Public holiday declared in Lahore on August 4

The Lahore district administration declared a public holiday on August 4 (Tuesday) in connection with the annual Urs of Sufi saint Hazrat Data Ganj Bakhsh.

The holiday will apply within Lahore district as announced in the notification.

Deputy Prime Minister Senator Ishaq Dar inaugurated the 983rd annual Urs of Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh, by performing the traditional chadar-laying ceremony and inaugurating milk Sabeel at Data Darbar on Sunday.

The devotees mark the event annually with three-day ceremonies.

Hazrat Data Ganj Bakhsh was a Persian Sufi and scholar during the 11th century. He was born in Ghazni, Afghanistan (990 AD) during the Ghaznavid Empire and settled and died in Lahore, spreading the spirit of brotherhood in Sufism.

Hundreds of devotees, including religious scholars and sufis, flock to Data Darbar — which is considered the largest Sufi shrine in South Asia — to participate in the urs every year.