Devotees in large numbers paid obeisance at the shrine of Sufi saint Naugaza Peer at a village in Jammu district on Thursday, coinciding with the saint's annual Urs.The devotees prayed at the shrine in Sangral village in R.S. Pura sector which is located along the international border.Although people cutting across religious faiths come to attend the annual Urs at the Sufi saint's shrine even today, the partition of the subcontinent in 1947 has changed the scenario to some extent.
Before partition, the shrine fell in Sialkot district, which now forms a border district in Pakistan's Punjab province.
The caretakers of the shrine said the saint's followers from across the border cannot come to pay obeisance now."Before 1947, the devotees and disciples of Naugaza Peer would assemble here on the annual Urs (festival) from different places... People irrespective of their religious beliefs would come here, which is a practice today as well, but now Baba Ji's followers from across the border are unable to pay obeisance here", Preetam Singh and Sham Lal, caretakers of the shrine, said.
The caretakers said the governments of India and Pakistan should facilitate such gatherings as the message of Sufi saints goes beyond borders, besides being a goodwill gesture.
"There are many such places where administration in both India and Pakistan make arrangements for cross-border devotees to pray at shrines and seek blessings," they said."Like the annual mela at Baba Chambyal, where devotees from both sides of the border are not only allowed, but are also facilitated by BSF by distributing sweets among them. Similar arrangements should be made at Naugaza Peer's shrine."On Thursday, during the Urs at Naugaza Peer's shrine believers from across the border were allowed by the Pakistan Rangers to come near the fence on the international border.
Devotees from Parwal, Chumbyian and Chuha Chakh villages of Pakistan came to pray near the fence on the international border looking at the Sufi shrine that is just 400 metres away from the fence.
Emotional scenes were witnessed when people from the Pakistan side prayed while facing towards the shrine of the Sufi saint while a large number of devotees on either side waved to each other."There should be no restrictions at such places which are abode of peace and spiritual blessings. Fences cannot diminish the love and faith, people have in such shrines," a devotee, who had come with his family to the shrine, said.The original name of the saint was Baba Nau Sai Sayali. He was nine feet tall. Devotees would come from both India and Pakistan on the annual Urs till 1984 with a nine feet long chaddar for the saint's mausoleum.The shrine was closed in 1984 because it was crumbling. In 2004, the BSF restored the shrine after which the Urs is being celebrated every year.