Shrine of Shah Daula

The shrine of Shah Daula — a Sufi saint who died in 1691 — is the spiritual heart of Gujrat. The dargah (tomb-shrine) sits in the old quarter of the city and draws pilgrims throughout the year, with the annual urs (death anniversary) festival transforming the surrounding streets into a packed celebration of music, prayer, and communal eating that can last several days.

The shrine itself is modest in scale but richly atmospheric. Devotees bring offerings, tie green threads to the latticed screen around the tomb, and sit quietly in prayer. The surrounding courtyard has the layered smell of rose petals, incense, and frying oil from the stalls outside the gate. The old quarter around the shrine — alleys of worn stone buildings, small workshops, and chai stalls — is the most characterful part of Gujrat and repays a slow wander.

things to do sight
A story
Shah Daula was an 18th-century Sufi saint known for his care of the mentally disabled and destitute. The "choohas" (mice) of Gujrat — children born with microcephaly — were historically associated with his shrine, and a persistent local belief held that childless couples who came to pray here would be blessed with children, but that the first-born must be given to the shrine. The children with small heads were known as Shah Daula's mice, and looked after at the dargah.