Stuck in Karachi traffic? It’s okay, so is Jhulelal.

Luckily, the back of almost every rickshaw, truck, and even some cars, offers a makeshift page, home to all kinds of limericks and poems.

In the absence of a poem, I find companionship in the familiar names that are written into the city’s traffic – some ordinary, some divine.

So, what’s in a name?

In the daily rhythm of Karachi’s congestion you find saints behind buses and rickshaws, testament to how embedded devotion is in our popular consciousness.

Memories of saints long passed beat across the country’s ordinary body, punctuating its turning wheels and sputtering engines with subtle, ever enduring zikr (remembrance).

This morning, my poetic-companion-on-wheels was none other than Jhulelal, whose name alone is enough to evoke contemplation.

Jhulelal Spotted in Traffic. Photo Courtesy: Qaima Hossain.

The name "Jhulelal", from the Sindhi "Jhule" meaning "swing" and "Lal" meaning "beloved”, is a name linked to the deity’s miraculous birth – he was discovered gently swinging in a cradle along the Indus River’s banks.

The legacy of revered deities like Jhulelal, also referred to as Zinda Pir (The Living Saint), bear witness to the amorphous, syncretic iconography that colours the rich spiritual landscape of the Sindh region.

Image of Jhulelal at shrine in Udero Lal. Photo Courtesy: Author.

Historically, Islam was able to take firm root in pre-modern India by adapting to local languages, customs, and traditions, allowing its message to be conveyed in familiar and accessible terms to the local population, distinct from practices in the Arab world.

Devotion to saints, often framed in lyrical verses and set to music, transcends religious divides, emphasizing a shared moral vision that challenges conventional authority and hierarchy.

The myths surrounding saints like Jhule Lal, among others, are rich with ethical significance. They are also often anti-sectarian, anti-feudal, and anti-elitist, historically proposing radical social upheaval.

Jhulelal’s story begins in 950 CE (1007 Vikram Samwat) in Nasarpur, Sindh.

According to tradition, he was born at a time when the Hindu community faced persecution under Markh, the Muslim king of Thatta, who sought to forcibly convert them to Islam. Jhulelal’s life was marked by miraculous interventions and acts of spiritual defiance, earning him a devoted following across Muslims and Hindus.

His legacy took on an even more universal dimension when he appeared at the island of Khwaja Khizr near Sukkur, where he rescued a Muslim woman from a Hindu king.

Jhulelal is known by many names, each reflecting the deep reverence he commands: Pani Aro Pir (the water saint), Zinda Pir (the living saint), Darya Shah Jo Avatar (the king of River Indus), and Pallay Waro Pir (the fish saint). Some locals believe that, before Jhulelals’s mother fed him mother’s milk, she gave him some sips of water from the Indus.

While Hindus commonly refer to him as Jhulelal, an incarnation of Lord Varuna, the Vedic god of water, many Muslims believe he is an incarnation of Khwaja Khizr, a mystical figure associated with water and guidance in Islamic traditions.

Jhulelal's shrine at Udero Lal is also beleived to be the resting place of Hazrat Shaikh Muhammad Tahir, originally born a Hindu and named Udero but later converted to Islam renamed.

Followers of Jhulelal, known as "daryapanthis", venerate him as the saint of the River Indus.

His spiritual legacy celebrates the deep connection between divinity and water. As a life-giving force, water is central to his legacy, symbolizing sustenance, renewal, and spiritual purity in his worship.

His shrine stands as a powerful symbol of Sindh’s rich pluralistic ethos, where shared sacred spaces—be they Sufi shrines, Sikh gurdwaras, Hindu temples, or river deities—bind communities together.

It is believed that Jhulelal’s final act was an instruction to his followers to construct two places of worship in Udero Lal (formerly Jahejan)—a samadhi for Hindus and a qabr for Muslims—ensuring that his shrine would serve as a shared sacred space for generations to come.

Many shrines in Pakistan attract devotees from multiple faiths, but the shrine at Udero Lal is unique in its very structure.

Located in Udero Lal, near Tando Adam Khan, this complex houses a mosque on one side and a temple on the other—a physical representation of the saint’s inclusive spirit and dual identities.

Entrance to Hindu-Muslim Shrine Complex at Udero Lal. Photo Courtesy: Author

Inscription on Muslim Qabr at Shrine of Udero Lal. Photo Courtesy: Author.

In Sukkur, Rohri, Sehwan and Thatta, there are several astaans (places of worship) of Jhulelal. Across the Pak-India border in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, Jhulelal temples are focal points of community life.

Jhulelal is typically depicted as an elderly man, seated on a palla fish or a lotus flower.

Image of Jhulelal. Photo Courtesy: Unknown.

Interestingly, Jhulelal’s iconography bears striking similarities to Sikh traditions.

In the temple of Zinda Pir in Sukkur, Jhulelal is depicted with a musician—an unusual element in his narrative but a direct visual parallel to Guru Nanak, who is often portrayed alongside his Muslim companion, Mardana.

Additionally, the wooden gate at the Udero Lal shrine features a carved image of Guru Nanak, highlighting a deep cultural interplay between Hindu, Sikh, and Muslim spiritual traditions.

Another notable similarity lies in Jhulelal’s gesture—often depicted with an open palm, a sign of divine blessing. This “ashirvad” gesture is found in Hindu representations of gods and also mirrors common depictions of Guru Nanak.

Such artistic overlaps suggest a shared visual and spiritual language across these faiths, reinforcing the idea that South Asian religious traditions are deeply syncretic.

Every year, followers of Jhulelal celebrate his birth anniversary during Cheti Chand, the first month of the Hindu calendar (March–April) which marks the Sindhi new year.

The festival, held in Odero Lal, brings together Hindu and Muslim caretakers, as well as Sindhis from across India and Pakistan. The celebration includes lighting lamps, performing aarti, singing bhajans, and offering sweets to the River Indus, emphasizing the saint’s deep connection to the great body of water that has sustained life for millenia.

One of the most fascinating aspects of this festival is the cooperation between religious communities. Donations are collected in a common box that funds both the mosque and the temple.

Jhulelal continues to be venerated as the Asht Dev (community god) of Sindhis, not just in Pakistan but across the world.

While no sacred text is attributed to Jhulelal, devotees honor him through various hymns and prayers.

The name Jhulelal is often mixed up with the well known Sindhi Sufi saint of Sehwan, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, also known as Hazrat Usman Marvandi (1162-1274).

While the origin of this connection is disputed, the iconic folk song 'Lal Meri Pat', sung with fever across the country, rendered in both traditional and contemporary music, signals the two in one breath.

This synergy is common to orally transmitted stories and songs.

A profound connection ties Jhulelal, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar of Sehwan, and even Shaikh Tahir of Uderolal together, each venerated by different communities over time with one unifying thread: the enduring Indus River and the ancient land that it nourishes, Sindh.

Despite the alarming rate at which the Indus delta is shrinking in the shifting, urban terrain of modern day Sindh, the time-honoured histories of this land live on, even in the most unassuming places.

Char charag tere balan hamesha

Panjwan balan aai aan bhala jhoolay lalan

(Your shrine is always lighted with four lamps

And here I come to light a fifth lamp in your honor)

Lit Lamps of Hindu Mandir at Udero Lal. Photo Courtesy: Author.

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