From Udero Lal in Sindh to Ulhasnagar in Maharashtra: Partition and memories across borders in the tradition of Jhulelal

Abstract

The chapter introduces the role played by a charismatic figure named Jhulelal in the production of Sindhi identity known as Sindhiyyat both in Pakistan and in India. It focusses on the interaction between physical spaces and ritual objects on one side, and the construction and implementation of remembrance processes on the other. It also deals with issues related to the impact of Partition and migration, and finally, it scrutinises how the creation of two new nation states, India and Pakistan, impacted the making of Sindhi identity throughout the implementation of remembrance processes related to Jhulelal. Two case studies have been selected: the shrine of Udero Lal in Sindh (Pakistan) and that of Chaliha Sahib in Maharashtra (India). We argue that despite the upheavals related to Partition, and the great variety of its very diverse elements, Jhulelal’s tradition is still located on a continuum between Pakistan and India. To address this issue, the paper is divided into four main sections. In the first one, devoted to memory and shrines, we intend to provide the basic elements related to the tradition of Jhulelal. The second section wonders if, and how, the physical spaces involved impact the remembrance processes related to Jhulelal both in Pakistan and in India. The two other sections are centred on ritual objects. In the fourth part, the light or jyot will be introduced as a main symbol in the remembrance process of Jhulelal. Nonetheless we will provide evidence that if the rituals start with the jyot, they are always ended with water or jal. Thus there is a kind of organic relation between these. The fifth and last section will focus on the bahraano, a specific offering made to Jhulelal whose role is to make manifest the close relation between Jhulelal and his devotees.