Pakpattan (Punjabi and Urdu: پاکپتّن), often referred to as Pākpattan Sharīf ( پاکپتّن شریف; "Noble Pakpattan"), is the capital city of the Pakpattan District, located in Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the 48th largest city of Pakistan by population according to the 2017 census. Pakpattan is the seat of Pakistan's Chisti order of Sufism, and is a major pilgrimage destination on account of the shrine of Fariduddin Ganjshakar, the renowned Punjabi poet and Sufi saint commonly referred to as Baba Farid. The annual urs fair in his honour draws an estimated 2 million visitors to the town.
Pakpattan was known as Ajodhan until the 16th century. The city now derives its name from the combination of two Punjabi/Urdu words, Pak and Pattan, meaning "pure," and "dock" respectively, which reference a ferry across the Sutlej River that was popular with pilgrims to the Shrine of Baba Farid, and represented a metaphorical journey of salvation across the river in a boat piloted by the saint's spirit.
Pakpattan was founded as a village by the name of Ajodhan. Ajodhan was the location of a ferry service across the Sutlej River that rendered it an important part of the ancient trade routes that connected Multan to Delhi.[5] Given its position on the flat plains of Punjab, Ajodhan was vulnerable to waves of invasions from Central Asia that began in the late 10th century. It was captured by Sebüktegin in 977–78 CE and by Ibrahim Ghaznavi in 1079–80.
Photo curtesy: Zaheer Chaudhry
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