1,600 security men have been deployed at the shrine to ensure foolproof security for the three-day-long celebrations
Festivities of 257th annual urs of one of the greatest Sufi saint of the sub-continent Baba Bulleh Shah started Saturday at his shrine in Kasur. The celebrations are to continue for three days from August 24 to August 26.
The shrine of Baba Bulleh Shah was bathed with rosewater as hundreds of people from across Punjab and other provinces started reaching the shrine to pay homage to the beloved Sufi saint.
Food and milk has also been arranged in order to facilitate the devotees coming to visit the shrine from far-flung areas.
Kasur DCO, members of the national and provincial assembly and a large number of scholars would also gather there to participate in the ceremonies.
SECURITY FOR DEVOTEES:
Reportedly 1,600 security officers have been deployed at the sight so that foolproof security may be ensured and the celebrations of the urs are conducted smoothly without any untoward incident.
BABA BULLEH SHAH AND HIS WORKS:
Bulleh Shah is believed to have been born in 1680 in the small village of Uch, Bahawalpur, Punjab. After getting early education in Pandoke, he went to Kasur for higher education. Maulana Mohiyuddin and eminent Sufi saint Shah Inayat Qadiri were among his spiritual teachers.
Most of what is known about Bulleh Shah is from legends and is therefore mostly subjective.
The verse form primarily employed by Bulleh Shah was kafi. His poetry and philosophy strongly criticises Islamic religious orthodoxy of his day.
Bulleh Shah was a beacon of hope and peace for the citizens of Punjab in the times of communal strife between Muslims and Sikhs.
Bulleh Shah’s writings provide a solution to the sociological problems of the world hence representing him as a humanitarian. His poetry highlights his mystical and spiritual voyage through the four stages of Sufism – shariat (path), tariqat (observance), haqiqat (truth) and marfat (union).
Bulleh Shah expressed complex issues ingenuously so that they appeal to the masses. That explains why renowned singers from Waddali Brothers, Abida Parveen and Pathanay Khan to the rock band Junoon have put his kafis into their own music.
Bulleh Shah’s popularity stretches uniformly across Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims as is evident from the fact that much of the written material about him is from Hindu and Sikh authors.