Roorkee: A batch of 150 Pakistani devotees on Friday reached Roorkee in Uttarakhand to attend the 754th annual Urs of Piran Kaliyar. The devotees reached Roorke railway station by Lahori Express train. After landing at the railway station, all the pilgrims were warmly welcomed with flower garlands. Amidst heavy security, the devotees were sent to Piran Kaliyar in buses.
The devotees will stay at Sabri Guest House in Piran Kaliyar for a week till the Urs celebrations end. They will leave for Pakistan in the Lahori Express. Afzal Mangalori, the convener of the Urs Organising Committee and an international poet said that the devotees will take Gangajal with them to the Shiva temple in Lahore to promote goodwill between the people of the two countries.
Afzal Mangalori said that the Gangajal will be presented to the leader of the Pakistani batch on October 10 in a programme in Piran Kaliyar by Dr Kalpana Saini and Swami Yatishwaranand Maharaj. Besides, the Tabruk (souvenir) of Dargah Sabir will be presented to the visiting pilgrims by Wakf Board President Shadab Shams.
Also read: Pakistan pilgrims arriving in Roorkee for Piran Kaliyar Urs in Roorkee
According to Afzal Mangalori, the Indian Embassy in Islamabad has granted visas for pilgrims, who will arrive in Roorkee. Afzal Mangalori said that the group consisting of over 150 pilgrims is coming to India after five years with the message of goodwill and world peace. In 2017, 153 pilgrims from Pakistan participated in the Urs.
In the year 2017, 153 travelers from Pakistan participated in the Urs. Afzal Mangalori said that the Diwan Saheb Ahmed Masood Faridi of Baba Farid Pakpattan, the biggest dargah of Pakistan, whose most verses are written in the holy book of Sikhs, Guru Granth Sahib, has also arrived in the group for the first time.
Along with this, Sahibzada Mohammad Shafi from the Dargah Data Darbar of Lahore is also in the batch. Tight security arrangements are in place for the Urs. Urs of Piran Kaliyar is special: Urs is organized every year in Piran Kaliyar, Roorkee. The tradition of Urs is more than seven hundred years old. On this occasion lakhs of pilgrims (devotees) come here from all over the country and abroad.
Traditional Sufiana Kalam and Qawwalis are a special attraction here during Urs. Funds are also provided by Uttarakhand Tourism for organizing the annual Urs fair.
