Page 14 - Muzaffargarh Gazzetteer

The tomb at Daira Din Panah is a fine, domed building covered with blue and
white tiles. Rai Bahadur Pandit Hari Kishan Kaul, who had been the Deputy
Commissioner of Muzaffargarh in 1909-10 undertook massive rehabilitation
and beautification of the tomb.

The Makwals descended from Mai Suhagin are still keepers of the shrine,
and are called Khadims. The head of the family is commonly called
Makhdum, instead of Khadim.

The shrine is a preferred place for the devotees to cut off the jhand, or first
hair, which grows on a child's head. Similarly, women come to the shrine to
have jinns (evil spirits) cast out.
The shrine came under the administrative control of the Auqaf Department
in 1960s. The urs, i.e. the main festival, is held on August 21-22 every year.
The income of the shrine is estimated at Rs 10-11 lac a year.
Around 5 kilometers south of Muzaffargarh in the village of Deenpur is the
shrine of Daud Jahanian, who is said to have taken birth in the home of
Hazrat Sheikh Ghareeb Nawaz of Qureshi Tribe in 699 A.H., and died in 786
A.H. at the age of 87 years. The shrine was founded by Sheikh Allahabad
Qureshi, who came from Arabia, and having acquired sanctity in the service
of Makhdum Jahanian Jahan Gasht, settled here. His descendants are
Makhdums of the shrine, and belong to Metla tribe of the Jats. Additions
were made to the tomb by Nawab Muzaffar Khan, and some further repairs
were carried out by Diwan Sawan Mal.
A common vow at this shrine used to be atta ghatta, literally meaning “flour
and sheep”. When the object of the vow had been obtained, the devotee and
his family would revisit the shrine, taking a sheep and a maund, or 20 seers,
of flour; the head, skin and shoulders of the sheep they would give to the
Makhdum; the rest was cooked, and the flour was made into bread, and
distributed to the poor.
In the past, baths of hot and cold sand were also prepared for lepers by the
attendants of the shrine. Such baths were called rangin.
200-250 people visit the shrine daily. However, the number increases on
Friday. Rs. 50000 to 55000 are collected at the shrine as donation every
month. The annual urs is celebrated on 5-7 Shawwal every year. The shrine
is now under the administrative control of the Auqaf Department.
At the town of Shehr Sultan is the shrine of Alam Pir. It was founded by
Sheikh Alam-ud-Din, alias Alam Pir, a Bukhari Syed descended from the
Makhdums of Uch in Bahawalpur. In 1167 A.H. Shehr Sultan was carried
away by the river. The shrine and the town were then rebuilt at a distance of
2 miles from the old site. It was believed that a visit to shrine could provide
cure to persons, especially women, possessed by the jinns. And the term used
for a woman so possessed was, and still used is, jinn khedan - to play jinn.

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