Portraits from Bengal
A fakir singer at Poush Mela, Santiniketan
Birbhum district
Fakirs of Bengal
Ever since Islam came to Bengal in the 13th century it participated, via a merging of Sufi inputs with vernacular strands of Vaisnavism (Vishnuism), tantrism and local folk cults, in a very rich blend of religious beliefs and practices in the lower strata of the society. The Fakir (Sufi ascetic), as a sub-section of the Bengali Bául with a more or less defined Muslim identity, are at present the largest group in Bengal perpetuating this form of 'Islamic syncretistic tradition'.
Lalan Shah or Lalan Fakir (?1774-?1890) is a product and proponent of purely Bengali syncretism. His writings and his teachings tell a story of merging Hinduism and Islam into a universalistic religion transcending the boundaries of any single religion.
The Hindu Bául and the Muslim Fakir share the same tenets of an mystic quest based on the intimate human-divine connection within every human being, cultivated through a philosophy and practices that emphasize the human body as locus and means for finding the essence of God. The path is taught in the traditional guru-disciple relationship where the guru is like the figure of the Sufi saint, in whom the divine is accomplished, merged with the human. More: openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/bitstream/handle/1887/17365/ISIM...
Portraits from Bengal
A fakir singer at Poush Mela, Santiniketan
Birbhum district
Fakirs of Bengal
Ever since Islam came to Bengal in the 13th century it participated, via a merging of Sufi inputs with vernacular strands of Vaisnavism (Vishnuism), tantrism and local folk cults, in a very rich blend of religious beliefs and practices in the lower strata of the society. The Fakir (Sufi ascetic), as a sub-section of the Bengali Bául with a more or less defined Muslim identity, are at present the largest group in Bengal perpetuating this form of 'Islamic syncretistic tradition'.
Lalan Shah or Lalan Fakir (?1774-?1890) is a product and proponent of purely Bengali syncretism. His writings and his teachings tell a story of merging Hinduism and Islam into a universalistic religion transcending the boundaries of any single religion.
The Hindu Bául and the Muslim Fakir share the same tenets of an mystic quest based on the intimate human-divine connection within every human being, cultivated through a philosophy and practices that emphasize the human body as locus and means for finding the essence of God. The path is taught in the traditional guru-disciple relationship where the guru is like the figure of the Sufi saint, in whom the divine is accomplished, merged with the human. More: openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/bitstream/handle/1887/17365/ISIM...