Bhit Shah : Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai ‘Urs’ Begins Today

BHIT SHAH: A three day ceremony reflecting the annual ‘Urs’ of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai started in Bhit Shah on Friday. The ‘Urs’ ceremony is all set to be initiated by Speaker Sindh Assmbly Nisar Khuhro.

The current activities within Bhit Shah marks the 269 annual ‘Urs’ of the Sufi poet.

Thousands of Bhitai’s devotees have started arriving at his mausoleum in Bhit Shah to offer prayers to the Sufi saint.

The first day of the ceremony would include a cultural program, a horse riding and a Sindhi style wrestling event while the second day would offer a literary conference.

A Sindhi musical program would be witnessed on the third and the final day of the ‘Urs’ following which an award ceremony would be conducted in which Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah is expect to give away the award to the best performers.

The Urs

The Urs is a grand festival in Sindh, where people from almost every village and town of Sindh and from different cities of other provinces of Pakistan – rich and poor, young and old, scholars and peasants – make a determined effort to attend. The Urs commences every year from 14th Safar (2nd month of Hijra calendar) and lasts for three days. Along with other features, like food fairs, open-air markets selling Ajrak and Sindhi Caps among others, and entertaining and competitive sports, a literary gathering is also held where papers concerning the research work done on the life, poetry, and message of Bhittai, are read, by scholars and renowned literary figures. His disciples and ascetics, singers and artists, gather around and sing passages from his Risalo. Scholarly debates and exhibitions of his work and traditional Sindhi artefacts are also organised.

INCPak.