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SEPTEMBER, 1917)
RELIGION IN SIND
207
common dish at the monthly festival. Now the Pir's khalifa is a woman of the Hingora Clan.
Of course there is a story that Pir Jhareon's real name was Sultan Hussalu and that he is a Hussaini Sayyid who came here direct from Mecca, where he had earned his name by performing menial work at the Holy Places--as if his name should be Pir of Dusters. The Multani proselytising influence can be discovered in the alleged date of his death, A. H. 666.
An independent form of the cult of Pir Jhareon survives in Ghorabari Taluka just outside the boundaries of the modern Deh Jhareon. The shrine or place' of Mai Pir is situated near the R. Richhal. In form it is a coppice enclosed by a low bank of earth about 100 yards in circumference, within which bounds no man is allowed to set foot. Even the Khalifa must send his wife in, if he wishes any work to be done inside ; for the Mai Sahib was a virgin and a man's coming would defile her place. The shrine itself is a rude hut from the roof of which a score of cattle bells hang. Two stone chiraghs and the inevitable flag complete the furniture. Rice is the only food divided in charity and portions from the common dish are scattered about for jackals and other wild animals to partake of. As at Pir Jhareon's place, the monthly festival is held on the first Monday of each month. The emblematic tree is dead and fallen. It was formerly inside the bank of earth, and to solve the problem of eliminating dead wood without removing it (for as will be seen below it is sacrosanct) the bank was "repaired" and rebuilt so that the fallen trunk may lie outside the enclosed holy spot.
At Bohara " Bibi Syed's Tomb" is just such another place, though there the cult has been merged with the Ashura rites a feast of tabernacles, celebrated at Muharram time. Here there is no tomb, no monthly festival. A tree, dead but standing, is enclosed by a low bank of earth, within which no one is allowed.
Among Hindus in Sind two festivals call for notice in this connection. On the 12th of Srawan Sudi the women of a house sow in a pot seven kinds of grain-whence Satâ no, the name of the festival. After seven days the seedlings are plucked up and thrown into the river for luok. It must be remembered that at this season the Indus is in full flood, irrigating the whole countryside.
Three days later occurs a strange ceremony, obviously a revolt against the eternal prayers for children and wealth. At evening time Hindu boys and girls repair to the fields and throw grain and mud images of bullocks among the crops reciting this verse :
كانو وہ چترهيو دي أباسي
كتي منهنجي ماسي مان نے كتان
This is usually understood to mean :-" Crow, climb a tree and yawn ; let my aunt (masi) we we, not mo”–doriving , les from bas to weave. This however, makes nonsense and the word should be derived from s, which is now only used with
