Holy Urs of ‘Peer o Murshid Pak’ Observed
As in every year, this year too, the 68th annual Urs of Sufi Ascetic His Holiness Syed Shah Ershad Ali Al Quaderi was observed in the evening on 5th January, Tuesday (21 Jamidiul Awal) in the premises of the Jora Masjid in Midnapore, in the Burial Shrine located in Karikor Para, Mongolkote, East Burdwan, and in the Burial Shrine at Hazrat Rowshanganj, of Purnia District in Bihar, and at No. 22, Khankah Sharif Masjid, Kolkata. All programs were directed by the grandson of His Holiness, the present successor, Head of the Order, ‘Boro Huzur Pak’ His Holiness Syed Shah Rashid Ali Al Quaderi Al Baghdadi.
It is mentionable that, this great Sufi luminary, more well known as ‘Peer o Murshid Pak’, is the 20th generation descendant of the patriarch of Sufism, the founding spirit of the Quaderia Order, His Holiness Ghausul Azam (the Great Helper) Abdul Quader Jilani. His forefathers, with the aim to propagating the practice of Sufism came to this land from Holy Baghdad about two hundred fifty years ago and the Quaderia Order was propagated in the heart of Bengal. On the occasion of the Holy Urs of the father of this great saint ‘Mawla Pak’, a special train comes to Midnapore from neighboring Bangladesh on 4th Falgun carrying a few thousand pilgrims. He has numerous followers and disciples in various countries including India and Bangladesh. Due to the present Corona-created situation and the pandemic, this Urs festival was conducted in the current year in the presence of a limited number of followers abiding by government guidelines and adequate social distancing in an environment of piety and solemnity.
