Dewa Sharif, Barabanki

The 19-century syncretic Sufi centre at Dewa Sharif in Barabanki district, Uttar Pradesh, 35 kilometres from Lucknow — the dargah of Haji Waris Ali Shah (1819-1905), a Chishti-Qadri Sufi saint whose teachings crossed Hindu-Muslim boundaries. Waris Ali Shah's phrase 'Ya Waris' (invocation of his saintly name) is painted on green flags across the Awadhi countryside and is one of the few Sufi devotional phrases that both Hindu and Muslim Awadhis use. The saint practised a syncretic mysticism that drew from Vedantic monism and Sufi wahdat-ul-wujud. The annual Dewa Mela each October-November draws over 1 million pilgrims — one of the largest Sufi gatherings in North India — with roughly half of the pilgrims identifying as Hindu. The current dargah structure is 1912 with major 1950s and 2000s expansions. The dargah is managed by the Dewa Sharif Trust.