Data Durbar; Urdu: داتا دربار), located in the city of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan is the largest Sufi shrine in South Asia. It was built to house the remains of the Muslim mystic, Abul Hassan Ali Hujwiri, commonly known as Data Ganj Baksh (R.A), who is believed to have lived on the site in the 11th century CE. The site is considered to be the most sacred place in Lahore, and attracts up to one million visitors to its annual urs festival. The shrine is located near the Bhati Gate of the Walled City of Lahore. The shrine was originally established as a simple grave next to the mosque which Hujwiri had built on the outskirts of Lahore in the 11th century. By the 13th century, the belief that the spiritual powers of great Sufi saints were attached to their burial sites was widespread in the Muslim world, and so a larger shrine was built to commemorate the burial site of Hujwiri during the Mughal period. The shrine complex was expanded in the 19th century, and Hujwiri's mosque rebuilt. The shrine came under Pakistani government control as part of the Auquf Ordinance of 1960, with the official aim of preventing shrine caretakers throughout the country from financially exploiting devotees. The shrine was greatly expanded in the 1980s under the rule of military dictator Zia ul-Haq, during which time the shrine became the largest in South Asia. Offices for NGOs, a library, madrasa, police station, carpark, and offices were all added under his regime.Designated spaces for musical performances, and new free kitchen were also added during that time. New markets have emerged around the site since its massive expansion.
