Annual celebrations of 278th Urs of Shah Latif begins today

MATYARI: Annual celebrations of the Urs of Sufi saint Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai to begin at shrine town of Bhitshah on Tuesday (today), ARY News reported.

The custodian of Bhitshah shrine will formally open the Urs celebrations by laying floral wreath at the grave of Shah Bhittai in Bhitshah.

The devotees reaching Bhitshah to attend the 278th annual Urs of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai. A large number of devotees have thronged in Bhitshah at National Highway near Hala, the centre of traditional Sindhi handicrafts.

The government of Sindh has announced public holiday in the province on September 22nd.

The urs begins every year on 14th Safar and lasts for three days. The three-day ceremony of the Urs begin with poetry recital, literary conference, and other cultural activities.

The Sindh government relaxed Covid restrictions in the province from September 16 (Thursday), including allowing shrines to open at the discretion of the divisional and district administrations concerned.

Last year all official Urs celebrations were canceled due to Covid related restrictions on the directives of the government.

Only award distribution ceremony was held at H.T. Sorley Hall.

Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai ( 1689 to 1752) was a great poet and Sufi saint. He is widely considered to be the greatest poet of the Sindhi language. His collected poems were compiled in “Shah Jo Risalo”, which exists in numerous versions and has been translated into English, Urdu, and several other languages.