Urs of Baba Bulleh Shah

Three days in Kasur for Bulleh Shah, the poet of the people, whose kafis are sung across Punjab: qawwali, dhamaal and his verses through the night.

Baba Bulleh Shah (around 1680 to 1757), one of the greatest poets of the Punjabi language, spent most of his life in Kasur and is buried there. His urs is held over three days from 10 Bhadon in the Punjabi calendar, in the last week of August, with recitations of his kafis, qawwali, the display of his relics and devotees from across the country.

Kasur
Bulleh Shah's kafis
Qawwali and dhamaal

When to plan: Three days from 10 Bhadon, in late August: in 2025 the 268th urs ran from 22 to 24 August, in 2024 from 30 August to 1 September. Kasur district usually declares a local holiday.
Getting there: Kasur is about 55 km south-east of Lahore by road, near the border.
Region: Punjab guide →

The poet

Born Sayyid Abdullah Shah Qadri in Uch, Bulleh Shah grew up herding cattle in Pandoke, studied in Kasur, and became a disciple of Shah Inayat Qadiri in Lahore. His 150-odd kafis mock religious hypocrisy and sing of divine love in the plain Punjabi of the villages, and have passed into proverbs and folk tradition; they are sung today by qawwals and pop singers alike. Branded an unbeliever by the clerics of his day, he was buried on the outskirts of Kasur, where his shrine now stands.