Lahore is renowned for being
the city of Sufis and mystics for ages and it is
called as “Daata’s city” also after the 11th century Sufi saint
Hazrat Daata Ali Bin Usman Hajviri who came here to Lahore
and resided on the bank of River Ravi at the outskirts of the walled city of Lahore. From Ali Hajviri
to Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti and from Madho Lal Hussein to Mujaddid Alf Saani
Sheikh Ahmed Serhindi, Lahore
has been the seat of Sufis for ages. The Urs (anniversaries) of these Sufi
mystics have now become festivals of Lahore and
millions of devotees from across the country blaze Lahore every year.
The biggest of the events of the country is held in the
month of Safar when the Urs of Daata Ganj Bakhsh Hazrat Ali bin Usman
Hajviri is celebrated. Millions of pilgrims from across the country come to
kiss the feet of the grave of the Holy Saint and there they pray and donate in
the name of Allah. Holy veils from all over the country are brought by pilgrims
as they dance through the cities with people putting their alms in those veils
and those veils are then spread over Daata’s grave.
Another huge event is of Madho Lal Hussein’s Urs that is
held every year in Shalimar Gardens of Lahore
in the month of March. Thousands of lamps are lit in this festival by the
devotees and an enormous fire is lit with the help of these oil-lamps. This
fire symbolizes the inner fire of a Sufi and the devotees make sure that this
fire does not die out until the end of the Urs. The greatest thing about this
fire is that every year at the end of the three day ceremonies, a thunderstorm
or a rain comes to extinguish this fire and suddenly the weather of Lahore gets pleasant.
One of the biggest events celebrated in the city, which is
shared by the entire Muslim world, is the Mawlid of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.w)
in the month of Rabi ul Awwal every year. The whole city is ornamented like a
bride with mosques lit in green, red and yellow colors, the BRB Canal
jeweled with statues and all the government buildings also lit with electric
bulbs. People decorate the outers of their houses on the eve of 12th
Rabi ul Awwal.
Models of the holy cities of Mecca
and Medina are
made by young boys and girls, trolleys are decorated with lights, models and
Nashids are played inside these trolleys. Competitions for best model, best
decorated trolley and the most decorated area of the city are held and the
toughest contest is between the Bhaati Gate and Islampura. Both these areas are
adorned beautifully by the residents.
Lahore
has so many colors and religion is one of the brightest among them. Lahore is the center of religion and culture in the
country and Pakistanis take Lahore
to be the heart of this country with all the veins moving towards it.
