HEERA MANDI AND THE SUBURBANIZATION OF BABA SYED SAFDAR ALI BUKHARI

In contemporary Pakistan, urbanisation and modern religious sensibilities have reconstructed the spaces of popular devotion, often sidelining the diverse, embodied, and inclusive practices associated with Sufism. Employing gender studies and spatial theory, this research examines how gender relations and spatial dynamics interweave to mould religious expression. Heera Mandi, formerly acclaimed as the cradle of music and dance, is now frequently portrayed in public discourse as a site of moral degeneration, thereby masking its complex, gendered histories of faith. However, the legacy of Baba Syed Safdar Ali Bukhari (1940–2005), a Malamati saint known for his unconventional healing practices in Heera Mandi, offers an alternative perspective on divine intimacy, repositioning the district as a locus of spirituality. ‘From 4-Star to 5-Star: Heera Mandi and the Suburbanization of Baba Syed Safdar Ali Bukhari’ traces the spatial and spiritual evolution of Baba Ji’s practices, beginning with their rural origins in Lillah, progressing through their urban manifestation in Heera Mandi, and culminating in their eventual suburbanization in Lahore. The study assesses the ritualistic and spatial transition of dhamal, music therapy, and Surah Rehman therapy from the “four-star” Heera Mandi to the “five-star” suburban dua rooms, highlighting both continuities and transformations in memory, space, and audiences.

Utilizing ethnographic fieldwork, oral histories, archival and visual data, this research demonstrates that devotional practices previously rooted in affect, sound, and bodily expression have been reconfigured to align with suburban aesthetics, technological mediation, and gendered restructuring. Within the ‘Mast Mast Healers’ community, led by Dr. Muhammad Javed Ahmed (“Dr. Baba”), these rituals continue in transformed forms. Rather than interpreting this transition as erasure, the study conceptualizes it as the “suburbanization of spirituality,” a process that maintains the ethical and affective core of Baba Ji’s teachings while adapting to new socio-spatial contexts. This analysis illustrates how disempowered spiritualities sustain and reconstitute their sacred meanings amidst shifting urban landscapes, revealing the fluid and evolving nature of spiritual life in Lahore.