All roads lead to Karbala Gamay Shah

The final resting place of Syed Ghulam Ali Shah popularly known as Gamay Shah will once again witness the biggest ever Ashura session of the country where thousands of the mourners across the province will gather after completing their journey that they started last night from Nisar Havali, like their forefathers did in the procession Gamay Shah took out in over 200 years ago. The mourners will gather to remember the most brutal and biggest tragedy in the history of Islam and the sacrifices made by the grandson of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), Hazrat Imam Hussain (AS) in the gathering of Sham-e-Gariban. Although various majalis will be held to commemorate the event in different parts of the city, the gathering at Gamay Shah’s shrine will be the largest.
According to history, Gamay shah was the first man who launched the session by carrying a black flag (Alm) and Tazia in his hand 200 years ago, not knowing that his example would be followed so reverently after him and his grave would mark the point where all the mourners would gather. According to history, beside Gamay Shah another female devotee, Mai Aghia, who was a resident of Mochi Gate, was the first person who joined him with tears in her eyes and with loud slogans to condemn the Yazidi forces who martyred the Prophet’s (PBUH) family. Together they marched through the city, crying and flagellating, mourning the death of Hussain ibn Ali(AS). People mocked them, back then, but soon many started joining them and now every Shiite mourner’s greatest wish is to become a part of the Gamay Shah procession. The procession, to this day, takes the same route as Gamay Shah did, starting on the night of Muharram 9 at the Mochi Gate, Nisar Haveli, and concludes at Karbala Gamay Shah. The shrine of Gamay Shah holds special significance the Shiite history since he used to sit and meditate at that spot after ending his march through the city. When he took out his solo procession during the reign of Sikh ruler Mahraja Ranjit Singh , he was arrested and imprisoned. According to folklore, Singh started having nightmares and went and met Shah, asking him what it could mean.
Shah smiled and said, “The whole family of our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was martyred. We don’t harm anyone, we just mourn our loss”. According to narrators Singh’s heart melted and he released him.
When the Qizilbash family migrated to Lahore in 1947, they came to know about Gamay Shah. The Qizilbash family’s Nawab Muzaffar Ali Khan Qizilbash purchased the land around the resting place of Gamay Shah and built an imambargah there, currently known as Karbala Gamay Shah. A zarih of Hazrat Imam Hussain (AS) has also been fixed next to the grave place of Baba Gamay Shah. On Safar 20, a chehlum procession–forty days after Hazrat Imam Hussain’s (AS) martyrdom–makes its way from Haveli Alif Shaheeyan in Mochi Gate, ending at Karbala Gamay Shah. The mourning ends on the Rabiul Awal 8, with a procession that originates from an imambargah in Islampura, concluding at Karbala Gamay Shah. Another procession to commemorate the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Ali (RA) on Ramadan 21, which starts from Mubarak Haveli, also concludes at Karbala Gamay Shah, making it the final destination of all mourning processions in the city.
According to history, before partition, Hindus and Sikhs used to establish sabeels (free water and milk stalls) for mourners and now, people from all sects, including Sunnis, arrange special foods and water sabils for the participants of the procession. The CDGL has also made special arrangements on the occasion.