Impact of the Sufism of Bengal on Baul Songs of Haor Region

Abstract

Bengal Sufism, a broad term referring to the Sufism that significantly impacts the people of Bengal region, greatly influences the mystic and baul songs of haor region of Bangladesh. Vaishnavism or Tantrism, Buddhist Sahajiyas and Islamic Sufism have influenced the people of Bangladesh including the baul devotees though the emergenceof Sufism at the end accelerates the impact. According to Edward C. Dimok, “there is abundant use of Sufi technical terminology in the Baul songs.” Dr. Mohammad Akhter Hossain, discussing the spiritual consciousness in folk literature of Bengal, directly claims that baul devotees like Lalon Sain, Hason Raja, Shah Abdul Karim, Jalal Uddin Khan and many others were influenced by Sufism. While reading songs of Rashid Uddin, Ukil Munshi, Hason Raja, Jalal Uddin Khan, Shah Abdul Karim, Deen Sharat, Radharaman and others of haor region, elements of Sufism like appreciation of the Creator and the Prophet, importance of the guidance of pir / Murshid, search for the Supreme soul, love with and separation from the love or spiritual Murshid, sympathy for the outcaste and many issues are found. Haor region baul devotees and their songs, which are quite different from bauls of Kushtia and Nadia region, will be analyzed in the light of the Sufism of Bengal (Bengal Sufism). Moreover, some features of Maizbhandari songs, another type of mystic song sung in Chattogram region, resemble with those of baul songs. Both sects have received mystic songs as a medium of devotion and echoed the identical ideas of appreciation of Allah (), the Prophet and saints or pir in songs. This paper attempts to identify the most influential Sufis or Pirs and their influences on baul devotees of haor regions, discuss the characteristics of Bengal Sufism that are found in baul songs and finally shed light on the shared elements of Sufism in Maizbhandari and baul songs.