MICHELBOMN

(CENTRE FOR SOUTH AsIAN STUDIES CNRS-EHESS)

MURSID MULAN SAH (1883-1962): A SUFI ITINERARY FROM SEHWAN SHARIF IN PAKISTAN TO HARIDWAR IN INDIA

iilchand Faqir, also known as Miilat}. Sah among his followers, was born M in 1883 in the town of Sehwan Sharif, in Sindh, a province which was then included into the Bombay presidency.1 Sehwan was a very old city and the British's interest focused on the Purana Qilla (Old Fort), since they were con• vinced it was "Alexander's Fort". The mausoleum of the Sufi La' 1 Sahbaz Qalan• dar (d. 1274) also attracted their attention but mainly because of its exotic fash• ion, especially through the innumerable number of mendicants invading the place. The veneration of La' 1 Sahbaz Qalandar went through a number of cele• brations, and it was remarkable that the local Hindus played a ritual role in these functions. Miilchand Faqir belonged to the Nevai;iis, one of the two Hindu fami• lies who led the procession of the henna (mendi), and he was thus himself men• dibardar for years, until his death in 1962. Simultaneously, he was living as a recluse after being initiated in the Sufi path by Sayyid Rakhyal Sah. After partition in 1947, Miilchand's followers migrated to India, while he him• self stayed in Sehwan, now in Pakistan. Before Miilchand's demise, they started to celebrate his birthday in India, and they built a number of shrines (samadhs) where his cult was celebrated. 2 My aim here is many folds. After showing that the Sufism of Sindh is interreligious in beliefs and practices, I shall examine how the Sindhi Sufi legacy was framed by the migrants to fit a new Hindu local environment. By the way, I shall try to identify what are the social and identity implications in this milieu. First, I shall introduce the specificity of Sufism in Sehwan Sharif, the character of Miilchand himself, and also how a cult devoted to him went to be created in Sehwan. The second part will focus on the migration of Miilchand's followers, es• pecially on Gehimal Mo!Wani, who was, to some extend only, his successor, and how they managed Miilchand's cult in India. The third part will scrutinize the last manifestation of the cult, through the building of a new shrine in Haridwar, and also the issue of competition among the followers. The two last parts will

l - The transliteration from Sindhi is based on Asani 1992. 2 - The terminology of Sufi spaces in Sindh was briefly addressed in Boivin 2011: 29-30.

Orimt, Modnno, XCII, 2012, 2, p. 289-310 © lstituto per l'Oricnte Carlo Alfonso Nallino - Roma MICHEL BOIVIN propose a theory about how Miilchand's cult provides satisfaction to his Indian followers, while it is almost non-existent in Pakistan.

The intertwine ofSufism and Hinduism in Sehwan Sharif The fame of the holy city of Sehwan Sharif, located in central Sindh, the south• ern-eastern province of Pakistan, is due to the saint who is buried there: La' l Sahbaz Qalandar, who presumably died in 1274. Born in Western Persia at the end of 12th Century, La' l Sahbaz Qalandar travelled in the Middle East before reaching the Indian subcontinent, at a time when the area was under the Mon• gol threat (Boivin 2012). Local tradition ascribed him various miracles, also claim• ing that he won numerous followers, both Muslims and Hindus. After his demise, an annual fair was arranged to commemorate his death, under• stood as his mystical union with God, his curs. During three days, a procession was arranged for bringing henna, the mendi which is in the Indian subcontinent the symbol of wedding, to the tomb. Local tradition claims that La' l Sahbaz himself decided of the schedule: the first procession was to be conducted by lo• cal sayyids, the Lakkiyyaris, the second day by the Hindu family of the Nev:it)is, and the third day by another Hindu family, that of the Kanungos. Following La'l Sahbaz Qalandar, Sehwan was the birth place of a number of saints, both Muslim and Hindu. Since the 16th century, Sehwan was also a cradle of Sufi literati in Sindhi (Boivin 2011). The oldest known poetry is Sindhi language was authored by a Sehwani, Qazi Qadan (c. 1463-1551). Dalpat ~iifi (1769-1842), who belonged to the Mer:it)i family which was involved into the mendi ritual, was a follower of Bha 'i Asardas, himself a follower of Salamullah Sah ~iifi of Jhok Sari£ Dalpat ~iifi is the author of a kalam in Sindhi, a diwtin and a masnawi in Persian (Sadarangani 1956: 203-205).3 His Sufi poetry in Sindhi was published in India. Mehta Can• drabhan belonged to the Kanungos, another Hindu family involved in the men• di ritual. He composed a work in Persian under the title of Maqtilat al-fuc arti' about 1759. It is not published yet. It is probably the oldest Persian work even written by a Hindu. In the 19th and 20th Centuries, the growth ofLa'l Sahbaz's fame attracted numerous Sufis who went to settle in Sehwan. It was the case of Hadi Bakhs Sah (1879-1942) from the Jahaniyyan silsilo, a local branch of the Cistiyyah, and also Sobhraj Harj:it)i (1901-1981). Both these Sufis composed Sufi poetry in Sindhi (Sobhraj 1997). It was remarkable that both Hindus and Muslims were involved in the main rituals, but also in the writing of Sufi poetry. Sufi poetry plays a tremendous role in the performance of the main Sufi rituals. The singing of poetry is still the main tool through which the devotee communicates with the living Sufi master, and also with La'l Sahbaz Qalandar himself. It was in such a context that Miil-

3 - Briefly said, the word kalam is used as a generic term for Sufi poetry. Diwan and ristilo are among other common terms.