636 A brief account of Shakarganj, [Oct. 



miles S.-W. of Lodidnd, we heard that between the two waters of 

 the Hyphasis and Acesines is a town called Pdk Patan. It was built in 

 ancient days, and is looked upon as a place of devotion, since the body 

 of Shekh Fari'd reposes there. We crossed the river in a small boat, 

 and bent our route to that direction. The road commenced in a fear- 

 ful forest, and ended in an extensive hard clayey plain, which envi- 

 rons the above town. It is constructed on a precipice, which is 

 70 feet high from the surface of the land. The houses are small, 

 both of burnt and unburnt bricks, and the bazars are narrow, contain- 

 ing some poor shops. 



In the year 600 Hijri, or A. D. 1235, the town was celebrated by 

 the name of Ajwaddhan, and was governed by a Jogi of that name, 

 tributary to the neighbouring Mahomedan chiefs. When Shekh 

 Fari'd (whose original name was Masu'd) after travelling into Asia and 

 Arabia chose his residence in this town, with the power of his piety 

 he persuaded the Jogi to believe in the true faith of Muhammad, and 

 changed the name of the town from Ajwaddhan to Pdk Patan. Pdk 

 in Persian means holy, and Patan in Panjabi signifies ferry, (holy 

 ferry.) 



It is added, that after passing some period, the Shekh wished to 

 undertake the Mujuhedah, which, I think, imports to labour in defence 

 of the faith, and asked the permission of his Murshid, or the guide to 

 salvation, who rests now in the charming place called Qutab, about 

 nine miles S.-W. of Dehli. Shekh Qutbuddi'n Bakhtyar, as he is 

 called, answered his pupil Shekh Fari'd to make a " tai" or fast for 

 three days. Fari'd did accordingly, and ate nothing for the fixed 

 time. On the eve of the third day some person presented him with 

 a few loaves, which Fari'd ate, thinking that they were sent to him 

 from the invisible world, or " Ghaib." Meanwhile, a crow holding 

 the polluted intestine of some dead animal in his beak came and sat 

 on the bough of a tree. Fari'd, on the very first sight, felt an abhor- 

 rence in his heart, and, ejecting the bread which he had eaten a few 

 minutes before, his stomach became quite empty. He told the cir- 

 cumstance to Qutbuddi'n Bakhtya'r, his spiritual guide, who replied, 

 that God has bestowed a great favor on him, otherwise this meal 

 would have hurt him. " Go now, Masu'd, and fast three days more." 

 As he had not eaten any thing from six days, he became very weak, 

 and the heat of hunger began to burn his heart. He stretched his 

 hand on the ground, and, taking a bit of clay, put it into his mouth, 

 and found that it tasted like sugar. This was the effect of his pure 

 mouth. The following verse says, 



