly
appealing aura.
However, even if
renovated, as most
of them are, the
congregating
devotees, the lamps
and pigeons, and
above all the old
trees that seem to
have been there for
ever, lend the
shrines a flavor
entirely their own.
Even if one is not a
believer, one cannot
go to these mazars
and come back
unaffected—you will
find here a feeling
of peace, serenity
and a quality of
timelessness hardly
witnessed elsewhere.
It was difficult to
locate many
monuments on other
rahguzars, but the
most difficult task
was to unearth the
location of saint's
mazars. One of the
major reasons was
the difference in
popular names of
saints as compared
to those recorded in
historical sources
or books.
Accordingly,
wherever necessary
we have given both
the names for the
ease of the visitor
in identifying the
tombs.
While trying to
identify shrines we
discovered that most
of the tombs are now
concealed behind
twisted lanes and
are difficult to
locate unless you
continuously seek
directions from the
local people. We
have therefore
prepared special
maps to provide
direction in
relation to
well-known roads or
landmarks. It is
interesting that the
best directions were
obtained from people
who were in their
60s or older.
Generally the
younger people were
less aware of the
locations of
shrines. Although it
must be said that in
many cases even
young school
children were quite
familiar with the
saint's tomb located
deep within their
locality. Whether we
were able to obtain
correct directions
also depended upon
the length of
residence of the
people in the
area—we found there
were many new
residents who were
unaware of the
celebrated saint
buried in their
neighborhood.
Our findings
strengthened our
resolve to identify
and mark on maps as
many saints' tombs
as possible to
ensure that people
become aware of the
important shrines of
the city. Armed with
the information in
this guidebook we
hope that you will
be able to locate
the Sufis' shrines
without difficulty
and enjoy an
enriching spiritual
experience as you
follow this
rahguzar, as much as
we did in devising
it. For this
rahguzar', we
suggest the
beginning of your
tour from the
southeastern end of
Circular Road which
encircles the Walled
City. The route will
take you from the
early shrines of the
Zanjani saints
located in Chah
Miran locality, and
after skirting the
city along G.T. Road
carry on via
Shalamar Link Road
to Mian Mir and
Cantonment, and on
to Gulberg and Shah
Jamal—all areas
which are
comparatively easy
to traverse though
the shrines are
dispersed over a
large area. From
Shah Jamal the route
takes you to the
centre of the town
and eventually into
the Walled
City—areas with
concentration of a
large number of
shrines, where extra
time should be
allocated to combat
traffic jams and
congestion in
streets.Chah Miran Shrines Group 1
Chah Miran Shrines Group 2
Baghbanpura Shrines
Shalamar Link Road Shrines
Cantonment & Mian Mir Shrines
Shah Jamal & The ciry Shrines
The Walled City Shrines
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