Devotees pay obeisance to Sufi saint's mausoleum on Indo-Pak border

Amritsar, Aug.10 (ANI): Hundreds of devotees paid obeisance at the mausoleum of the popular Sufi saint Pir Baba Sheikh Brahm on the India-Pakistan border on the occasion of a bi-annual religious fair.

Devotees presented religious offerings at the shrine located between the Zero Line and barbed wires near Mianwali Uttar village in the Khem Karan sector of Punjab.

The shrine's caretaker, Shamsher Singh Sandhu, said devotees from Pakistan are not allowed to cross the border and they pray at some distance from the Line of Control.

"This fair holds a significant importance as it dates back to the times of Guru Nanak, the first Guru of Sikhs. Devotees from far off places with lot of excitement throng the fair. People from Pakistan also want to visit but they are not allowed and they pay obeisance from a distance," said Sandhu.

Sandhu said the fair is held in Fagun month (March-April) and Sawan (August-September) as per Hindu calendar and witnessed a large number of Indians and Pakistanis' convergence.

"This fair is held on the Indo-Pakistan Zero Line. Earlier, it was hosted once in a year during Sawan (month of Hindu calendar). But after seeing the excitement within the devotees, we are organising the fair twice a year that is during Fagun month (March-April) and Sawan. Due to the influx of large number of devotees, the fair is organised twice a year," he added.

Pir Baba Shiekh is widely believed to have been a disciple of Guru Nanak, the first Sikh Guru, and thus revered by a large number of people both in India and Pakistan.

While devotees from Pakistan paid obeisance by sending holy offerings through BSF soldiers, as the changed dynamics of India-Pakistan relations had rendered it impossible for them to cross over to India.

Border Security Force personnel helped Pakistani devotees to send their offerings to the shrine.

Legend has it that Guru Nanak Dev visited Sheikh Brahm on his way to Mecca.

Sheikh Brahm was the eleventh successor to Baba Sheikh Farid whose 134 hymns have been incorporated in the Guru Granth Sahib.

Today, followers of Sheikh Brahm living, both India and Pakistan, make wishes at the shrine of holy saint and offer prayers on fulfillment of their wishes. (ANI)