778th annual Urs of Baba Farid Ganj Shakar begins at Pakpattan

PAKPATTAN: The 778th annual Urs celebrations at the shrine of Baba Farid-ud-Din Ganj Shakar in Pakpattan started on Sunday morning, ARY News reported.

Shrine caretaker Dewan Modood Masood Chishti opened 15 days’ rites of Urs at the renowned Sufi shrine.

The Urs began with special prayers for the safety and security of the country, end of the novel coronavirus pandemic and for independence of Indian occupied Kashmir.

Given the threat of resurgence of coronavirus cases it was earlier decided to allow a limited number of devotees to attend the rites of the Urs of Baba Farid-ud-Din Ganj Shakar this year.

It was decided that devotees from other cities would not be encouraged to enter Pakpattan to attend the Urs of the revered shrine.

It had also been decided that the Bahishti Darwaza of the shrine would be opened only for two nights, instead of traditional five nights.

The police department has made special arrangements to provide foolproof security during the Urs celebrations.

Earlier, local administration officials visited the shrine to inspect the arrangements for the event and the security measures at the entrance and exit points of the shrine.

The auqaf department has established special water stalls, while devotees are also served with langar.