In a detailed introduction, the editors present a critique of the divergent
approaches to sufi studies from the early twentieth century to the present. The
essays explore the methods adopted by the Punjab sufis to popularize the mystic
ideology and praxis in the medieval socio-cultural milieu. These writings also
delve into the different genres of sufi literature, both in the elite and
vernacular languages, with a view to appreciate the nuances of Punjab sufism.
Apart from the architectural features of the sufi shrines, attempts have been
made to illumine the organic linkages between these institutions and the
Punjabis and, thus, to underscore the sufic non communitarian devotion