Mela Chiraghan

{{Short description|Festival in Lahore, Pakistan}}

{{Use Pakistani English|date=January 2020}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}

Mela Chiraghan or Mela Shalimar ({{langx|pa|{{Nastaliq|میلہ چراغاں}}}}; "Festival of Lights") is a three-day annual festival to mark the urs (death anniversary) of the Punjabi poet and Sufi saint Shah Hussain (1538 {{endash}} 1599) who lived in Lahore in the 16th century.{{cite web|url=http://www.tourism.gov.pk/calendar_of_events.htm|url-status=dead|title=Calendar of National and Religious Events of Pakistan (Mela Chiraghan is item #2 on the LIST)|website=Tourism Pakistan - Government of Pakistan website |archive-date=18 August 2009|access-date=7 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090818170703/http://www.tourism.gov.pk/calendar_of_events.htm}}

It takes place at the shrine of Shah Hussain in Baghbanpura, on the outskirts of Lahore, Pakistan, adjacent to the Shalimar Gardens.{{cite news|url=https://apnaorg.com/columns/mushtaq-soofi/column-5.html|url-status=dead|title=Mystic Laughs and poet sings! - (Mela Chiraghan pictures)|newspaper=Dawn newspaper via Academy of the Punjab in North America website|archive-date=22 September 2023|access-date=6 March 2024|author=Mushtaq Soofi|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230922012330/https://apnaorg.com/columns/mushtaq-soofi/column-5.html}} The festival was held in the Shalimar Gardens, until President Ayub Khan ordered against it in 1958.

This used to be the largest festival in the Punjab, but now comes second to Basant. Peasants, Mughal rulers, the Punjabi Sikh residents and even the British officers during their British Raj used to show up at this festival. Maharaja Ranjeet Singh (13 Nov 1780 {{endash}} 27 June 1839) had high respect for this 16th century sufi saint Shah Hussain.{{cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1248883 |author=Syed Kumail Hasan|title= Mela Chiraghan {{endash}} Where the light is stronger than the darkness in Lahore (article with many pictures from the festival)|newspaper= Dawn newspaper|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304172509/https://www.dawn.com/news/1248883|date= 4 April 2016|access-date=6 March 2024|archive-date=4 March 2023|url-status=dead}} In the early half of the 19th century, during the Sikh rule in Punjab, Maharaja Ranjeet Singh used to lead a procession from the Lahore Fort to this festival site.(Shafqat Tanvir Mirza) {{cite news|url=https://apnaorg.com/articles/news-1/ |title=A Victim of Apathy (Mela Chiraghan)|newspaper=The News International newspaper via Academy of the Punjab in North America website |date= 29 March 2005|access-date=7 March 2024|archive-date=4 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304172509/https://apnaorg.com/articles/news-1/|url-status=dead}}