Over one lakh devotees throng Baba Nagri shrine in J&K's Ganderbal District on annual Urs

Srinagar, June 8 (IANS) More than one lakh devotees on Saturday paid obeisance at the Baba Nagri shrine in Wangat area of Jammu and Kashmir’s (J&K) Ganderbal District on the 128th Urs of Sufi saint, Baba Jee Sahib Larvi Naqashbandi.

Each year the saint’s annual Urs is celebrated on June 8.

Baba Jee Sahib Larvi Naqashbandi is the most revered patron saint of the Gujjar/Bakarwal community of J&K cutting across the religious divide.

He was a social reformer and a Sufi saint of the 18th century.

Gujjar/Bakarwal Muslims and Hindus from different parts of J&K including Poonch, Rajouri, Mendhar, Surankote, Kalakote, Pahalgam, Babdipora, Kokernag, Kulgam and even from outside J&K throng the saint’s shrine in Wangat Village each year.

The shrine is situated 45 kms from Srinagar city.

Baba Jee Sahib originally belonged to Balakote area now in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. About 128 years ago, he came to Wangat and remained in prayer for many years till his fame travelled far and wide.

Devotees have since been coming to the shrine with devotional offerings.

The devotees often tie votive knots at the shrine for fulfilment of their prayers. Once the prayers are answered, the devotees return to the shrine with devotional offerings to untie the votive knots.

Using every mode of conveyance including buses, trucks, jeeps, cars and motorcycles, the devotees have been pouring into Wangat as the administration made special deployment of police to streamline the movement of the pilgrims.

The family of the Larvis include Mian Altaf Ahmad, the present chief patron who inherited the chair from his late father, Mian Bashir Ahmad.

Before Mian Bashir Ahmad, the chief patron of Baba Jee Sahib’s shrine was Mian Nizamuddin Sahib.

Mian Altaf Ahmad is the grandson of Mian Nizamuddin Sahib.

Altaf recently won the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat as NC candidate defeating his nearest rival, former Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti by a margin of over 3.50 lakh votes.

Given the tremendous love and reverence in which the Gujjar/Bakarwal community of Rajouri and Poonch hold the Mians of Wangat, the politics of Mehbooba Mufti and other rivals of Mian Altaf Ahmad meant little to his voters.

A free community kitchen is run by the Mian family during the entire three-day-long annual Urs for the devotees.

Free Langar is also run by the family at the shrine in Wangat the entire year where scores of devotees from different parts of J&K come and have food each day.

Hardly any other religious family in J&K can match the wide popularity of the Mian family as it exists in almost every nook and corner of J&K extending even to Haryana and Rajasthan.

No political speeches are delivered during the annual Urs of the saint. Only recitation of the holy Quran, prayers and religious teachings are made during the Urs days.