Muslim Saints of South Asia: The eleventh to ... - blog blog blog

THE WARRIOR SAINTS
In the same place Mrs Meer Hassan ‘Ali retells the story about an
English officer, who together with a group of his colleagues visited
the fair, which took place annually during the saint’s ‘urs (troops
of the East India Company were quartered in Kanpur). In spite of the
persistent persuasion of the supervisors of the dargāh not to come
near the tomb he came inside and fainted on the spot. Efforts of
the attendants of the tomb and friends of the Englishman were of no
avail. ‘When able to speak, he declared himself to be on the eye of
death and in a few short hours he breathed his last’ (Meer Hassan ‘Ali
1975: 375).
A decade earlier than Mrs Meer Hassan ‘Ali the dargāh in
Makanpur was visited by an English traveller, Viscount George
Valentia, who has left an interesting description of the atmosphere
reigning there:
Mounting our elephants ... we set off for the rowzah, or
tomb. At the gate of the outer court we were received by a
great number of the priests, and conducted through three
courts to the shrine. In each of these were multitudes of
Faquirs, roaring, dancing, and praying with the most frantic
gestures. The drums and shrill trumpets, with large brass
basons, beating with hollow sticks, added to the discordance
of the noise. Even the walls were crowded, and we should
have made our way with difficulty, had it not been for the
exertions of our Faquirs, who, expecting a handsome
present, repelled the crowd, and repressed with indignation
the demands of some of the most superstitious, that we
should take off our shoes ... The tomb itself is placed in the
centre of a square building, with four windows of fret work;
through one of which is occasionally an opening. It is of the
usual shape and size, and is covered with cloth of gold, with
a canopy of the same over it, highly perfumed with attar of
roses. We went the circuit, and looked in at each window;
afterwards we visited the mosque, in front of which is a
fountain, and two prodigious boilers, where a constant
miracle is performed; for if unholy rice is put into them, they
still continue empty: I had no time to see this executed, but
it is a trick not very difficult to play ... On reaching the
tents, I found many of holy men in attendance, inasmuch as
they were afraid of trusting each other, although each
considered himself as perfect. I gave them two gold mohurs,
about which they wrangled abundantly. At his particular
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