he partition of the Indian subcontinent in August 1947 gave birth to two independent states—India and Pakistan. For nation-building and state formation, the two took two different paths. A common trait in their approaches has been the disowning of many local heroes, historic sites and events where those do not fit in narratives in the service of favoured ideologies.

In Pakistan, heroes, sites and events have been otherised in the name of religion for decades. India, when it pursued Hindutva, similarly discarded heroes, sites and events that challenged that ideological orientation. In writing official histories, both states were selective in focusing on certain eras, events, personalities, characters and incidents, while discarding others. Consequently, many heroes, sites and events celebrated across the border did not make it to official and academic historical writings.

Dera Udasi Baba Bhumman Shah is one of the historic sites that have been otherised in Pakistan.

Bhumman Shah, according to the Gazetteer of the Montgomery (now Sahiwal) district (1883), was an Udasi mendicant. The term Udasi refers to celibate ascetic orders that trace their spiritual lineage to Baba Sri Chand, the elder of the two sons of Baba Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism.

Udasi Sikhs are also called Sanatani (Hinduised) Sikhs because they follow only the first Sikh guru—Baba Guru Nanak (out of ten Sikh Gurus) and largely practice Hinduism.

Bhumman Shah was born on April 14, 1687 CE, in Behlolpur village, in the Punjab. His father, Chaudhury Hassa Ram, was a lumberdar (village headman) and a well-known landlord of Behlolpur. Both Hassa Ram and his wife, Mata Rajo Bai, were known to be highly religious and devotees of Guru Nanak as well as of Baba Sri Chand.

Accounts of Bhumman Shah’s early childhood are replete with mythical stories. For instance, it is reported that a cobra was found sitting on his chest while he slept in his cradle. On seeing this, his mother was frightened. When she rushed to kill or drive the cobra away, however, it disappeared.

There are plenty of such stories associated with him that speak of a miraculous existence. For example, it is reported that he used to give life to the dead sparrows and return the lost crops to the poor farmers. Owing to these miracles, he became popular among the masses. Therefore, his house was always crowded with people seeking his darshan (appearance).

Another story related to Bhumman Shah’s miracles is recounted here:

It is narrated that Chaudhury Lakha Wattoo, a Muslim Rajput landlord from Kutub Kot village, had been arrested for some reason and put behind bars in Lahore on the order of the Punjab governor. Lakha’s mother, Bibi Bakhtawar, a staunch devotee of Baba Bhumman Shah, asked for his blessings for the release of her son. Baba Bhumman Shah’s blessing materialised, and her son was released from jail within a couple of days. As a result, Lakha and his numerous Muslim relatives from the Wattoo tribe also became devotees of Baba Bhumman Shah. In addition, the tribe also surrendered the Kutub Kot village to Baba Bhumman Shah, which later became the centre of his religious activities and came to be known as Dera Udasi Baba Bhumman Shah.

Bhumman Shah travelled from village to village to preach his message of love, peaceful coexistence, universal brotherhood, religious tolerance and equality. He had followers among several denominations, including Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims.

Bhumman Shah was enrolled at a school when he turned seven. He was a smart and intelligent student. He learnt Hinduism, Sikhism and Islam at a very young age. Besides attending to his religious lessons, Bhumman Shah also performed worldly chores like grazing cows in the company of other village boys. He would take his cows to the forest, where he would also carry plenty of food and jal (water) to run a free kitchen (langar) for the passers-by, including the ascetics, the poor and the orphans.

By the time Bhumman’s family moved from Behlolpur to Deepalpur, he was around fifteen and had a strong desire to become a monk. His parents supported him in this and thus Bhumman met with Baba Pritam Das of Pakpattan, who was a prominent adept of Udasi Panth. On being formally initiated and baptised by Baba Pritam Das, Bhumman himself became Baba Bhumman Shah.

Soon, he started propagating religious messages at the centre – Dera Udasi Baba Bhumman Shah – which were always accompanied by kirtan and langar.

Apart from preaching at the Dera, Bhumman Shah travelled from village to village to preach his message of love, peaceful coexistence, universal brotherhood, religious tolerance and equality. He had followers among several denominations, including Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims. Baba Bhumman Shah also visited the dargah of Baba Farid, the Golden Temple in Amritsar and numerous other sites belonging to Muslims, Sikhs, and Hindus during his religious itineraries.

After carrying out his religious mission for well over 50 years, Baba Bhumman Shah died in 1762 CE at the age of 75. He was succeeded by Mahant Nirmal Chand, who continued his work. The spiritual and pragmatic teachings of Baba Bhumman Shah have been presented in the form of aphorisms in a booklet by his ardent devotee, Sage Chandra Swami.

Dera Udasi Baba Bhumman Shah comprised an ornately decorated fort-like structure that contains the samadhis (shrines) of Baba Bhumman Shah, Baba Lalchand and Baba Darshan Das (Bhumman Shah’s fifth successor), residential quarters, and a large Durbar Hall that was used for ceremonies and congregational prayers. The residential quarters are currently occupied by Muslim families who had migrated from East Punjab during the Partition.

Different structures in the complex were built in different times. Arguably, the latest additions were the Serai and the Gurdwara built during Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s and the British time, respectively.

There were four gates to enter this shrine and the walls were decorated with colourful frescos. The central shrine is painted with Sikh era paintings. The fresco art in the shrine prominently features women in scenes from mythology, folklore, history and everyday life. However, everyday visitors still appreciate the depiction of women in complex roles: as lovers, knowledge seekers, devotees, entertainers, workers, hunters, celestial beings and victims of conflict.

Dera Udasi Baba Bhumman Shah was one of the greatest monuments of Udasi or Sanatni Sikhs. However, its current condition is deplorable; it is on the verge of ruin.

Some of the structures have collapsed, there is garbage everywhere and some of the land has been encroached upon. The faces in some frescoes have been mercilessly carved out.

An apt depiction resonates in Dr Tarunjit Singh Butalia’s book, My Journey Home: Going Back to Lehnda Punjab. He writes, “As I looked at the beautiful murals on the sides of the verandah, I looked up to see the wooden roof on top of this priceless heritage was rotting. I came away saddened that the paintings on the walls under the verandah that had survived for hundreds of years may not last much longer.”

Despite inheriting peerless splendour and grandeur, Dera Udasi Bhumman Shah is in a poor state mainly due to the negligence on the part of state authorities. It has been discarded largely due to the state’s ideological orientation.

Just like the Dera, plenty of historic sites, events and heroes have either been excluded from the pages of history or ignored. They have neither been preserved nor paid due attention. As a result, we have been losing precious heritage.

There is a dire need to preserve these sites on the one hand and use them to promote tourism on the other. The sooner these heritage sites are preserved and maintained the better it will be. The Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Evacuee Trust Property Board for the reservation of Dera Udasi Baba Bhumman Shah. However, work for the preservation and renovation has yet to begin.

Dr. Mazhar Abbas has a PhD in history from Shanghai University. He is a lecturer at GCU, Faisalabad, and a research fellow at the PIDE, Islamabad. He can be contacted at mazharabbasgondal87@gmail.com. He tweets at @MazharGondal87

Muhammad Yasin Shafique is an M Phil student in history at GCU, Faisalabad