Sufi poet Hasham Shah’s village awaits tourism spotlight

Despite being the birthplace of noted Punjabi poet Hasham Shah, the government has never made efforts to popularise Jagdev Kalan. Every year in June, a fair is held at the Mazar of his father.

Although a large number of tourists visit the nearby holy city, the tourism department has never explored Jagdev Kalan’s potential from a tourism perspective.

Lakhwinder Singh, a resident of the village, said the government has not conducted any study to capitalise on the legacy of Hasham Shah, a Sufi poet and writer renowned for popularising Qissas in Punjabi. His legendary Qissas — Sassi Punnu, Shiri Farhad and Sohni Mahiwal — are integral to Punjabi folklore.

The Hasham Shah Memorial Trust, Jagdev Kalan, organises an annual mela in the village, which is home to the grave of Hasham Shah’s father, Mohammad Sharif Haji, known locally as the Dargah of Peer Baba Haji Shah. A Government Girls’ Middle School is also situated within the Dargah premises.

Syed Mohammad Hasham Shah is believed to have been born in this village in 1735. He wrote extensively in Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu and Persian (Farsi). His Hindi works include Gian Prakash, Shalok, Chinta Har, Pothi Rajniti, Pothi Hikmat and Tika Panj Granthi. In Farsi, he penned Diwan Hasham Shah, Masnavi Hasham Shah, Chahar Bahar and Faqarnama.

A prolific writer, his magnum opus is considered to be Sassi Punnu. He breathed his last in Thurpal Tehsil, Sialkot, now in Pakistan. Annual melas are held in his memory in both Indian and Pakistani villages every June.

According to a local lore, his forefathers migrated from the Muslim holy city of Madina to Jagdev Kalan. Following family tradition, Hashim Shah practiced hikmat (traditional medicine) and worked as a carpenter. After receiving patronage from the legendary Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh, he devoted his life to spiritual pursuits and composing Sufi poetry.

In 2023, the present generation of his family, now residing in Pakistan, handed over five of his Punjabi manuscripts to Punjab University, Lahore.