Description
Pakpattan (Punjabi and Urdu: پاکپتّن), often referred to as Pākpattan Sharīf ( پاکپتّن شریف; "Noble Pakpattan"), is the capital city of the Pakpattan District, located in Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the 48th largest city of Pakistan by population according to the 2017 census. Pakpattan is the seat of Sufi Chisti order in Pakistan and a major pilgrimage destination on account of the Shrine of Baba Farid, a renowned Punjabi poet and Sufi saint. The annual urs fair in his honour draws an estimated 2 million visitors to the town.
Pakpattan was known as Ajodhan until the 16th century.The city now derives its name from the combination of two Punjabi words, Pak and Pattan, meaning "pure," and "dock" respectively, which reference a ferry across the Sutlej River that was popular with pilgrims to the Shrine of Baba Farid, and represented a metaphorical journey of salvation across the river in a boat piloted by the saint's spirit.