Shergarh, Punjab

Shergarh ( ur, ), is an historic town, union council and major administrative subdivision of Depalpur Tehsil, Okara District, Pakistan.

Location

It is located in Okara district, Hujra Shah Muqeem, Basir Pur, Depalpur & Satghara among others. The 16th century governor of Multan, Fateh Jang Khan, named the town after the Afghan ruler of India, Sher Shah Suri, who built a mud fort and had an encampment around the town. This is recorded in Abbas Khan Sarauni's book, "Tarikh-e Sher Shah Suri" (History of Sher Shah Suri). Ancient coins & artefacts have been found, proving that the town must have been inhabited in the time of the Kushan Dynasty.

The town is well known all around the Punjab, for a famous late-sixteenth century Qadiriyyah Sufi saint, Daud Bandagi Kirmani, who lived and died in the town. He was born in Sitapur, village of modern-day Muzaffargarh District.His family had migrated from Kerman Province in Persia, and claimed descent from Prophet Mohammad.After receiving his formal religious and spiritual education from the ''pirs'' of Uch, he established himself in Shergarh, where he lived from then on until his death. He converted many tribes in the present-day districts of Faisalabad, Sialkot Sheikhupura. Hafizabad, Sahiwal & Gujranwala, and although he lived in Shergarh, he did not carry out much of his work in that area because most of the native tribes, such as the Wattu and Joiya had already previously been converted by Baba Farid of Pakpattan. The tribes converted by Daud Bandagi Kirmani include mainly Rajput & Jat clans of the above-mentioned areas. Some of these are Virks, Bajwas, Cheemas, Chatthas & Sahis.He is claimed to have converted 35,000 people to Islam, and 365 people to sainthood in all. Some of his prominent ''murids'' include Bala Pir, 'Abd al-Qadir Bada'uni, Wahab Chishti & Kamal Chishti. The saint died in 1575, after which his nephew and son-in law, Shah Abul Mu'aali, had a beautiful, large mausoleum erected for his grave. This mausoleum is visited by many "murids" in the month of March, when his ''urs'' is held. Apart from his ''murids'', the mausoleum attracts the attention of many curious travellers, artists & calligraphers all year round, as this mausoleum is one of the rare monuments in the country which has calligraphy and tile work in the "Naqashi style". The shrine used to be in the care of the local "Gaddi Nashin" (eldest direct descendant), but after the land reforms of Ayub Khan, it was turned to the Auqaf Deptt., Okara.

Language

Most of the people of Shergarh speak Punjabi.

Agriculture and surroundings

The town itself is located on the old river bed of the Beas, which extends south from Kasur, all the way to Chunian, and then Shergarh, in Okara District