Sufism in Punjab - Mystics, Literature and Shrines

A collective endeavour of scholars from India and Pakistan, this anthology of 18 essays is organized in three sections that are devoted to sufi mystics, sufi literature and sufi shrines with a detailed introduction.

The essays explore the methods adopted by the Punjab sufis to popularize the mystic ideology and praxis in the medieval socio-cultural milieu. These writings also delve into the different genres of sufi literature, both in the elite and vernacular languages, with a view to appreciate the nuances of Punjab sufism. Apart from the architectural features of the sufi shrines, attempts have been made to illumine the organic linkages between these institutions and the Punjabis and, thus, to underscore the sufic non- communitarian devotion as a major ingredient of the Punjabi cultural fusion.

Surinder Singh is Professor and (former) Chairperson at the Department of History, Panjab University, Chandigarh.

Ishwar Dayal Gaur is Reader in History at the Department of Evening Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh.