Dewa is a town in the Barabanki district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is famous for the shrine of Haji Waris Ali Shah and the town is also known by the name of Dewa Sharif in respect for the shrine. Sufi poetry was written by one of his followers Bedam Shah Warsi and that continues to be sung till date at the Shrine.
The Qawwali Project, is an initiative conceptualized by Manjari Chaturvedi where the untold story of Qawwali unfolds through the eyes of photographers. The practitioners are photo-documented with their performance art, their lives and their association with the Sufi shrines where they perform. Qawwali is the performance art and Qawwal is the practitioner. This is an attempt by the Sufi Kathak Foundation to document the traditions as they exist at the shrines itself.