LAHORE, March 28: The three-day annual Urs of Hazrat Madho Lal Husain, popularly known as Mela Chiraghan, will begin here on Saturday.

Punjab Minister for Tourism Mian Aslam Iqbal and Justice Khwaja Mohammed Sharif of the Lahore High Court performed the chaddar-laying ceremony at the shrine of the saint here on Friday evening to mark the opening of the mela.

A local holiday has been declared in the city on Saturday.

Punjab Assembly members Chaudhry Mohammed Akram Gujjar and Begum Bushra Rahman will visit the shrine on March 30 and 31, respectively. The Auqaf Department will organize ‘mahafil sama’ and meetings highlighting the various aspects of the life of Hazrat Madho Lal Husain.

The Bulley Shah Sangat and the South Asia Partnership Pakistan will organize a Shah Husain Aman Sangeet Mela at the Bhogiwal Baradari, Shawala Chowk, Sighpura, on Saturday evening. Leading artistes will recite the poetry of Shah Husain, one of the greatest poets of Punjabi language. A book of his verses will also be launched on the occasion.

The Urs of Hazrat Madho Lal Husain is known as Mela Chiraghan because the devotees of the saint pay homage to him by lightening the earthen lamps at his shrine.