One of the most renowned, and revered Punjabi Sufi poets of the Chisti order, Waris Shah still remains a prominent name in Punjabi literature. He is primarily known for this magnificent love tragedy ‘Heer’. In Jandiala Sher Khan, now in Pakistan, a tomb still stands tall in the city as a memoir of the eternal spirit of Waris Shah. On some days, one can hear Sain, as he was called, singing verses from Heer near the tomb. In a divinely absorbing voice, he sings,
“ Heer akhdi jogia jhoth bolay, kon ruthray yaar mananda ei
eisa koi na d itha mai dhoondh thaki, jera gaya nu morr liaonda ei”
(Heer says, O jogi! You tell lies; who can unite separated lovers
I have searched in vain but found none, who can bring back the departed)
Sain’s voice resonated in the temple, the dome, and its surroundings as he sang in high notes as if every soul present was recalling their own Heer.
The outer wall of the shrine reads:
Waris shah mehboob nu tadon paiye
jadon apna aap ganwaiye
(Waris Shah, the beloved can only be attained
When one loses himself)
The Waris Shah tomb in the heartland of Pakistan
It has been more than seven decades that India and Pakistan were carved out as two separate nations from British India. On the Lahore-Islamabad motorway of Pakistan, when one takes the Hiran Minar exit, the signboards still read the pre-partition names of some of the villages. Even after all these years, these villages are still known as Lel Virkan, Noshehra Virkan, and Buddha Goraya.
A little distance from there lies Jandiala, meaning 'forest' in the Punjabi language. This is where Waris Shah was born, and his famous ‘Heer’ was immortalized. At the same place, the shrine of Waris Shah stands. Every year, lovers and newlyweds visit faraway places for his blessings.
Nearby, lies a marble structure. Encircled by houses, the white building with a dome structure on top speaks of its association with the culture of the past. Rashid, one of the people residing in the area said, “ Ye sikhon ki masjid hai”. Then after a pause, he said that they take care of it for those who visit the place.
The essence of what he said was, it is the masjid or place of worship of the Sikhs, and we clean and maintain it for the Sikh pilgrims who visit from faraway lands.
Rashid a Muslim, was born amongst hundreds of families who came from India after Partition and settled in this region. The gesture of taking care of the Sikh gurudwara reflects the cultural and religious harmony that still exists in the hearts of even those who had to undergo the harshness of the India-Pakistan partition.
Again, looking at the gurudwara and opening its main door, Rashid says, “ This place is similar to the mosques we left behind in our villages. It gave us shelter and is very important to us.”
Gurudwara in the land of Waris Shah
The beautiful white-domed marble building that Rashid and his peer have been taking care of as one of their own, was once known as Kharasahab or Gurdwara Mattu Bhaike. It was an important pre-partition gurdwara established by local affluent Sikhs after 1940 in honor of the sixth Guru in Sikhism, Guru Hargobind Singh Ji.
Years back, when Guru Hargobind Ji was passing the place, he expressed his annoyance against the use of tobacco. He also asked his followers to avoid it. This was later ingrained into a widely-followed hukum or rule of Sikhism that goes by, ‘jagat jootth tambaakoo bikhiaa da tiaag karnaa’. It translates as - discard worldly ways, falsehoods, and poisonous tobacco.
The magnificence of Kharasahab or Gurdwara Mattu Bhaike
During Maharaja Ranjit Singh's reign, Sikhs rose to prominence and established prominent places of worship across Punjab. After the partition, the Sikhs from Mattu Bhaike, Nowshehra Virkan, and the adjacent areas migrated from Pakistan. They left their belongings, buildings, and properties at the mercy of migrants and locals who, in many cases, destroyed the structures and replaced them with residential quarters.
Gurudwara Mattu Bhaike’s exterior is magnificent. It has marble, stone, and glass work, as well as gorgeous wooden engravings on the doors. The place also has a samadhi or tomb whose stucco work and paintings had warped with time. Rashid said that the tomb also had an idol once.
Despite its muddy exterior, the building is in good condition from the inside. On the ground floor, there is a large tiled hall that was once utilized for multiple religious activities. The wooden windows are rusty and full of dust, as they hadn’t been touched since the previous tenants departed. Then again, the ground floor has four entrances. On the far right corner, stairs ascend to a little room with a dome. The dome has beautiful paintwork done at the top. It gives a view of the beautiful lush green meadows.
The gurudwara remains intact as it is taken care of regularly by those living nearby. In contrast to the other places that were inhabited by Sikhs and those who migrated from the region, it seems that nothing was destroyed or looted. It is said that the building belongs to the Mattu clan who still live there.
Finding the Mattu clan
In the Mattu Bhaike village, not many are keen on talking about the Sikhs or the gurudwara. However, Ijaz, a gentleman in his late 40s who lives near the gurudwara agreed to answer some questions. He said that they have been living there for centuries now. While going through some old documents of the lineage, Ijaz added that their ancestors were Sikhs. His great-grandparents converted to Islam, but he has some cousins who still follow Sikhism.
Ijaz recounted that everyone lived peacefully during the partition, and his family decided to stay in Pakistan. However, when riots emerged in the neighboring village, the Mattu family chose to help their Sikh cousins and family cross the border. All the lands and flocks of those who migrated were in the custody of the Mattus as they promised to return when the tension resolved. However, as time passed by, no one returned.
According to Ijaz, many who experienced partition still remember the night of the departure as if it were yesterday. Every living soul in the area is still engulfed in despair. Sharing the fond memory of this grandfather, Ijaz said, “ My grandfather used to show me the house keys given to him by his friend Inderjeet wrapped in his mother’s shawl, whom they both called bayjee.” Ijaz’s grandfather was so protective of the house that he never let anyone even touch it as long as he lived. He protected it with utmost devotion.
Peek into the soul of a Pakistani man who holds religious harmony close to his heart
A lot of Sikh and Hindu heritage sites were destructured and left unattended after the partition. Sharing his views, upbringing, and beliefs about the ‘other’ religion, Ijaz said that there are graves of his forefathers in the gurudwara even now. In 1992, some people came to destroy it, but the whole village came together to protect it.
He said that Mattus are Sikhs and Muslims, and they have a family across the border who long to see their ancestral village. In the 1960s, the pilgrims visited for the first time, and the entire village welcomed them. Ijaz stated that his grandfather referred to Sikhs as his uncles and nephews. His grandfather also said, " Our hearts and houses are always open to them. They might be Indians but this is their land.”
With a smile on his face, Ijaz said what many in the region, for that matter in Pakistan might believe and live by, “He also used to say to all of us, ‘this is the land of Waris Shah. It yields nothing but love’”,
In Waris Shah’s land, Muslims safeguard the Sikh heritage
For many who had to let go of their roots in Pakistan, the India-Pakistan partition embodies the loss of territory. Not just this, but many perceive it as the loss of identity. However, in the land of Waris Shah, this Mattu Bhaike gurudwara is a living example of how people refused to let go of their identity and affection towards each other. It epitomizes how people respect each other’s belief system, even when the socio-political tussles separate them. As Waris Shah’s Heer, the present state of Kharasahab speaks volumes about the eternal love and affection that continues to stay put for years and years.
In 2019, Pakistan gave back Gurdwara Kharasahab or Gurdwara Mattu Bhaike to the Sikh community. With decisions like these, including the opening of Kartarpur Corridor, people will finally be able to meet the Heer they have longed for years.
*Based on an article written by Saif Tahir & Zahida Rehman Jatt, Published on August 28, 2019, in Dawn