The Shrine of Shah Daula stands on Circular Road in Gujrat and is the tomb of a Mughal-era saint who settled in the city in 1612, in the reign of Jahangir. It is a working Sufi shrine rather than a monument, with a mosque beside it, a three-day urs each year and a steady stream of visitors. It is also known, for darker reasons, as the place associated with the "chuas" or "rats of Shah Daula", which this guide explains plainly.
If you are planning a day in the city, our guide to the places to visit in Gujrat puts the shrine in context.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Location | Circular Road, Gujrat city |
| Saint | Shah Daula, settled in Gujrat in 1612; died 1676 |
| Managed by | Punjab Auqaf and Religious Affairs Department |
| Urs | Three days, shifting each year with the Islamic calendar; late June in 2025 |
| Entry | Dress and behave as at any shrine; no published fee found |
Who was Shah Daula?
Shah Daula is remembered as a saint of the Mughal period, a contemporary of Jahangir and Shah Jahan. According to the Pakistan Heritage page on the tomb, he moved to Gujrat in the seventh year of Jahangir's reign, in 1612, having first become known for his charity in Sialkot. He is also remembered for building bridges over streams and for founding religious institutions. He died in 1676.
Dates given for him differ between sources: some place his arrival in Gujrat in the late 16th century. The 1612 date is the one given by Pakistan Heritage and it is the one used here.
He is sometimes called Shah Daula Daryai, and the shrine is commonly known as Shah Daula, Shah Dola or Shah Daulah, which is worth knowing if you are asking for directions or searching online.
The shrine and mosque
The shrine is built of brick with plaster finishing. Pakistan Heritage describes the tomb complex as architecturally modest, while the mosque attached to it has been substantially renovated and enlarged in recent times. A Punjab government evaluation report says the mosque and shrine are more than 100 years old and describes the shrine as a protected monument under the provincial archaeology department.
Do not expect a grand Mughal building. The interest is in the living practice: the devotees, the offerings and the old city setting. The shrine has been under the Auqaf Department since the middle of the 20th century, with descendants of the saint also involved.
The urs
The annual urs is the best-attended time. In 2025 The Nation reported the 361st urs of Shah Daula Daryai, opened with the traditional chador-poshi ceremony, with the Auqaf Department arranging security, sanitation and free food (langar) over three days. Because the urs follows the Islamic calendar it moves about ten or eleven days earlier each year, so check the date locally.
If you want to see the shrine at its busiest, the urs is the time. If you want to look around in peace, an ordinary weekday is far better. Expect crowds, closed roads nearby and many people on foot during the urs.
The chuas: what visitors should know
The shrine has a long and troubling association with the chuas, a word from the Punjabi for rat. These were people with microcephaly, a medical condition in which the head is smaller than usual, who were left at the shrine and later sent out to beg. The first written reports date from 1839.
A popular legend says that childless women who prayed to the saint would have a first child with a small head, and that the child had to be given to the shrine. Researchers have rejected the belief that the children's heads were deliberately deformed: Wikipedia notes that no such practice has ever been witnessed and no tools for it have ever been found.
The Auqaf Department took over administration in 1969 and prohibited the alleged practice, but in later decades the chuas continued to be used as beggars. By 2009 fewer than two remained at the shrine. This is not a spectacle. If you meet people begging in Gujrat or on the GT Road, treat them with respect, don't photograph them and don't take part in anything that treats them as a curiosity.
Visiting the shrine
- Dress modestly. Cover your head and remove your shoes at the entrance, as at any shrine.
- Photography. Ask before photographing people or the inner chamber, particularly women and children.
- Offerings. Give only what you wish, and be wary of anyone pressing you for payment.
- Cash and valuables. Keep a close eye on bags, as in any crowded place.
We found no published opening hours or fee. Ask locally.
How it fits into a Gujrat trip
Gujrat is known for its furniture, its pottery and the Chenab, and Shah Daula is the best-known religious site in the city. A visit takes about an hour. If you are driving the GT Road between Lahore and Islamabad, it is a reasonable stop, though Gujrat is a city rather than a destination, so combine it with other places. Our travel guide has general advice on planning a road trip, and destinations lists the places we cover.
Is it worth visiting?
It is worth it if you are interested in Sufi culture and Punjab's shrine traditions, or want a stop in Gujrat. It is less rewarding if you want architecture or open space; the building is modest and the surroundings are busy. Visitors who are uncomfortable in crowds, or who expect a quiet heritage site, will find the urs overwhelming.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Shah Daula shrine?
On Circular Road in Gujrat city, Punjab, according to Pakistan Heritage.
Who built the Shah Daula shrine?
Sources describe it as built by the saint's son and later expanded. The mosque beside it has been renovated and enlarged in recent times.
When is the urs of Shah Daula?
It lasts three days and follows the Islamic calendar, so the date moves each year. In 2025 it was held in late June. Check with local authorities or news reports for the current date.
Are there still "rat children" at Shah Daula?
By 2009 fewer than two remained at the shrine, and they are now more often met as people begging on roads. Please treat them with respect and don't treat them as a sight.
Is there an entry fee?
We found no published fee. You may be asked for donations; give only what you wish.
