Baba Ram Thaman Shrine is a Hindu Shrine located in the Khala Kharu village, in Kasur District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The Shrine is dedicated to Ram Thaman, a 16th-century Vaishnav saint. The Shrine is famous for its annual Vaisakhi fair.[2] The Shrine is a Smadh i.e. a sacred space constructed over the ashes and burial ground of a Hindu saint.[3] This is the one of 36 Dwaras of Ramanandi Sampradaya of Vaishnavas.[4]
| Baba Ram Thaman Shrine | |
|---|---|
 Baba Ram Thaman Shrine | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| District | Kasur District |
| Deity | Baba Ram Thaman Bairagi[1] |
| Location | |
| State | Punjab, Pakistan |
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Geographic coordinates | 31°09′40.7″N 74°16′27.3″E / 31.161306°N 74.274250°E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Hindu temple |
History
editThe Baba Ram Thaman was a 16th-century Hindu saint and an older cousin of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. In the 16th century, he set up his camp near the Khala Kharu village. After his death, a shrine was built at the place. Several temples and a pond were later added over time. His devotees also settled at the temple complex till the Partition.[2] The Vaisakhi fair was held annually at the shrine since 16th century CE and it was attended by around 60,000 pilgrims.[5]
Even after the Partition, the Vaisaki celebrations are conducted annually in the Shrine and the majority of the attendants are Muslims.[2][3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ पाकिस्तान-में-बाबा-राम-थमjamanaaaj.tv 27 April 2020 Archived 28 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c "In defiance: Celebrating Baisakhi at a Hindu shrine in Pakistan". Scroll. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
- ^ a b "How colonialism eroded Pakistan's history of religious fluidity". Aljazeera. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
- ^ "पाकिस्तान में बाबा राम थमन बैरागी के द्वारे पर सबसे बड़ा बैसाखी मेला". www.jamanaaaj.tv. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
- ^ Gazetteer of the Ferozpur District: 1883. 1883. p. 63.