Recognise dargah as symbol of secularism: Haider Sheikh shrine caretakers to Centre, Punjab govt

Mahesh Sharma

Malerkotla, August 4
Caretakers of the shrine of Haider Sheikh in Malerkotla, have urged the Centre and the state government to recognise it as a symbol of secularism and universal fraternity.

The dargah’s history can be traced back to the 15th century and to Haider Sheikh, reverently called Sheikh Sadar-ud-Din, Sadar-e-Jahan, a Sarani Afghan of Darabandhi in Khurasan.

Thousands of devotees including Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs throng the complex, containing the mazars of the saint and his family members, on the first Thursday of every month — known as Mela Haider Sheikh. “Larger congregations are witnessed on Namani Ekadashi and 13 Ramazan every year,” said Azam Khan, a caretaker.
With no financial aid from either the government or the NGOs, the dargah is maintained using offerings from devotees who usually offer niaz (cooked rice), goats, horses and ornaments besides cash.
Former Sports Minister Nusrat Akram Khan Bagga, one of the successors of the saint, said the organisers had neither demanded nor received any financial aid or grant from the government till now. “Even now, we just want the Centre or the state government to depute some organisation which could highlight the historical importance of shrine so that people across the world come to know that all humans are equally blessed here,” said Bagga, adding that the boundary wall of the shrine — which was, according to local belief, built in one night without any cementing material — should be recognised as a wonder of the world.
According to some historical records, Sadr-ud-Din had settled at Bhumsi to spend his life as a mystic. In 1450, he came to the attention of Bahlul Khan Lodhi, the erstwhile governor of Lahore and Sirhind.
Having spent a night here and being impressed by the saint’s piety, Lodhi promised to give his daughter’s hand to him should he become the ruler of Delhi.
Bahol Lodhi became the Sultan of Delhi in 1451 and soon, his daughter Taj Murassa married Sadr-ud-Din. Lodhi also gave a large tract of land containing 56 small and 12 large villages, including Maler, to the saint.