CHILLA SHAH BADR DEWAN

25-12-2014

Chilla of Shah Badr Dewan is located to the north of Shrine of Khawaja Mehmud and exactly northwest of Begampura. This is the place where the saint passed forty days of seclusion and meditation during his stay in Lahore.

The imposing edifice stands in the centre of a walled enclosure on a platform of the height of 3 feet. It is a quadrangular building surmounted by a high neck dome of green color. The entrance to the building is from stairs to the south and the walls of the remaining three sides are perforated by latticed work of red sandstone which has now been ruthlessly whitewashed. The structure was originally decorated with beautiful glazed pottery work, of blue and yellow color, to the height of three feet from ground all around. Traces of the pottery work are still extant in some areas. To the north is a small tower, decorated with pottery work and intended as a place for a lamp.

The final resting place of Shah Badr Dewan is in the village of Masanian in Batala, India. The saint's real name was Syed Hasan Badr-ud-din Gilani (Baghdadi) but he was betterknown as Baba Shah Badr Dewan. He is a descendant of Ghaus-ul-Azam Syed Abdul Qadir Gilani. He was born in Baghdad in 861 AH. He left Baghdad in 904 AH and came to Lahore where he stayed for several years. From Lahore, he moved to village Masanian (3 miles east of Batala, India) where he passed away in 978 AH.