Page 15 - Muzaffargarh Gazzetteer

The 1929 Gazetteer narrates, “As the women, most of whom are in kucharas
on camels, or riding on horses and bullocks, get near Shahar Sultan, they
seem to take leave of their senses, and begin to sway the body violently from
the waist upwards. Their hair gets loose. They screech, and look like so many
bacebanals. In their excitement many fall off their camels. The soil of Shahar
Sultan is sandy, and they come to no harm.”
The Gazetteer further states, “Within the fair playing the devil and casting
him out goes on in a regulated manner. In the house of the Makhdum of the
shrine and in the house of the other Sayyids of the Makhdum’s family women
of the upper class have their attacks of jinn, and have them cast out in the
accompaniment of a mirasi women playing on a drum and singing. For
ordinary people four sites are chosen over each of which a khalifa, or deputy
of the Makhdum, presides. The possessed women pay him a pice or a fowl,
take their seats and begin to sway their bodies backwards and forwards
gradually increasing in violence. The excitement is kept up by a drum being
played. The khalifa goes round, lashes the women with a whip and pours
scented oil on them. As each woman gets weary, the khalifa pronounces some
words, sprinkles a little water over her and gives her a drink. The jinn is cast
out. The woman becomes quiet, and is dragged away in an exhausted state
by her friends.”
The present building of the shrine was constructed in 1903. It was taken over
by the Auqaf Department in 1982. Around 50-60 persons visit the shrine
every day. The annual urs is held in last week of every year, and goes on for
at least 4 days. Donations during the urs days range between Rs1-2 lac daily,
whereas overall annual collection is 6-7 lac.
Situated at around 12 kilometres towards the north of Muzaffargarh is the
town of Khanpur housing the shrine of Bagga Sher, which literally means
“white tiger''. Even the town has come to be known as Khanpur Bagga Sher.
The original name of the saint was Sheikh Muhammad Tahir. As the common
belief goes, he was served by a white tiger that even used to protect the saint’s
cows from the thieves. The saint was said to be closely related to Hazrat
Bahauddin Zakariya Multani. The shrine is about 250-300 years old, and is
now under the administrative control of the Auqaf Department. A donation
of around Rs. 30000-40000 is collected every month. Annual urs is generally
held on October 20 every year but the date is subject to change by mutual
understanding of the locals.
The shrine of Miran Hayat is in the village of Panj Girain, around 12
kilometres south of Muzaffargarh. There is a stone figure of a camel on which
the saint statedly used to ride. There was a forest of date trees near the shrine
the branches of which were said to be like cobras; a branch kept in a house
would drive away cobras, believed the followers. He was a nephew of the
celebrated Ghaus-ul-Azam. His urs is held in the month of Ramzan.
The shrine of Dedha Lal in the village of Harpallo is situated at a distance of
40 kilometres towards the south of Muzaffargarh city. The real name of the

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