This post is also available in: العربية (Arabic) اردو (Urdu)
Pakistan is a country full of different beliefs, and semi-taboo vices that not everyone agrees to. Some are of the opinion that the mazaar/shrine culture enhances the sufi capabilities of an individual, while others think that it is strictly against the teachings of Islam and should not be done.
However, one extremely odd shrine in Sindh has just opened and it has become subject of harsh criticism from the anti-shrine brigade.For decades, people in Pakistan have been building an visiting shrines, in the murshad/mureed ordeal that apparently helps the devotees in attaining what they want from Allah Almighty, through the ‘sadqa’ of the Walliullah or Peers.
Almost 70 kilometers away from District Dadu in interior Sindh, a shrine has been built for a saint’s cat. Yes, you read that correct, there’s a shrine where a cat is buried. The place is known as ‘Murshid Ji Billi’ jo mazaar, a shrine that is home to the buried carcass of a cat, which belonged to Pir Gaji Shah, a renowned saint in Sindh.
As learned, research scholars of sufism say that Pir Gaji Shah was a famous spiritual leader, and also a military commander of the Kalhoro Dynasty in the 17th century in Sindh. Students till day, in the matriculation curriculum of Sindh, study about the how the Kalhoros ruled the lands of Sindh back in the day. Devotees, even from Balochistan and Punjab, attend the three day Urs which is celebrated every year.
“Gaji Shah laid down his life while defending local people from invaders,” said Khoso, a caretaker of the shrine. “After he passed away in the hills of Dadu, his body was transported to this place by his camel.”
That is the story of Pir Gaji Shah, but his cat has a tale of its own. As per the shrine caretaker, the cat was Pir Gaji Shah’s beloved and he loved it very much. Even the cat’s death is linked to a story. As the cat walked by Pir Gaji Shah, the spiritual leader told it to stop in a very hard voice, and in result, the cat passed away on the spot, dying right there.
