e Muslim year.

Among other practices borrowed from the Hindus must be placed the
pilgrimage made by Indian Musalmans to the {258} shrines of Saints, the
ceremonies connected with them and the festivals instituted in their
honour. Properly speaking, the Sunnis have but two festivals--the Baqr-'Id
and the 'Id-ul-Fitr, but many others are now observed. Of these I have
described several. It only remains to notice a few of the festival days
which are peculiar to India. The title of Pir given to a Musalman devotee
is equivalent to the term Guru amongst the Hindus. A man who seeks to be a
'religious' takes a Pir as a spiritual guide. "Follow," says the poet Wali,
"the footsteps of thy Pir, like a shadow." After death these Pirs are
venerated as Walis or Saints. The Pirs when alive, are frequently resorted
to for a ta'wiz, or charm, and the aid of their prayers is often invoked.
The sepulchre of a Wali is called a Dargah, shrine; Mazar, place of
pilgrimage; Rauza, garden. The professional reciter of the Quran, and the
Namaz at such places is called a Rauza Khan. As a rule, processions are
made to the shrines, and flowers, sweetmeats and food over which a Fatiha
has been said are offered. Usually the Fatiha is _for_ the Saint, not _to_
the Saint. It is considered a very meritorious act to give land for the
erection of such shrines and to endow them. An account of many of these
Saints is given in the Bara Masa by Jawan and the Arayish-i-Mahfil by
Afsos. The following selection will give an idea of the customs
prevalent:--

1. FESTIVAL OF MADAR.--Sayyid Badr-ud-din Kutb-ul-Madar is said to have
descended from the Imam Husain. He was born at Aleppo about A.D. 1050, and
received from Muhammad permission to "hold his breath" (Habs-i-dam). Thus
he was able to live to a good old age. He is said to have had 1,442 sons,
and to have died when upwards of 300 years old. More rational people
explain the number of his sons by saying they were his spiritual children.
The length of his life is explained by saying that as each man has to make
a certain number of inspirations, the less frequently he does it the longer
he will live. Jawan in his account of {259} the festival states: "The tomb
of Madar is at Makanpur, a place about forty miles from Cawnpore." On the
seventeenth of the month Jamadi-ul-Awwal an immense crowd fills the village
which is illuminated at night. Fires are lighted, around which Fakirs
dance, and through which they leap cal