Mela Uch Sharif: The Spring Fair at Uch, Near Bahawalpur

The Uch Sharif mela is a spring fair held in the desi month of Chet at Uch, the shrine town south-west of Bahawalpur, centred on the shrine of Syed Jalaluddin Surkh Posh Bukhari. Its main part, known locally as the "22nd mela", starts on the fourth Friday of Chet and runs for about a week, which usually puts it in April. The exact start date is fixed each year by the shrine's hereditary custodians and has been moved before: in 2024 it was pushed back from 5 April to 28 April because of Ramadan.

This guide covers how the mela's dates work, what goes on at the shrines and the fairground, and how to fit it into a few days around Bahawalpur. For the tiled tombs on an ordinary day, see our main guide to Uch Sharif.

When is the Uch Sharif mela?

The mela follows the old Punjabi solar calendar rather than the Islamic one, so moon sighting does not set it. Chet is the first month of that calendar and roughly covers the second half of March and the first half of April. Two Fridays matter. A smaller gathering, the "15th mela", falls on the third Friday of Chet. The main "22nd mela" begins on the fourth Friday and continues for about a week (Jang, 2024; uchsharif.com, 2019).

In practice the custodians (sajjada nashin families) of the shrine agree the date each year, and it can shift. In 2019 the start was moved from 5 to 12 April. In 2024, when the usual date fell during Ramadan, it was moved to 28 April. Ramadan matters again in some years, so a lunar date can still push the mela around even though the mela itself is not lunar.

We could not find a published date for 2026 or 2027. Ramadan falls in February and March in both years, so the mela is likely to be held in its usual early-to-mid April slot, but treat that as a guess until it is announced. The best way to confirm is to ask a hotel in Bahawalpur or follow local South Punjab news a few weeks before.

Some websites, including Wikipedia, say the mela is held on 10 to 12 Zilhaj. Recent local reporting describes the Chet timing above, which is what we would plan around.

Why the mela is held

Uch has been a centre of Sufi learning since the 13th century, and Jalaluddin Surkh Posh Bukhari, who settled there in the mid-1200s, is the most revered of its saints. Surkh Posh means "clad in red". Local tradition holds that four great saints of the time, Bahauddin Zakariya of Multan, Baba Farid of Pakpattan, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar and Jalaluddin Bukhari, the "char yar" or four friends, used to meet at Uch in spring, and that their gathering became the fair (Nawa-i-Waqt, 2018).

Before Partition the mela drew Hindus and Sikhs as well as Muslims, according to a Dawn feature on Uch. Today it is a Muslim shrine festival with a large fair attached.

What happens at the shrines

The devotional heart of the mela is the shrine of Jalaluddin Bukhari: a brick tomb on raised ground, with carved wooden pillars holding up a flat roof and glazed tiles inside, and a mosque beside it. Pilgrims also visit the shrine of his grandson Makhdoom Jahaniyan Jahangasht and the Hajat mosque, and many offer Friday prayers in Uch during the mela.

Local reporting notes that large numbers of women come to the mela, often to fulfil a vow (mannat), make an offering or pray for help. Women visiting for the first time should follow what local women are doing at each shrine.

At the shrines:

• Dress modestly and cover your head; women need a dupatta or scarf, and men can use a cap or scarf
• Take off your shoes where you see others doing so, and carry them in a bag rather than leaving good ones outside
• Keep quiet near the graves, and don't photograph people praying without asking
• Accept langar or tabarruk politely if offered; you don't pay for it

Our shrine visiting etiquette guide covers the general rules in more detail.

What happens at the fair

Around the shrines the town turns into a fairground. Reports from 2019 and 2024 describe streets lined with food stalls and shops selling pots, utensils and toys, plus swings, circuses, theatre and variety shows, jhumar folk dancing and dangal (wrestling). Older programmes have also included camel fights, cock fights, horse races and bullock races.

That last group is worth knowing about in advance. Animal fights are part of some rural fairs in Punjab, and many visitors would rather not see them. If you are with children, ask before you walk into an enclosure.

Shopping at the mela is mostly for local households: kitchenware, bangles, sweets, toys and dried fruit, not handicrafts aimed at visitors. It is a good place to see how a South Punjab fair works rather than to buy souvenirs.

Crowds, heat and practical problems

This is a big, busy country fair, and local reports are frank about its problems: pickpocketing, poor hygiene at some food stalls and too few public toilets and facilities.

• Keep your phone and wallet in front pockets or a zipped bag, especially in the bazaar and around the shrine gates.
• Eat at busy stalls that cook in front of you, or bring food from Bahawalpur. Carry bottled water.
• April is already hot. Wikipedia gives an average daily temperature in Uch of about 27°C for April, and afternoons are much hotter than that. Visit the shrines in the morning and the fair in the evening.
• Plan toilet stops before you arrive, at a fuel station on the road from Bahawalpur or Ahmedpur East.
• Go with a local contact if you can. They will know which days are busiest and where to park.

Bahawalpur district is not among the areas the UK government advises against visiting, but this is still a large public gathering. Check local news before you set out.

Combining the mela with Bahawalpur and the tiled tombs

Uch is about 75 to 85 km south-west of Bahawalpur, depending on the route, through Ahmedpur East. Bahawalpur is on the main Karachi to Peshawar railway line and on the N-5, so it is easy to reach by train or road. Most visitors base themselves there and drive out for a day. Our guides to where to stay in Bahawalpur and Multan to Bahawalpur cover those parts of the trip.

On your mela day, also make time for the tiled tombs at the edge of Uch: the tomb of Bibi Jawindi (built in 1494), the tomb of Baha'al-Halim and the tomb of the architect Ustad Nooria. With the Jalaluddin Bukhari tomb and mosque, these make up the Uch Monument Complex on UNESCO's tentative World Heritage list. Floods badly damaged them in the 19th century, and only half of Bibi Jawindi's tomb survives. They are usually quieter than the shrine area, even during the mela.

A three-day plan could look like this:

1. Day 1: Arrive in Bahawalpur, and see the city's palaces and museum in the afternoon. Our Bahawalpur sights guide lists them.
2. Day 2: Leave early for Uch. Shrines in the morning, tiled tombs before midday, rest in the shade, then the fair in the late afternoon. Drive back to Bahawalpur after dark, carefully.
3. Day 3: Lal Suhanra National Park or a drive towards Derawar Fort, depending on the heat.

Is the Uch Sharif mela worth it?

Go if you are interested in South Punjab's shrine culture and don't mind dust, heat and crowds. It is one of the few times Uch is fully alive, and seeing the shrines in use explains them better than any amount of reading.

Skip it if you mainly want to see and photograph the tiled tombs. They are easier to enjoy in the cooler months from November to February, when the fair is not on and the light is softer. In that case, Uch fits well into a winter Bahawalpur trip. Our experiences page lists other festivals that may suit you better.

Frequently asked questions