Babarlo, also spelled Babarloi or Baberloi, is a village and deh in

Khairpur Khairpur( Sindhi and ur, ) is a city and the capital of the Khairpur District, in Pakistan's Sindh province. History The Talpur dynasty was established in 1783 by Mir Fateh Ali Khan, who declared himself the first ''Rais'', or ruler of Sindh, ...

taluka of

Khairpur District Khairpur District ( sd, خيرپور ضلعو, ur, ) is a district in the Pakistani province of Sindh in Sukkur Division. At the 2017 census, it was the fifth most populated district in the province after four districts of Karachi city, with ...

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

. As of 2017, it has a population of 13,636, in 2,409 households. Babarlo has the

dargah A dargah ( fa, درگاه ''dargâh'' or ''dargah'', Turkish: ''dergâh'', Hindustani: ''dargah'' दरगाह درگاہ, bn, দরগাহ ''dorgah'') is a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often ...

(shrine) for the Muslim pir Makhdoom Pir Syed Rajan Qattaar Jahania, who came to Sindh from

Uch Sharif Uch ( pa, ; ur, ), frequently referred to as Uch Sharīf ( pa, ; ur, ; ''"Noble Uch"''), is a historic city in the southern part of Pakistan's Punjab province. Uch may have been founded as Alexandria on the Indus, a town founded by Alexand ...

sometime in the mid-19th century. During the saint's ''

urs Urs (from ''‘Urs'') or ''Urus'' (literal meaning wedding), is the death anniversary of a Sufi saint, usually held at the saint's dargah (shrine or tomb). In most Sufi orders such as Naqshbandiyyah, Suhrawardiyya, Chishtiyya, Qadiriyya, etc. t ...

'' on 14-16

Shaban Shaʽban ( ar, شَعْبَان, ') is the eighth month of the Islamic calendar. It is called as the month of "separation", as the word means "to disperse" or "to separate" because the pagan Arabs used to disperse in search of water. The fiftee ...

, thousands of devotees come to pay their respects to him, offer prayers, and ask for ''

mannat In the Indian subcontinent, ''mannat'' ( hi, मन्नत, ur, منّت) is a wish that one desires to come to fruition, and it may also refer to the vow one makes and fulfils to one or more gods, or a saint after the wish comes true. The ...

''s, or favours. This shrine has a unique tradition that, since the saint was reputedly fond of riding donkeys, devotees are expected to offer a donkey in return for a ''mannat''. The donkeys offered this way are said to become "special", which makes them desirable for purchase. The shrine's caretakers sell the offered donkeys and spend the money on the upkeep of the shrine (which is privately maintained). Babarlo is identified with the ''Babarlūka'' mentioned in the Tarkhan-Nama as the residence of the

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

emperor

Humayun Nasir-ud-Din Muhammad ( fa, ) (; 6 March 1508 – 27 January 1556), better known by his regnal name, Humāyūn; (), was the second emperor of the Mughal Empire, who ruled over territory in what is now Eastern Afghanistan, Pakistan, Northern ...

for five months beginning in approximately December 1542. The text says, "Having taken up quarters in the town of Lahari (

Rohri Rohri ( Sindhi: روهڙي; ur, ) is a city of Sukkur District, Sindh province, Pakistan. It is located on the east bank of the Indus River, located directly across from Sukkur, the third largest city in Sindh. Rohri town is the administrative ...

), he established his own residence within the walls of the delightful garden of Babarluka." A similar account appears in the Chach-Nama, which uses the spelling of ''Babarlō'' for the place. The Chach-Nama offers more context behind Humayun's stay: in anticipation for Humayun's arrival, Babarlo "with its four celebrated gardens" was decorated and its fort repaired in order to be a suitable and secure residence for the emperor and his family. It also says that Humayun's camp consisted of some 200,000 people (two

lakh A lakh (; abbreviated L; sometimes written lac) is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand (100,000; scientific notation: 105). In the Indian 2,2,3 convention of digit grouping, it is written as 1,00,000. For ex ...

), including troops and camp followers; they were so numerous that their camp covered the whole distance between Babarlo and Rohri. It also gives a slightly different duration for Humayun's stay: "about 6 months". The 1951 census recorded the village of Babarlo (under the spelling "Baberloi") as having an estimated population of about 2,760, in about 650 houses. It had a police station, post office,

dispensary A dispensary is an office in a school, hospital, industrial plant, or other organization that dispenses medications, medical supplies, and in some cases even medical and dental treatment. In a traditional dispensary set-up, a pharmacist dispen ...

, and school at that point. In November 2021, the rape and murder of a 10-year-old Hindu boy in Babarlo sparked protests in several cities throughout northern Sindh.

References

Populated places in Khairpur District {{Sindh-geo-stub