Shrine of Baba Farid

Shrine Of The Thirteenth Century Chishti Saint Fariduddin Ganjshakar, Whose Verses Are In The Sikh Guru Granth Sahib · Pakpattan, Punjab

The shrine of Baba Farid in Pakpattan is the tomb of Fariduddin Ganjshakar, a thirteenth-century saint of the Chishti order and one of the founders of Sufism in the Punjab. He is also one of the first great poets of the Punjabi language, and his verses were included in the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh scripture, so he is revered by Sikhs as well as by Muslims, and by many Hindus. The shrine draws pilgrims from across Pakistan all year, and its great moment is the annual urs, in the month of Muharram, when the Bahishti Darwaza, the Gate of Paradise, is opened; tradition holds that passing through it earns paradise, and vast crowds queue for days to do so. The tomb itself is modest, white and domed, reached through narrow lanes of the old town, and qawwali is sung here as at all Chishti shrines. Crowd control at the gate is a serious matter, and the urs is not for the faint-hearted. Pakpattan is off the main tourist route, about three and a half hours from Lahore, and pairs with Harappa on the same trip.

Pakpattan, Pakpattan District, Pakpattan, Punjab, Pakistan

Open daily; entry is free, with security checks at the entrances. The shrine is busiest on Thursday evenings, when qawwali is sung, and quietest in the early morning. The Bahishti Darwaza opens only during the urs in Muharram, when crowds are enormous and the dates move each year in the Western calendar. Women may have separate areas. Pakpattan is about three and a half hours from Lahore by road and pairs with Harappa on the same day.

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