Date of visit: 31 January 2021
(All pictures and writeup text used in this blog, is author property, kindly respect copyrights)
 |
| Gurdwara Building & Grave on right |
In
August 1947, when, after three hundred years in India, the British finally
left, the subcontinent was partitioned into two independent nation-states:
Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan. Immediately, there began one
of the greatest migrations in human history, as millions of Muslims trekked to
West and East Pakistan (the latter is now known as Bangladesh) while millions
of Hindus and Sikhs headed in the opposite direction. Many hundreds of
thousands never made it.
Across
the Indian subcontinent, communities that had coexisted for almost a millennium
attacked each other in a terrifying outbreak of sectarian violence, with Hindus
and Sikhs on one side and Muslims on the other—a mutual genocide as unexpected
as it was unprecedented. In Punjab and Bengal—provinces abutting India’s
borders with West and East Pakistan, respectively—the carnage was especially
intense, with massacres, arson, forced conversions, mass abductions, and savage
sexual violence. Some seventy-five thousand women were raped, and many of them
were then disfigured or dismembered.
My article is a retrospection of memories of Baba Virsa Singh Virik about Hado
Sahari village of district Kasur in Pakistan, where he was born in 1931 and
lives there till the partition of 1947.
Hado
Sahari village is located 7 kilometers from district Kasur and 50 kilometers
from Lahore city. It lies on a natural mound.
Baba Virsa Singh was born in a Sikh Jatt family, for centuries his
family's only source of living was farming and livestock. Before the partitioning
of British India, in Hado Sahari village mostly Virik Jut’s clan used to live.
Along
Hado Sahari there were four other villages of Virik Jut’s (Nathoke, Gagga, and
he has forgotten the name of one village of Virk’s) in Lahore. In the proximity
of Hado Sahari, most of the villages were of Bhullar Jut’s. Baba Virsa Singh never went to school, every
day he drew his cattle to Kot Murad in Kasur for Grazing and returns home in
the evening.
He
shared an interesting story about how his ancestors came to this village and
decide to settle here. Five generations
back, a boy name Sahari lives with his widow mother in a village in
Sheikhupura.
At that time in villages, there used to be only one oil mill. Oil sold and given to every home on their
turn, that is once a week. The oil mill owner maintains a weekly register for
that.
One
day some guests have arrived at Sahari's house, his mother sends him to the oil
mill shop to bring oil, so she could be able to cook some food for his guests.
It was not the Sahari family's turn of the day of getting oil, the oil mill the owner refused and returns him home empty-handed. The guests were hungry, Sahari's mother did
not want to send them without serving food, so she came along his son to the
oil mill shop and requested him to lend him the oil of somebody else turn and
gave them oil back on their turn.
The person whose turn of getting oil was dew that day came to the oil mill shop and
when he came to know that his turn oil taken by somebody else, he got angry and
called Sahari's mother in the Panchayat (villagers court) the next day. The
Sahari's mother was embarrassed in front of Panchayat and warned for doing such
an act again in the future. She took this insult to heart, grabbed his son
along, and left the village in the south direction at night. Both the mother
and son walked for many days and reached the place where the present village of
Hado Sahari is located. They decided to settle here.
There
are two Villages by the same name i.e., Sahari in tehsil and district Kasur,
and have earned the name Hado Sahari (Hardo in ‘Persian’ means both). The
Gurdwara Sahari Pir is in the outskirt of the Village and there is a grave
present adjacent to it. The present custodian of this place told this grave to belong
to Sahari Pir. It was interesting for me to find a Sikh Gurudwara and Grave at
the same place as both are symbols of two different religions.
How
the young Sahari turned to 'Sahari Pir' is also a very interesting story and
shared by Baba Virsa Singh Virik in his oral interview. (one can find on YouTube,
'Hardo Sahari, Kasur to Sanghe, Mansha by Sanwal Dhami, santalinama-252).
Sahari
was a Sikh Virk Jatt, after settling in the village he started his living by harvesting
a few seasonal vegetables and having few domestic animals.
If
you travel to Kasur there is a small town named Basti Sheikh Bhago present,
here the tomb of Hazrat Sheikh Bhago Sultan R.A is still standing. This shrine
is one of the oldest in Kasur. Hazrat Sheikh Bhago Sultan RA settled in the
area even a century earlier than Baba Bullah Shah. This shrine is roughly 7 kilometers
from the present Hado Sahari village.
 |
| Tomb of Hazrat Sheikh Bhago Sultan R.A |
One-night
thieves came to Hado Sahari and stole most of the domestic animals from the
village and took them to the nearest town of Kot Murad in Kasur.
Sahari's
animals were also among the stolen, along with the other villagers he also
started searching and found out few clues that their animal was taken to Kot
Murad. The thieves, who stole the animal found that villagers reached after
them. It was an era of Hazrat Sheikh Bhago Sultan R.A living in Kot Murad
khan. The thieves reached to the Sheikh
and persuaded repentance for their sin and promised they will leave stealing in
the future if their lives were protected from villagers. Which he accepted, and with his manifestation, he changed the looks of animals. The stolen animals were shown to villagers and
Sahari; the villagers could not guess that these were their animal and were
returning in despair but Sahari came in front of Hazrat and asked what bribe he
took from the thieves to change the looks of animals. Hazrat Sheikh Bhago
Sultan R.A smiled and said only a true soul can found this secret. Hazrat
Sheikh Bhago Sultan R.A also announced to Sahari that he will become a saint in
the future.
 |
| Mosque of Hazrat Sheikh Bhago Sultan R.A |
 |
| Mosque of Hazrat Sheikh Bhago Sultan R.A |
 |
| Mosque of Hazrat Sheikh Bhago Sultan R.A |
Hazrat
Sheikh Bhago Sultan R. A’s statement went true in future years, Sahari becomes
a saint and people still know his name by Pir Sahari Chhina. Sahari was born in
the Sikh Virik Jatt family when he died his last will was that his body shall
be buried instead of cremation. Hence a controversy arose between Sikhs and
Muslims that whether Sahari died as a Muslim or Sikh.
According
to Sikh's, Pir Sahari Chhina Jatt became a great saint after becoming a Sikh of
Guru Amar Das Ji and the Gurdwara built in this memory. The building is strong
being new. 85 ghumaon of land granted to the Gurdwara is in this Village. The
Muslims of the Village call this place Sahari Pir. A sheet of cloth with
Quranic verses covers his grave now and Muslim Villagers recite Quran. A fair
is held annually. Muslim fakir_ looks after the Shrine.
Now
come to Baba Virsa Singh Virik during the partition of 1947 three of his father's
brothers were murdered, he lost all his property, he luckily crossed the border
with his elder sister. He is now living a happy life with his grandchildren in
the village of Varnala in Indian Punjab. He stills remember his early days of
his life in Hado Sahari village. Many years back after partition, he sent a
letter to Hado Sahari's postal address, that he is coming to Lahore for a
religious tour from India and if somebody knows him from the village should
come to meet him. At the partition, an eight-year
boy from his family was left behind in the village. The boy converted his faith
to Muslim, so his life was forgiven. He still remembers Baba Virsa Singh
and after receiving his letter he took all his family to Lahore to welcome Baba
Virsa. It was the time of the '80s, unfortunately, Baba Virsa Singh Virik was
mistakenly arrested last minute before coming to Pakistan under the charges
that he is a member of the Akali movement. His host that arrived from his
native village of Hado Sahari waited for him for fifteen days, but he was not
able to come.
Baba
Virsa Singh Virik never able to come to Pakistan again to see his birthplace but he still remembers every inch of that
village.
Site Map:-
