Since the Partition in 1947, east (Indian) Punjab was transformed into a non-Muslim province. Contemporary states and the historiography have either undermined or peripherlized the significance of Sufi saints and their shrines in shaping notions of sacred in the longue durée of Punjab. Interestingly, despite the violent upheavals following the Partition and attempts to dissuade Sikhs and Hindus from venerating Sufi saint shrines, shared notions of sacred continue to occupy an important place in the contemporary Punjab. I approach these associations through the lens of historical encounters. These are expressed in the form of piety and sustained through significant process of memorialisation.

Venerating Gaus Pak on the banks Kali Bein at Sultanpur Lodhi © Yogesh Snehi

Ghuram Sharif congratulates on the birth of Guru Gobind Singh © Yogesh Snehi

Shared memory of Baba Farid at Tilla Baba Farid, Faridkot © Yogesh Snehi

A Sikh devotee at the Shrine of Haider Sheikh of Malerkotla © Yogesh Snehi

Pir Bhaur Shah visits Baba Jallan Das at Naushera Dhala © Yogesh Snehi

Dr Yogesh Snehi is Assistant Professor in the School of Liberal Studies of Ambedkar University Delhi, India. Yogesh is the author of Popular Sufi Shrines in Punjab: Dreams, Memories, Territoriality (2019), amongst other works.