Jhulelal, also known as Udeorolal or Odero Lal, was a Hindu saint from Pakistan, who is believed to be an incarnation of Lord Varuna (the Hindu god of water). He is mainly popular among the Sindhi community. He is the founder of Daryai Panth. For unknown reasons, he is not commonly worshiped by Hindus other than the Sindhi community. Also, he is not mentioned in any Hindu religious texts. The information available is based on folklore.
Iconography:
Lord Jhulelal is generally depicted as an old man with a long white beard sitting crossed-legged on a lotus flower that rests on a palla fish. The fish floats in the Indus River. He has a white mustache. He holds a sacred text or a rosary in one hand and his other hand in Abhaya mudra. Udero Lal wears a golden crown and regal clothes.
The Story of Jhulelal:
Background:
In 711 CE, Muhammad Bin Qasim defeated King Dahir and established Islamic rule in the Sindh region. He and his descendants promoted Islam in the region, mainly with the power of the sword.
Later in the 10th century, Sindh came under the rule of the Soomra dynasty whose rulers were Hindus who converted to Islam and were tolerant toward Hindu citizens.
In the later part of the 10th century, the Thatta region of the Sindh province was overthrown by Makrabkhan, also known as Mirkhshah. He was a despotic ruler and was intolerant of other religions. He was surrounded by some evil flatterers and maulvis, who ill-advised him.
By the advice of some maulvis, he ordered Hindus living in his region to either embrace Islam or be ready to die. The scared Hindu community asked for 40 days to think over the matter. Mirkhshah agreed and gave them 40 days to think over the issue.
The Birth of Jhulelal:
Hindus did not want to abandon their religion and hence decided to seek help from God. They started praying to Lord Varuna, the water god. (Per another version, they worshipped the Indus river). They performed different rituals, observed fasts, and prayed day and night. On the 40th day, they heard a celestial voice (Akashvani) saying, “Don’t worry. I am coming. Eight months from now, I will take birth at Nassarpur in the house of Ratanchand Lohano and Devki.”
Delighted Hindus approached Mirkhshah, told them about the Akashvani, and requested him to wait for eight more months. The courtiers of Mirkhsha advised him against it saying that Hindus were trying to fool him. But Mirkhshah became curious and extended the deadline by eight months.
As promised by god, after eight months (in 1007), Devki gave birth to a handsome baby boy. To celebrate the auspicious event, unseasonal torrential rain welcomed the divine baby. Immediately after his birth, the boy showed a miracle to his parents. He opened his mouth and showed the flowing Indus river and an old man riding pallo fish. The boy was named Uderolal by his parents.
Why is Uderolal Called Jhulelal?
The cradle of the divine baby used to rock itself to lull him to sleep. Therefore, he got the name Jhulelal – Lord of the Swing.
Mirkhshah Sends a Minister to See the Child:
When Mirkhshah heard about the birth of the miraculous child, he did not believe it and called Hindu leaders and threatened them again. Hindus confident about their savior asked for some more time and told Mirkhshah that the child was an incarnation of the Water God.
To check whether Hindus were telling the truth, Mirkhshah sent one of his ministers Ahirio to see the child. Ahiro was impressed with the dazzling appearance of Jhulelal. He offered a rose to the child. Jhulelal accepted the rose with a smile and blew away the flower with a breath. The flower fell at the feet of Ahirio. The child then transformed into an old man with a long white beard. Then the old man turned into a 16-year-old boy, and then he saw Jhulelal riding a horse with a blazing sword in his hand. Ahiro was scared to death. He bowed and offered reverence to Jhulelal and returned to Mirkhshah.
Mirkhshah Experiences the Miracle of Jhulelal:
When Mirkhshah heard the narrating from Ahirio, he did not believe it but was afraid in his heart. Ahiro advised Mirkhshah to not rush the matter. Therefore, Mirkhshah let a few years pass.
Meanwhile, the child grew into a boy and showed many miracles to the people of Nassarpur. Hindus were convinced that the child was indeed an incarnation of Lord Varuna. He also received Deeksha from Guru Gorakhnath.
But the Maulavis did not believe in those stories and pressured Mirkhshah to compel Hindus to embrace Islam. Therefore, Mirkhshah finally decided to meet the child.
Jhulelal appeared before him and proclaimed,
“Whatever you see around you is the creation of only one God, whom you call ‘Allah’ and the Hindus call ‘Ishwar’”.
The maulvis asked Mirkhshah to not pay attention to the child and arrest him. Therefore, Mirkshah ordered his soldiers to arrest Jhulelal. As soon as the soldiers moved toward Jhulelal, big waves of water leaped forth and covered the courtyard. Fire also broke out and the palace was surrounded by flames. There was no escape route.
Scared Mirkhshah begged Jhulelal for mercy. Immediately, the water receded, and the flames died away. Mirkhshah agreed to treat Hindus and Muslims equally.
Uderolal appointed his cousin Pagad as the chief priest of the Daryahi sect and asked him to continue to build temples and spread the message.
After some time, Jhulelal returned to his home village and gave up his earthly form at a place nearby the village Jhijhan.
Jhulelal Temple at Odero Lal village in Pakistan:
Immediately after Jhulelal left this world, Hindus and Muslims began arguing whether to build a tomb or a Samadhi at the site of his departure. Suddenly heavy rains started, and they heard a celestial voice saying, “Behold! You shall make my shrine acceptable both to Hindus and Muslims. Let its one face be a temple and the other a Dargah (Shrine). I belong to all of you.”
Therefore, they built a joint Hindu-Muslim shrine at the place, which is a sacred place for both communities.
Jhulelal in Islam:
According to Muslim tradition, Sheikh Tahir was born as a Hindu by the name of Odero Lal but converted to Islam as a teenager. Odero Lal in his youth was said to have been fiercely opposed to the Hindu caste system, and as a result, attracted the attention of a Sufi saint from Multan, whose association then lead Odero Lal to convert to Islam and adopt the name, Sheikh Tahir. They also call him Zinda Pir or Khwaja Khizir.
Festivals:
Cheti Chand or Jhulelal Jayanti:
Cheti Chand is the main festival of Sindhi Hindus celebrated to mark the occasion of the birth of Lord Jhulelal. It also marks the beginning of the Hindu New Year for Sindhis and the arrival of spring and harvest. The Sindhi community celebrates the festival with major fairs, feast parties, processions with jhankis (glimpse stage) of Jhulelal, and social dancing.
Image Source: Jhelum9048