Baba Farid – Shakar Ganj

Baba Farid is a famous sufi saint of punjab. He was born in 1173 at Kothewal village in Multan, Punjab. His father name was Jamāl-ud-dīn Suleimān and his mother was Maryam Bībī. His full name was Fariduddin Masud. He belongs to a high cast family. Then when Farid ji regained consciousness, he reached the destination of fakir where only a few of God’s rarely ordained mahatmas reach.

As a child, Farid recited the Qur’an from a mullah and then memorized it. Farid ji was 18 years old when he swore allegiance on the blessed hands of Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki to get the gift of fakir. He then traveled to Sufi strongholds in Multan, Kandahar and Baghdad to study the books on spirituality. Farid ji attained spiritual bliss by living in the company of high ranking Sufi elders there. 

He used to get up early in the morning and recite the Quran regularly after praying. Then, unconcerned with the worries of eating, drinking, and dressing, they would either engage in rituals in the hujra or go into the forest and merge in the memory of the master. They would be bewildered for the visions of self-light and in this bewilderment sometimes they would not even have the consciousness of their body. 

The fear of a life of divine love was already there. When he sat on the throne, the secret of the surroundings began to come to his vision. This reckless movement of people made him sad and he went to laugh again to enjoy the solitude. But the philosophers did not allow gossip there either.

Now he set out in search of an area where the noise of human beings could not bother him. He crossed the Satluj and Beas and reached the uninhabited area of ​​Ganji Bar. There he liked the forest of Ajodhan, where there was no tree other than curry. Wherever the saints go, the same place becomes pleasant, this is the right thing to do. With the arrival of Sheikh Farid ji , Mars began to appear in this desolate forest. Ajodhan’s name became known as ‘Pakpattan’. 

Farid ji was an idol of sweetness and humility. Because of his sweet personality and sweet words, people still call him ‘Ganje Shakra’ or ‘Shakar Ganj’ (a store of sugar). Due to such auspicious qualities, millions of Hindus and Muslims became the scapegoats of his feet. Farid ji was the pride of Punjab and Punjabi people are still proud of his great personality. He is revered as “Baba Farid” and calms his mind by reciting his verses.

Farid ji died in Pakpattan in 1266 AD according to Panj Muharram, 664 AH. There is your shrine. It is visited by Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims with great enthusiasm.