Impact of Sufi Culture on Local Life of Chittagong: Hundred Years of Annual Maijbhandari Urs (1907-2007)

Abstract

Chittagong is the center of Sufism in Bangladesh. Urs festival, originating in 1907 in Chittagong Maijbhandar Darbar, has ornamented into an all-embracing non-communal festival in Bangladesh over the passing of a century. The Urs festival is an integral element of Maijbhandari Sufism. On the birth and death days of Maijbhandari saints, Urs or feasts are celebrated in the shrine with many devotees participating spontaneously. The participants of this festival are not discriminated against by any religious boundaries although it is organized by Muslims. On the occasion when religion, society and culture unite, Urs has created its platform. Over the evolution of long-time tradition, Maijbhandari Urs has taken Chittagonean hospitality culture to another stage. Maijbhandar has set a standard for organizing Urs among the other Shrines of Chittagong. It has significantly influenced ameliorating social lifestyles and traditions. The article educates about how Islamic Sufism met with Maijbhandar Darbari Sufism and created a folk Islamic culture. The Maijbhandar Urs has been impactful in integrating peoples’ social and cultural life. This is a descriptive and methodical article about how a religious tradition turned into a massive folk culture called Maijbhandari Urs, its’ genesis, gradual development, organization and social influence.)