Includes bibliographical references and index.

Acknowledgements -- Table of maps, charts, and photos -- Table of annexes -- introduction -- Mapping the issue: From Sindh to the Sindhicate area -- Sufism and the Sufi culture of Sindh -- The Sufi and Hindu Encounter as an issue in Social Sciences -- Hinduism and Sufism in the Sindhicate area -- Chapter 1 -- the religious market in sindh ON the eve of partition -- Social structure and religious belonging in colonial Sindh -- The Amils, the intelligentsia, and the objectification of Sufism -- The recomposition of the religious scene and thedarbar culture -- The birth of a middle class and the emergence of Hindu Sufi paths -- Partition in Sindh -- Conclusion -- Chapter 2 -- the new settlement and the making of the darbars -- Building the darbars in India -- Authority, the legitimization process, and succession -- Naming the shrine in India as a first step -- Sacralising the new territory -- Conclusion -- Chapter 3 -- Sufi poetry and the production of the mystical space -- Bhakti and Vedanta -- The classical Sufi corpus -- The modern Sufi corpus -- The vernacular ideology of the wahdat-e wujud -- Hindu references in the Sufi Poetry -- Conclusion -- Chapter 4 -- alternative Sufi structures as networking india and beyond -- The darbar and its extensions -- The samadhias an alternative Sufi structure -- The Sufi mandir and the pilgrimage to Bijapur -- Mulchand Kafi -- Conclusion -- Chapter 5 -- rituals as connecting spaces and community -- Iconography as an idiom of transference -- Initiation and meditation -- Daily rituals and informal Sufi practices -- Annual fairs: From urs to versi -- The 'Darazi satsangs' -- Conclusion -- Chapter 6 -- the transmission of the sufi legacy in india -- Ram Panjwani (1911-1987) and the challenge of post-partition transmission -- Non-poetic chains for the transmission of Sufism -- Other networks of transmission -- The role of the diaspora in the transmission of the Sufi legacy -- Conclusion -- Chapter 7 -- the sufi paths and the Hindus of Sindh in Pakistan -- Sindhi Encounters between Sufism and Hinduism -- The Hindus and the Sehwan system -- The "Hindu dargah" of Tando Ahmad Khan, or framing a new category -- Neither Hindu, nor Muslim: The Sufi-related cults of the Sindhi Dalits -- Conclusion -- GENERAL Conclusion -- Glossary -- Annexes -- 1. -- Abstracts of Sufi poetry in Sindhi and English translation -- 2. -- Hindu Sufis'silsilas in Sindh -- Bibliography -- Index.

"Within the complex religious landscape of modern India, the community of Sindh stands out as a powerful example of interfaith relations. This Hindu community moved to India and practiced Sufism following Sindh's inclusion to Pakistan in the 1947 partition. Drawing on a close analysis of literature and poetry, interviews with key informants, and a reading of historic rituals and architectures, Michel Boivin demonstrates that this active religious minority has managed to retain its unique Hindu-Sufi identity amidst the rigidification of official religions in both India and Pakistan. Of particular significance, Boivin argues, was the creation of sacred spaces called darbars. These shrines include a religious building where the Hindu Sindhis worship Sufi saints, chant Sufi poetry and perform Sufi rituals. In looking at this vibrant community as a trans-religious culture capable of navigating the challenges of the modern nation state, this book is an important contribution to understanding the Muslim-Hindu encounter in India."--Bloomsbury Publishing.

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