Ritayan Mukherjee

Pratishtha Pandya

Editor

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&quot;This mazār [tomb] is a makeshift
arrangement we built. The original shrine of Savla Pir is strategically placed on
the Indo-Pak maritime border,” says 70-year-old spiritual leader of Fakirani
Jats, Aga Khan Savlani. The provisional structure he is referring to is a small,
lone, light-green, humble mausoleum standing in the middle of a huge open space
near Pipar hamlet in Lakhpat taluka; in a few hours it will be bustling
with people who have come to celebrate the Savla Pir festival.



The original shrine is on an island that is
closed for worship since 2019 due to security reasons. The Border Security
Force (BSF) now has a post in that location. “Prior to Independence the fair
was held at Savla Pir’s home on the island in Kori Creek across from Koteshwar.
At that time, Jat breeders from Sindh in present-day Pakistan would travel by
boat to attend and offer their prayers,” says a Biocultural Community Protocol.




It has been the tradition in the region for
both Hindu and Muslim families from all castes to attend the fair and offer
prayers. The fair, organised by the community, is an annual event, taking place
on the third or fourth day of the Chaitra Month of the Gujarati calendar, which
is around March and April. 



“At Savla Pir&#39;s shrine, everyone is welcome to
pray; there is no bias. Anyone may come and ask for their well-being. You wait
till late evening and see for yourself how the crowd is like,&quot; says Sonu
Jat in his late 40s, a resident of Pipar hamlet in Kachchh. There are about 50
to 80 Fakirani Jat families living in the hamlet.

Fakirani Jats herd camels and have lived for
generations in arid and semi-arid areas of coastal Kachchh. They keep an
indigenous camel breed known as Kharai as well Kutchi camels. Pastoralists by
occupation they have led a nomadic life for centuries. Traditionally, they have
been seen as dairy farmers, supplying essential commodities like butter, ghee,
milk, wool and manure to urban towns and villages. Their herds include sheep,
goats, buffaloes, cows and other indigenous breeds. But they see themselves as
camel breeders first, moving around the region with their camels and families.
Fakirani women actively take care for the herd and look after the new-born
camels. 



“But initially we were not camel keepers,” says
Umar Haji Suleman, a Sufi poet from the region. “Once two Rabari brothers had a
disagreement over owning a camel,” he says as he begins to tell the story
behind Fakirani Jat’s livelihood. “To resolve their dispute, they went to our
revered saint Savla Pir, who created a camel out of beeswax and asked the
brothers to choose between the real one and the one he created from beeswax.
The elder brother quickly chose the living camel and left. The younger one, Devidas
Rabari, was left with the wax camel. The saint blessed Devidas and assured him
that a camel herd will follow Devidas on his return journey. His herd would
grow if he promised not to look back till he reached home. 



“Devidas could not keep his curiosity in check
and turned back just before reaching home. There was a sizable number of camels
following him, but now that he had broken the promise the numbers stopped growing.
Savla Pir had also told Devidas, that if he should find himself with too many
camels, he should entrust them to the care of the Jats. This is why even today,
Jat communities take care of camels assigned to them by the Rabaris,” he says.
“And as you can see since then everyone here has been following Savla Pir.” 



Fakirani Jats are Muslims, and &#39;Savla Pir&#39;,
who lived about 400 years ago with his camel herd on an island in Kori Creek is
their beloved Sufi saint. And like every year, this year too, they have
organised a two-day fair - Savla Pir no melo - in Lakhpat. On April 28
and 29, 2024.

The fair is bustling event, a riot of colours,
sounds, activities, and emotions. The Jats set up a pandal above a large
platform they have readied for the evening performance; small shops for
clothes, food, utensils, and handicrafts are springing up. A group of elderly men
drinking tea notice and greet me saying, “we are so glad you came from so far
to be a part of the festival.&#39;&#39; 



There are many pilgrims arriving at the fair
by now -- on foot, in automobiles, but mostly in groups in a tempo traveller. There
are a large number of women at the fair, dressed in vibrant colours, reluctant
to talk or be photographed. 



It is 9 p.m. when the drummers begin to play
the music. A slow-paced and rhythmic beat reverberates through the air. One
elderly man suddenly bursts into a song of devotion, a song sung in Sindhi for Savla
Pir. In a few minutes more people join him in the singing. A few others form a
circle and begin to dance, keeping pace with the song and the drumbeats, slowly
walking into midnight. 

The next day April 29th, the main day of the
festival, begins with religious talks given by community leaders from the
morning. The shops are set, people are pouring in to seek blessings, to enjoy
the fair.

&quot;We are ready for the procession;
everyone, please gather at the praying area.&quot; A loud voice announces at 3
p.m. Crowds of men holding above their heads little wooden boats adorned with a
white sail and burgee on the mast with colourful embroidery, roar with joy, singing,
and chanting the name of Savla Pir as they circle through the fair before rushing
towards the shrine amidst the blinding light and dust clouds. The boat
represents Savla Pir&#39;s presence because the saint used to travel between
islands through creeks in his boat. 



“I come here every year. We need the blessings
of Savla baba,” says Jayesh Rabari, 40, who I meet during the fair. He
has come from Anjar. “We spend the entire night here. Have tea with Fakirani
brothers and when the celebrations end, we go home with a happy heart.” 



“When my family faces any problem or hardship,
we come here to offer prayers and things get resolved. I have been coming here
for last 14 years,” says 30-year-old Geeta Ben Rabari, who has walked all the
way from Bhuj to be at the fair. 



“All religion is fundamentally based on Love.
Remember that without love, there is no religion,” says poet Umar Haji Suleman
when I go to bid adieu after two days of festivities.

A shrine to love in the desert

ریگستان میں محبت سے منسوب ایک مزار

பாலைவனத்தில் அன்புக்கான வழிபாட்டுத் தலம்

ਮਾਰੂਥਲ ਵਿੱਚ ਵੀ ਮੁਹੱਬਤ ਦਾ ਸੁਨੇਹਾ ਦਿੰਦੀ ਮਜ਼ਾਰ

ମରୁଭୂମିରେ ପ୍ରେମର ଏକ ପୂଜାପୀଠ

वाळवंटातला प्यारा पीर

മരുഭൂമിയിൽ സ്നേഹത്തിനായി ഒരു മന്ദിരം

ಮರಳುಗಾಡಿನಲ್ಲೊಂದು ಪ್ರೇಮ ಮಂದಿರ

रेगिस्तान में प्रेम का पैग़ाम देती एक दरगाह

रेगिस्तान मं मया के  मंदिर

रेगिस्तान में भाईचारा आ प्रेम के दरगाह

মরুদেশে প্রেমের প্রতীক সাওলা পীরের মাজার

মৰুৰাজ্যত প্ৰেমৰ তীৰ্থক্ষেত্র

કચ્છના સુકા રણમાં મોહબ્બતની દરગાહ

Lakhpat Taluka, Kachchh, Gujarat, 370511, India

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A shrine to love in the desert

Fakirani Jats of the Kachchh region have been followers of Savla Pir, a saint revered by this Muslim community. Every year they organise a two-day fair called Savla Pir no melo at his shrine

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