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A heaven amidst a thick forest on the outskirts of Halani â€" is the best way to describe our Darbar Sahib Halani, when it was first established by Baba Sukhdev Sahib in 1787. Mirs, the Muslim rulers conquered Sind from Kalhoras, the Hindu rulers and the new ruler, Mir Fateh Ali Khan Talpur divided it into four parts, one for each of his four brothers.

While moving alongwith his caravan from Ghaznavi, to take possession of his part of the kingdom, Mir Allahyarakhan Mankani Talpur sighted a Mahatma sitting in deep meditation. After He opened His eyes, the Mir sought His blessings and humbly requested the Mahatma to accompany him to his newly acquired estate. The Mahatma was none other than Baba Sukhdev Sahib, who looking at Mir’s humility and devotion, agreed to do so. Baba initially stayed in the ashram specially constructed by the Mir for Him and later, after visiting places like Hyderabad (Sind), Sehwan, etc. finally reached Halani. Baba was so overwhelmed at the sight of the thick forest, that He decided to spend the rest of His life here. He built a small hut for Himself and this is how Halani Darbar was established.

At the behest of the devotees, who grew greatly in numbers, this simple hut was converted into a proper building, where katha & kirtan were conducted everyday. Once when Mir Sohrab Khan Talpur of Khairpur Mirs, was passing, he was so impressed by the activities of the Darbar, that he gifted 8 guntas, 30 acres of land to the Darbar and requested that the produce of this land be used for langar (free meals for all) distributed by the Darbar.

In order to run the activities of Darbar Sahib more efficiently, four gaddis (holy seats) were established, which were adorned by various saints like Baba Kishindas Sahib, Baba Haridas Sahib, Baba Meharbaksh Sahib, over the years. However finally only one holy seat was continued and is so, till date. Festivals like New Moon Day (Chand) and New Year (Vaisakhi) began to be celebrated with great pomp and glory. A detailed account of the happenings is given in the book ‘History â€" of Darbar Sahib Halani’, which was originally published in Sindhi, then Devnagiri and recently in English too. It also contains a factual account of experiences of devotees, nothing short of marvelous miracles, especially with regard to the great omniscient saint of all times, Baba Saroopdas Sahib.

At the time of partition in 1947, Baba Madhavdas Sahib adorned the holy seat. In India, the Darbar got established in Ajmer. In 1953, when Baba Madhavdas Sahib’s light of life became one with Lord, Baba Gobinddas Sahib took over the reigns and greatly contributed to the progress and glory of the Darbar.

During the days of Baba Madhavdas Sahib’s illness, when He came to Mumbai for treatment, a flat was purchased in Sion to enable Him to stay here. This flat, at the request of the devotees, was converted into a place of worship, which today is Darbar Sahib Halani, Sion.

The Mahant who adorns the holy seat today, is Baba Sadhuram Sahib, who can be best described as a strict administrator and at the same time, an all time friendly â€" friend, philosopher and guide. His in-depth knowledge of all various scriptures like Guru Granth Sahib, Bhagwat Geeta, Vedas and Puranas, from which he quotes often is remarkable. Communication skills and ease of interaction with His devotees adds to His unmatched qualities of simplicity and practicality. Inspite of no formal education, He can talk with authority on any subject under the sun, be it finance, business, law, anything! In fact, whatever we write about Him, can at most be a drop in the ocean of what He actually is i.e. no words or phrases can adequately express the reality.

Besides the Golden Temple of Amritsar, Halani Darbar (Ajmer) is the only one today, where all twenty four paudis of Sri Asa-di-vaar are recited daily and katha & kirtan are conducted throughout the day. Under the able guidance of our Sai, various free medical camps like urology, eye, etc. are conducted in Ajmer, Ulhasnagar and Annashetra annually conducted at Pushkar, during the Pushkar fair. As per the tradition, new moon day (Chand) and full moon day (Satyanarayan) are celebrated every month and New Year (Vaisakhi), Diwali and anniversaries (Varsis) of our saints are celebrated every year.

[Source: Darbar Sahib Halani | Coordinates and Photographs: EFT Field Visit]

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