Urs of bibi Pak Daman

How the people around the globe celebrate the Urs and what are the rituals they perform?

Every year a three-day Urs is celebrated on 6th, 7th, and 8th Jamada us Sani of the Islamic calendar to pay tribute to the ladies of chastity. The ceremony starts with the washing of graves of pious ladies by rose water. On the 6 Jamadi-ul-Sani after Zohar prayer, the grave is rinsed and washed and small pots of sweet rice are distributed during the evening. On 7th of the month, after Isha, there can be observed recitation of Quran and the distribution of langar. On the 8th, naat Khani continues and after reciting and completing of Quran langar is distributed. Thousands of men and women attend this Urs every year. This is the death anniversary of these pious ladies. People come from all over the country to attend this Urs. At the end of the Urs, scarfs are circulated to all the male and females who narrate milad. Urs celebrations at the shrine are held twice a year, once by the Sunni visitors, during the month of Jamad us sani and the second by Shiites on the 7th of Muharram. During these days people from all over Pakistan come to visit the shrine of bibi pak daaman and this is the time when local businesses around the shrines get chance to make good money but from last few years due to weak security management. But now the security systems have improved a lot there are several security check points before entering the shrine and the good number of security guards also alerted for supervision. Due to all these arrangements, there is an increase in people visiting the shrine for holy practices which directly adds to the business of the local vendors. Moreover, The number of visitors increases manifolds in months of Muharram, Ramadan, and Jamadiul sani . First two are the holy months when devotees flock the shrine to offer prayers as all the religious people visit the place in large numbers as the remains of six women from the family of the last Prophet are believed to be buried here. On the evening or Urs, the shrine is even more crowded.

The ritual is to eat the sweet being distributed at shrine having a ring inside which is worn until wish comes true. The special sweet with a ring inside is also available at nearby shops and devotees also distribute it to others. There are many sweet shops and stalls around the shrine but more are set up for Urs celebrations keeping in view a large number of devotees coming there. Though a diverse population takes part in celebrations of Urs however a larger chunk belongs to the Shiite school of thought therefore many stalls have items like Noha CDs, Karbala related literature, black flags, and bracelets. Some drug addicts and criminals also take refuge in the premises of shrine by disguising themselves as malangs. The use of opium is also common on the shrine-like all others in the city and the number of addicts has also increased on Urs. Security measures have also been beefed up after the arrival of Urs at the shrine, and more than 3,000 policemen have been deputed for safeguarding the area and maintaining law and order. CCPO Aslam Tareen has directed the officials to arrange for a parking area at a safe distance, preferably 200 meters, from the shrine, and ensure the presence of mobile squads and Elite Force at the majlis due to which every year urs happens very peacefully.