e 
22 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [January, 1908. 
Gurgoji, a village in the Tahsil of Bazér Misa Khayl, an 
Afghan tribe called Ja‘far Durani. One 
of its members was Zakariya Khan. 
Like his brethren he was a cultivator and a herdsman. He 
was pious and hospitable. Though no richer than his fellow- 
villagers, he was regarded by all with respect, on account of his 
ancient family and high character. In the yer 1188 A.H., he 
had one son, born after three successive daughters. Mountain 
ee aaa has decided that such a child, locally styled tirikkil, 
8 inauspicious; so this fortunate infant was regarded with suspi- 
cion by the tribe, and the death of its father, shortly after its 
birth, confirmed their suspicions, 
As the child grew up, the signs of greatness appeared i in his 
countenance; the tribe gradually changed its pk ioe and local 
Rise. 
prophets began to predict great things of his future hile this 
child was still in his honourable mother’s auspicious womb, 
a saintly beggar came to her threshold i f Ims. 
already laid. Numbers of God’s Gente will be benefited 
by his ee but I shall not live to see his day ; “oe should 
therefore bestow on me something now, out of boun Th 
beggar. was rewarded, and in course of time his seein was 
verified. 
- Another version is that an “ abstracted ” saint used to visit 
the mother of the saga during her pregnancy, treating her 
with unusual respect. On beg questioned as to the reason, he 
predicted that she would bear a noble child who would enlighten 
the Earth, from the East to the West. i 
A third tradition states that in old da ays there were no 
barbers in these mountain villages, so the mountaineers had to 
shave each other. hen this sainted boy grew up, a certain 
pious man used to come to shave him, exhibiting great crit ; 
but the boy used to flee from him Peo ople asking the man the 
reason of his ill-requited service received the sates = This 
saint will say prayers over my corpse, and through his prayers 
I shall attain salvation, 
Years later the youth related: ‘“ Once, while returning from 
the Panjab, I heard voices from behind a neighbouring mound. 
Fancying there were robbers, I proceeded with caution, but found 
the voices came from men of my own tribe. I te the man who 
used toshave me lying dead. There was none to say prayers over 
the corpse, so I per formed the burial service, he thus the man’s 
prophecy was fulfilled. 
While this sainted youth was still a child, his father marched 
from this transient world for the mansions of "Rtern al Bliss. 
When about 12 years of age, according to local oe he 
travelled to the villages of Sokar, Jhang, Taunsa and others, to 
study religion, spending some tlhe at each place. _ As tlie horse 
of his ambition could not stop at the ordinary stages, he abandoned 
‘his native place for Kot Mathan, situated about 80 miles from 

