Jhulelal

Jhulelal (جھولےلال ; झूलेलाल) is a folkloric figure amongst the Sindhis and one of the most revered deities of Sindhi Hindus in the modern-day republics of Pakistan and India.

Legends converge upon the fact that Jhulelal was born during the rule of one Islamic despot, "Mirkshah", who had issued an ultimatum to local Hindus to convert to Islam. The reincarnation of a Sindhi deity, Jhulelal exhibited supernatural powers since childhood; he preached about how the Muslims believed in the same God, and emphasized that the Quran forbade forced conversion. Sindhi Hindus worship Jhulelal at the Shrine at Odero Lal in Pakistan's Sindh province, which is jointly used by Sindhi Hindus, and Sindhi Muslims who revere the shrine as the tomb of Sheikh Tahir. A second shrine named Jhulelal Tirthdham exists in India at Narayan Sarovar, Kutch, Gujarat. It was not long before Amir Mirkshah caught wind of rumors that the populace had begun to worship a local child as an incarnate deity; alarmed by this un-Islamic activity, the Amir sent his ministers to investigate. These latter returned with accounts of their witnessing strange events: Uderolal morphed into a warrior and old man who preached and reprimanded Mirkhshah that Muslims and Hindus deserve the same religious freedoms. He, as Jhulelal, to express their gratitude to Jhulelal for saving them from their impending conversion to Islam. The festival is observed every year in the months of July to August; dates vary according to the Hindu calendar. Nawabshah, Hyderabad, Matiari, Sanghar and Mirpur Khas are the nearby major cities to reach at the Shrine near Tando Adam.

It forms the seat of the Daryapanthis, originally a subsect of the followers of Gorakhnath, who belong to the Nath tradition.

Jhulelal Tirthdham

Sindhi Hindus in India built a religious shrine and cultural complex in Kutch in the Indian state of Gujarat, near the border of Sindh Province.

Iconography

In the most common form, Jhulelal is represented as a fair-skinned, white-bearded man sitting cross- legged on a lotus flower that rests on a palla fish on the Sindhu River.

He wears a royal attire with intricate golden patterns, a pink and gold shawl draped over his shoulders, and a white dhoti with red borders. A golden halo radiates behind his head, and he wears a golden crown adorned with jewels and a peacock feather.

In other forms, he is shown positioned directly on a palla fis holding a staff with both hands, symbolizing leadership.

He is also depicted in flowing saffron attire, symbolizing purity and devotion.

Typically, he is depcited with two arms holding a pothi, a sacred scripture called Amar Vani, symbolizing reflection, studies, and discourses to overcome ignorance.