Birth:
Lately Shahbaz Qalandari is famous Sufi saint belongs to Subcontinent and was born Syed Usman Marandi in early twelfth century in Marwan, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar region of now days Afghanistan. There is still doubt about his birth date Lal Shahbaz Qalandar but it is estimated that it was around 1102AD. His spiritual path was paved from early childhood by the dignity of the family to which he was born: Syed Usman Marandi came from a family of scholars and saints. Since his youth he had an interest in Sufism which is a practice in Islamic context that demands search for the Divine, and personal spiritual traits enlightenment like love, submission, and devotion.
Sufi saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandari had a yearning to visit various shrines of the Saar countries in order to get acquainted with different sufi saints. The zeal devoted to God and desire to enlighten other people and himself resulted in choosing such a title as ‘Lal Shahbaz’ which translated from Persian means ‘Red Falcon’, which indicates that his spirit is far from any earthly interests. He then shift to a town called Shewan, Sindh there he spent rest of his life doing spiritual practices and preaching the message of love. His birth place still echoes with historical and religious cultural, his shrine in Sehwan still draws millions of pilgrims and lovers of Sufi spiritual values.
Unlike most other Sufi’s and scholars, the education of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar was not limited to School education; rather it was an education that was imbued with spiritualism. It is known that he learned from major Sufi masters and devoted much time to communicating with , gaining precious knowledge in Islamic mysticism and Sufi philosophy. Due to his journey, he was able to visit prominent regions of Sufi education and study about spirituality, love and oneness of Allah. It was the foundation that formed his own devotional practices and the basis of which he will go on to propagate throughout Sindh, especially at Sehwan. His learning was, consequently, an interaction between controlled literacy and the spiritual; thus, he transformed into the adored spiritual figure known as Lal Shahbaz Qalandari.
Lal Shahbaz Qalandari dome:
The dome of and the building is one of the most attractive features of the mausoleum for the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandari or Save Sufi saint in Sehwan Sharif, Sindh. There cannot be a better symbol for the faithful who come seeking to venerate Lal Shahbaz Qalandari than the dome itself with all its magnificent architecture. Itself, the structure represents the journey that the saint himself takes in the lifetime, leaving the earthly plane to attain the divine contact.
The dome is designed in the Islamic architecture style with having elaborate tiling and patterns that can be synonymous to the glory of the Sufi order revealed alongside the ethnicity of Sindh region. Sensations of peace and otherwordliness are made more so acute by the liberal use of turquooses, blues and white that are used in the shrine. The dome is not only the geometrical feature on the architecture but also the indication of the saint to the sky since the phenomenon is considered to be divine.
The mausoleum under this magnificent dome is that of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar and a lot of devotees tread through the gates each year, especially during the Urs – the death festival when music instruments and bhajans take over. The dome of the building towering over the complex itself in addition to the other structures serves as a physical and metaphysical symbol of the saint who was a symbol of love, unity and devotion to the God head.This is summarized by the Sufi poem of Lal Shahbaz Qalandari exprience.
A visit to the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandari of Shewan Sharif Sindh, is a spiritually moving expedition. As one enters this vicinity, the dome and the patterns on the tiling dictate the mood of utmost piety, so that the pilgrim feels like getting into the holy of holies. There is friendly atmosphere associating with incense, Sufi music, Rubaiyat, which helps to find inner peace and a possibility to get closer to the Divine. The people show a lot of enthusiasm and enthusiasm in prayers, dhamal, the Sufi dance, singing and drama even during the Urs festival.
In the acts and ceremonies many people feast their eyes on a genuine Sufi path, since the spiritual principles embodied by the shrine’s namesake Lal Shahbaz Qalandari is love and tolerance, devotion and unity. Most of the time he seeks to establish an agrarian utopia, but the kind of spirituality he expresses does not distinguish between religious or social classes, and the audiences who attend his church are the pilgrims from all backgrounds. Most of the pilgrims who visit the shrine through the poor living conditions to reach the threshold where the wooden door of Lal Shahbaz Qalandari’s tomb is opened; they asserted that there is no feeling more moving than to embrace their Master directly through offering a specific gift and to do that and feel his presence even in death, because the shrine is filled with masses all day and night doing the same thing.
It is used for both pray and for change, people go there to transform themselves. People come out enlightened and with a missions accomplished discussing the love and sacrifice that Lal Shahbaz Qalandari taught during his entire sojourn.
Lal Shahbaz Qalandari history:
One of the most important Sufi saint of South Asian region, Lal Shahbaz Qalandari, whose true name was Syed Usman Marwandi was born in 1102 CE in Marwan a region included present day Afghanistan. He is better known for his spiritualism, commitment to Sufism as well as, for the pursuit of divine love. Lal Shahbaz Qalandari was born in Multan, and he started his Sufi journey from young age and got his education from different teachers starting from different regions of the world and also lived like a Qalandar wandering in the search of truth. His travelling early in his life to Middle East and South Asia influenced his philosophy which chanted love, understanding and unity as oppose to extremism.
He finally made Sehwan Sharif in present day Pakistan his home and remained their till his death, imparting to people the tenets of esoteric knowledge. He annexed the title “Lal Shahbaz which translates to mean Red Falcon in Arabic this is because he was of a high spiritual class and had no time for wordly trappings. Because of his mystical poetry, sermons and teachings many people converted to his side and he being embody peace and harmony. One should state that Lal Shahbaz Qalandar engraved his positive values which include bringing together of different people of different religion and calling for love as the key to attain divinity.
Lal Shahbaz Qalandari died on 1274 AD though his mausoleum in Shewan Sharif Plench is now one of the most revered shrines of this continent. Thousands of devotees pay their respects every year on his Urs (death anniversary) through joining different formalistic religious activities such as singing, dancing and the narrative performance of Sufi music and the dhammas. Sufis and people, who want to know various secrets of the universe, keep being influenced by Lal Shahbaz Qalandari’s story and his lectures stay the fundamental to Sindhi Sufism.
Lal Shahbaz Qalandar crowing:
It is to crown Lal Shahbaz Qalandari in the religious and legendary tales revolving around his person and death. As it is narrated in local lore, one day Lal Shahbaz Qalandari was immersed in the desert in deep concentration in his communion, a crowing of a crow may have disrupted this process at the right time. Some researchers associate this event with the idea of the person’s spiritual awakening, which means turning to a higher moral self-awakening state and the emergence of divine cognition. The crowing was regarded as the heavenly signal or a divine word being passed on after the saint’s spiritual attainment as the spiritual shepherd.
The crowing of the bird is therefore associated with the saint’s ascetic and the spiritual role. It also literally connects to Sufi a anthropology where such happenings are considered as sort of divine intervention and wake up call. Despite being purely a fabricated folklore, this story explains the other-worldly aura of mysticism surrounding Lal Shahbaz Qalandari, and asserts his position as a saint and a mystic whose life is replete with symbolic meaning and super natural omens.
Besides its religious significance, crowing of the rooster falls in the folklore and people’s tales, which enhances the legendary theme around the life of Lal Shahbaz Qalandari and the charisma of the shrine of Sehwan sharing the peaceful message of love, unity and spirituality.It is by sitting like Lal Shahbaz Qalandari experience.
Journey is to shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandari in Sehwan Sharif, Sindh is a spiritual journey which is closest to the hearts of the devotees and visitors. When one is coming towards this great shrine, this beautiful dome with the reverberating tiles and geometrical designs show the impact of this saint in the region. There is even compounded feeling of servitude as Sufi music, most especially the dhammas dance, bring about a kind of charismatic spiritual attitude between the present world and the spiritual realm. The shrine attracts pilgrims of different origin ‘the Sufis from different backgrounds and with different beliefs but they all converged to pay their respect and homage to Lal Shahbaz Qalandari –a saint of similar background who called for unity and preached love and tolerance .
It is, to a great many people, not only a trip into the region of Sufism, but a chance to put the soul to the test and meditate on the mystery of the Creator. Such a setting of the shrine encourages reflection as the visitor is told through the saint’s message to look for love from God and leading a virtuous life. The Urs festival that is observed every year for the death anniversary of Lal Shahbaz Qalandari fleshes out the shrine and every chant , prayer and ritual performed during this time imbues the spirit of the Saint.
On such a way, his followers will remember about his ideas and presence in the world that still responds to such tenets of togetherness, love and fellowship. It therefore becomes a holy pilgrimage that is not only geographic but spiritual one that will continue to motivate everyone who makes a trip to the shrine.
Lal Shahbaz Qalandari tambura:
This paper established that the tambura has broader cultural and religious relevance in the context of the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandari and the devotees. The tambura is a common stringed musical drifted from Sufi music and they are mostly used in the spiritual activities performed at the Sehwan Sharif shrine. Among the merrymaking instruments, it is usually utilized for the dhamaal, a kind of Sufi dance by devotees in hopes of finding divine audience. The very vibrations of tambura are inherent in the depth and gravitation of metaphysical association, which tend to induce the state of meditation, and helps to raise a person above gross material plane, to align the heart with the divine energies of love and truth.
So, for Lal Shahbaz Qalandari, the tambura is not only an instrument as well as the symbol of harmonized society. Its drumming is believed to embody the spirituality of Sufi dancing; to encourage people to embrace the strings of their hearts and minds. The without end and low-toned sound of the instrument in the prescribed way is to calm the mind of the practitioner and help them to achieve divine harmony. It is used at the Urs and other ceremonies together with other traditional instruments such as the dholak and the flute so as to denitrify the unity of love, adherence to peace and devotion which the saint, Lal Shahbaz Qalandari propagated throughout his living.
Therefore, the tambura is a sort of vital religious instrument at Lal Shahbaz Qalandari’s mausoleum and symbolizes the Sufi history of the zone in addition to being simplistic musical devices used in dervish dances.
Lal Shahbaz Qalandari of the conomical part:
Economically, the legacy of Lal Shahbaz Qalandari especially his stationed shrine of Sehwan Sharif has greatly benefited as thousands of visitors pay their annual visits to this saint’s shrine. The death anniversary also draws large numbers of people thus encouraging business in the hospitality sector, tourism, and others, such as the sale of local crafts. Business such as hotels, restaurants and shops that are there to meet the social needs of the pilgrims contribute to employment for the people of the area and also earns income for operating the business. Another social benefit of the shrine is in the economic part as the certified merchants who engage in sale of religious items, hand crafts as well as traditional food to the shrine are always source of income to the artisans and traders within the region.
In another respect, the cultural and religious importance of the shrine generates awareness of Sindhi culture and Sufi traditions, thereby supporting local artisan production of embroidered textiles, woodcarving, pottery and selling these as locally hand-made souvenirs. The pilgrimage tourism creates social construct of unity and cultural belonging and at the same time generates revenues to the people of Sehwan and other regions.
The Sufi message that Qalandar’s poetry conveys – love for the creator and fellow beings, simplicity, and self-effacing service to the society, has therefore blended with the economic base of this country where belief and trade exist side by side. The principles of spiritual success brought by the saint contribute to the economic development while the tradition he left behind offers the people a way to live a happy, harmonious life.