People’s Behavior and Belief System about the Oblation Rituals at the Shrine of Shah Daulah in Gujrat, Pakistan

Abstract

The current study aims to understand the motivations behind the devotees’ visits and oblation rituals at the shrine of Shah Daulah in Gujrat Pakistan. Social construction theory has been employed to assess the knowledge, behavior and practices of people towards the oblation ritual. A qualitative research approach was applied to collected data with the use of purposive sampling technique to approach the relevant respondents. The target audience for the study was the people who visited the shrine and offered oblation rituals. The sample size comprises of 20 people including males and females. The study found that the socio-cognitive patterns play a vital role in the construction of the knowledge about the rituals concerning shrines. Hence, the visitors of the shrine learn the rituals related to shrine from their family, religion, literature and overall society. This construction strengthens their belief system and the other way around.