LAHORE: The three-day 974th Urs celebrations of Hazrat Ali Bin Usman Hajvery popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh began here on Wednesday. Provincial Minister for Auqaf Syed Zaeem Hussain Qadri inaugurated the Urs celebrations while laying traditional 'chaddar' on the shrine of great saint of the sub-continent.
Secretary Auqaf Punjab Abdul Jabbar Shaheen, Director General Auqaf Punjab Dr Tahir Raza Bokhari and a large number of devotees were also present on the occasion. Later, they offered Fateha and special dua for the development, progress and stability of the country.
Milk 'sabeel' (stalls) also have been put in place outside the shrine of Data Ganj Bakhsh. Data Ganj Bakhsh was a Persian Sufi and scholar during the 11th century. He was born in Ghazni, Afghanistan (990 AD) during the Ghaznavid Empire and died in Lahore.
Thousands of Muslim devotees across Pakistan will participate in the annual celebrations at the shrine to pay their tribute to the saint. The Auqaf Department had allocated amount Rs.10 million for holding Urs celebrations. Free food (Langar) will be provided to the visitors of the shrine during Urs days.
Seminars, Mehfil-e-Naat, Mehfil-e-Simaa and other spiritual meetings will continue during the Urs days. City police and Auqaf Department have made foolproof security arrangements for providing complete safety to the visitors across the country.
No one would be allowed to enter the shrine without complete security. Vehicles of the visitors will be parked in fix parking stands