An Anthropological Study of Religious Economies at the Shrine of Shah Rukn-e- Alam, Multan

Abstract

Shrine is a place that has religious, cultural, and political significance, especially in Pakistani society. People visit shrines regularly and perform various religious rituals for the pilgrimage of Sufi saints and fulfillment of their needs. This paper analyses the economic underpinnings of various rituals practiced at the shrine of Shah Rukn-e-Alam, Multan. The interplay of religion and economy at shrines is a relatively under-discussed field of study. Drawing on my ethnographic fieldwork at the shrine of Shah Ruk-e-Alam, this study explores various ritualistic practices involving the exchange system, distribution, and reciprocity. For this research, I have focused on three groups of people who are involved in varied forms of exchange like reciprocity, redistribution, and market economy.This study concludes that there are multi-layered meanings of different religious economies performed at the Shrine of ShahRukn-e-Alam, which highlight the religification of commodities and commodification of religion at varied levels.