1855.] Account of a visit to the Shrine of Salchl Sarwar. 345 



" The next person who came and took up his residence at this 

 place was one named Shaik who was impotent ; and he too re- 

 covered and became an attendant at the tomb. The present 

 attendants are descended from these three persons already- 

 mentioned, and constitute three different families — Khoker, Lan- 

 ga, and Shaik, The former are considered the principal, and 

 are the most numerous : the Langas are the next in rank. In the 

 course of time one Ahmed Khan, an Afghan, took up his abode 

 here ; and having attained the object of his wishes, he became a 

 permanent resident, and a follower of the Saint. By the assistance 

 of Ahmed Khan, for he was a wealthy man, they built the 

 tomb over the ashes of Sultan Sakhi Sarwar, and from that time 

 to this, people from all parts, both Hindu and Mahammadan, have 

 sought it as a place of pilgrimage ; and he whose heart is pure and 

 clean, by coming here attaineth the object of his wishes." 



Such is the legend of Sultan Sakhi Sarwar, whose odour of sanc- 

 tity is so great as to draw crowds of people — Hindu and Muham- 

 madan, Sikh and Beluch — yearly to his Shrine from all the sur- 

 rounding countries. 



The greater number of pilgrims who seek the Shrine are young 

 women with old husbands, and those who may not have been bless- 

 ed with children ; many sick persons also come in hopes of being 

 restored to health ; and others to obtain increase of worldly goods. 

 These make a small offering in money and vow to give a larger 

 sum at the ensuing Held if their wishes shall have been fulfilled. 

 Sick people too, who may be unable to attend in person, make their 

 vows by proxy, to present a certain oblation the next year should 

 they recover their health. 



It is related that a certain man, one of whose eyes had been af- 

 fected with a disease for a long time, made a vow that if he should 

 recover the use of the organ, he would present an eye of gold at 

 the Shrine of the Saint. He recovered the use of it, and caused 

 the golden eye to be made, as he had vowed he would do, with the 

 intention of placing it on the Shrine in person. It was near the 

 time of the Meld ; and it so happened that one of the attendants, 

 who was blind of an eye, being out as usual collecting contribu- 

 tions and donations in the name of the Saint, heard of the matter of 



