Dargah of Baba Hazrat Haider Sheikh in Malerkotla

About the dargah

The Dargah of Baba Hazrat Haider Sheikh, popularly known as Baba Haider Sheikh, is located in Malerkotla, Punjab, within a historic fortified compound whose original walls still remain. Born in 1434 in Sherwan, his original name was Sheikh Sardarud-din Sader-e-Jahan. He was the son of Sheikh Ahmed Zinda Pir and grandson of Sheikh Ali Shahbaz Khan. Revered as a great Sufi saint, Baba Haider Sheikh is traditionally regarded as the founder of the Malerkotla dynasty, and members of the Sherwani community are believed to trace their ancestry to him.

According to oral and written traditions, Baba Haider Sheikh came to the region from Multan under the guidance of his spiritual preceptor and settled near the Satluj River in 1449, where he devoted himself to spiritual practice. In 1451, Sultan Bahlol Lodhi is said to have met the Sheikh during a stormy night and received a prophecy of his conquest of Delhi. After fulfilling the prophecy, Bahlol Lodhi returned in 1454 and married his daughter Taj Murassa Begum to Sheikh Sardarud-din, granting her several villages as a marriage portion. The Sheikh later married the daughter of Rai Bahram Bhatti, and through these unions came the descendants who became associated with the historic Malerkotla dynasty.