Data Darbar (Punjabi: داتا دربار, romanized: Dātā Darbār) is an Islamic shrine located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
The site is considered to be the most sacred place in Lahore,[2] and attracts up to one million visitors to its annual urs festival.
The shrine was originally established as a simple grave next to the mosque which Ali Hujwiri had built on the outskirts of Lahore in the 11th century.
The tomb is surrounded by a massive marble courtyard, while a new educational institution at the shrine complex utilizes modernist architecture.
Illustrious figures such as Baba Farid, Moinuddin Chishti, Nizamuddin Auliya, Dara Shikoh, and Allama Iqbal all paid obeisance to the shrine, and pledged allegiance to Hujwiri.
[citation needed] Hujwiri's teachings were critical of practices associated with South Asian Islam, such as the use of drugs, and dancing.
On special occasions, the shrine is decorated with lights, dinner is prepared for thousands of visitors, who also partake in dance while musicians play Sufi music for hours.
[2] Patrons facing personal difficulties frequently donate money or labour to the shrine's free-kitchen fund,[2] in line with Islam's emphasis on feeding the poor.
[2] The shrine also provides for students' education in nearby schools, and helps fund local hospitals as part of its social mission.