Patharchapuri – Data Baba Mazar

Patharchapuri, a village about 10 km from Suri (the district headquarters of Birbhum), is one of the most important Sufi pilgrimage centres of Bengal. It is the resting place of Hazrat Data Mehboob Shah Wali, lovingly called 'Data Baba' — a revered 19th-century Sufi saint famed for his austerity, healing powers and boundless compassion for the poor, who passed away here in 1892. Data Baba's mazar (shrine) draws devotees of every faith — Muslims and Hindus alike pray side by side here, making Patharchapuri a living symbol of Bengal's syncretic spiritual tradition. Devotees tie threads and offer chadars at the shrine, believing that no sincere prayer at Data Baba's dargah goes unanswered. The shrine is most famous for the annual Urs festival — the Patharchapuri Mela — held on the 10th of the Bengali month of Chaitra (around late March–early April), commemorating the saint's death anniversary. It is among the largest religious fairs of West Bengal: for days the village becomes a sea of pilgrims, with qawwali and devotional music through the night, and shops and langars stretching in every direction. Lakhs of devotees attend from across India and Bangladesh. Peaceful on ordinary days and electric during the Urs, Patharchapuri offers a moving experience of Bengal's Sufi heritage, and combines easily with Suri and Tilpara Barrage on a day trip from Tarapith.