Shrine of Baba Farid

The Shrine of Baba Farid ganje shakar rehmatullah alaih pakpatnam (Punjabi and Urdu: بابا فرید درگاہ) is a 13th-century Muslim shrine and one of Pakistan's most important Sufi and Islamic shrines, which is dedicated to the Sufi mystic Fariduddin Ganjshakar, popularly known as Baba Farid and is also considered as the "National Islamic Saint of Pakistan" respectively.

The shrine complex includes a large mosque.

Its name

The Shrine of Baba Farid was built in the town that was known in medieval times as Ajodhan, the old town's importance was eclipsed by that of the shrine, as evidenced by its renaming to "Pakpattan," meaning "Pure Ferry" - referencing a river crossing made by pilgrims to the shrine.^[1] The shrine was central to a process that resulted in the conversion of local Jat tribes to Islam over the course of several centuries.^[2][3]

Traditions

In keeping with Sufic tradition in Punjab, the shrine maintains influence over smaller shrines throughout the region around Pakpattan that are dedicated to specific events in Baba Farid's life.^[4] The secondary shrines form a wilayat, or a "spiritual territory" of the shrine,^[4] with Pakpattan serving as the capital of Baba Farid's spiritual territory, or wilayat.^[4] The shrine and its wilayat also bound local tribes together with a collective identity based on reverence for the shrine.^[2]

The shrine is administered by the Auqaf Department.^[5] The shrine is open 24 hours a day for visitors, every day of the year.

Charity

Gifts and donations to the shrine are redistributed to other devotees in a practice that follows Baba Farid's example.^[3] Baba Farid's shrine became a centre of wealth redistribution throughout western Punjab.^[3] The shrine maintains a langar, or canteen, which serves free meals to the poor.^[6]