Thousands flock to Festival of Lights

[LahoreEstate]

Sunday, March 29, 2009
By Our Correspondent

LAHORE

THE three-day urs celebrations of the Festival of Lights (Maila Charaghan) started on Saturday at the shrine of renowned sufi saint Hazrat Shah Hussain.

Thousands of devotees lit oil lamps on the shrine to pay homage to the saint. Devotees turned up at the shrine and participated in urs celebration with great religious enthusiasm. Families and devotees offered fateha at the shrine.

A large number of drummers kept beating drums compelling devotees and malangs to dance with abandon. Women devotees from urban and rural areas also came to visit the shrine and paid homage to the great sufi poet. They danced to the beat of drums and distributed sweets among devotees.

Many women were of the view that they used to visit the shrine every year so that their wishes could be granted for which they never hesitated to dance to the beat of drums in public. They said many of their wishes had been granted because they participate in urs celebration every year.

Many people had set up tents selling clothes, sweets and other items and a large number of devotees were seen shopping there. Children also accompanied their parents. The Auqaf Department in collaboration with authorities concerned had also made special arrangements for the festival. A large number of police personnel was also deployed at the shrine.

Shah Hussain (1538-1599) was a Punjabi poet and a saint. He was the pioneer of the Kafi form of Punjabi poetry. Shah Hussain’s shrine is located in Baghbanpura near Shalamar Gardens.

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