mannat

{{Short description|Wish and vow in the India subcontinent}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}

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File:'Candle Stalls' on the road to 'Mount Mary Church' in Bandra..JPG buy votive candles from street vendors. Lighting them inside the church, they ask St Mary to make their mannat come true.]]

In the Indian subcontinent, mannat ({{langx|hi|मन्नत}}, {{langx|ur|منّت}}) is a wish that one desires to come to fruition and the vow one makes to a deity or saint after his/her wish comes true.{{cite book |last1=Asghar |first1=Muhammad |title=The Sacred and the Secular: Aesthetics in Domestic Spaces of Pakistan/Punjab |publisher=LIT Verlag Münster |language=English |date=2016}}

The word comes from the Persian language in which mannat (منّت), means "grace, favour, or praise". The word was first used at dargahs, Sufi Islamic shrines of deceased fakirs.

South Asians often make pilgrimages to houses of worship that are associated with the fulfillment of one's mannat; while these sites have a certain religious affiliation, people of all faiths visit them, reflecting a historical composite culture of the Indian subcontinent.{{cite web |title=Mount Mary Church In Bandra Is Believed To Make All Your Wishes Come True |url=https://curlytales.com/mount-mary-church-bandra-believed-make-wishes-come-true/ |publisher=Fork Media |accessdate=29 May 2020 |language=English |date=31 January 2018|quote=The Basilica Of Our Lady Of The Mount in Bandra is where devotees from all faiths come to get their ‘mannat’ fulfilled.}}{{cite web |last1=Chishty |first1=Haji Syed Shahnawaz |title=Mannat |url=http://www.chishtyajmersharif.com/mannat.htm |publisher=Ajmer Sharif Dargah |accessdate=29 May 2020 |language=English |quote=The shrine had become one of the most important centers for the diffusion of composite culture that had struck deep roots in the psyche of both the Hindus and Muslim. Thus the result of the long association of the Hindus with the shrine can be assessed from the customs at the Dargah by the Muslims and Hindus alike. For example putting Lachcha (red and yellow threads) around the neck or hand of the devotees, pasting of sandal at mazar and tying of threads at shrine as a mark of vows (mannat), cracking of coconuts at the door steps of Dargah, and the lighting ceremony at dust etc are symbolic of the emerging of composite culture.}} Devotees make a promise to do a good work for God when their mannat is fulfilled, such as distributing sweets at the house of worship, giving alms to feed the poor, and resolving to pray every day.{{cite book |last1=Moj |first1=Muhammad |title=The Deoband Madrassah Movement: Countercultural Trends and Tendencies |date=2015 |publisher=Anthem Press |isbn=978-1-78308-446-3 |page=148 |language=English}} Examples of mannat asked for at various religious sites include childless couples praying for a baby, women praying for their husbands to find a good job, etc.{{cite book |last1=Claus |first1=Peter J. |last2=Diamond |first2=Sarah |last3=Mills |first3=Margaret Ann |title=South Asian Folklore: An Encyclopedia : Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka |date=2003 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-0-415-93919-5 |page=411 |language=English}}