Urs of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar from June 15

The 3-day Urs celebrations will start from June 15 at Sehwan in Dadu district of Sindh.

Every year thousands of devotees made their way to the small town of Sehwan to pay homage to Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar.

Arrangements have been finalized to observe 762nd annual Urs of the great mystic soul, Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar.

Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar played a very important role in boosting Sufism and preaching the message of love and peace in this part of the world.

Lal Shahbaz Qalandar

About Urs

Lal Shahbaz’s annual Urs (death anniversary celebration) is held on the 18 Sha’aban – the eighth month of the Muslim lunar calendar. Sehwan springs to life and becomes the focal point of more than half a million pilgrims from all over Pakistan. On each morning of the three-day feast, the narrow lanes of Sewhan are packed to capacity, as pilgrims, fakirs (dervish) and devotees make their way to the shrine, to commune with the saint, offer tributes and make wishes. Most of the people present garlands and a green chadar (shawl)” with Quranic inscriptions in silver or gold threads, humming verses, singing and dancing in praise of the saint, till late-night. The devotional dance known as ‘dhammal’, an ecstatic swirl of the head and body, is performed to the rhythm of the naqqara, a big barrel-shaped drum, some of giant size and placed in the courtyard of the shrine. Bells, gongs, cymbals and horns make a thunderous din, and the dervishes in robes, beads, bracelets and colored head-bands whirl faster and faster until, with a final deafening shout, they run out into the courtyard.

Mela of Lal Shahbaz Mast Qalandar is celebrated in India as well, by Sindhi people every year, for more than 30 years in Rajkot, Gujarat. The mela is held during the month of February, or beginning of the month March on special Monday. Sindhi people refer to Monday as ‘Sao Sumar (Green Monday)’ they usually celebrate on that day a lot – having fun and sing from morning 6am till the morning of next day 8am. They invite ‘mandli (band of folk-singers)’ from different regions, each year.