Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 13, 1902.djvu/276

 26o Balochi Folklore.

best known of these shrines is that of Sakhi Sarvvar, which, though situated in country now occupied by Baloches, is certainly of Indian origin, and goes back to the days, per- haps, of the Buddhists ; certainly long before the Baloches had entered the country. The Mujawirs or custodians of the shrine are Panjabis, not Baloches, and Hindus as well as Muhammadans still resort to it. The shrine has been often described, and I shall not here give any account of it, as it is not really Baloch. The Baloches, however, venerate it, and have made Sakhi Sarwar into one of their national saints. They connect him with the Holy Prophet 'Ali, and tell a legend to the effect that 'Ali, with his slave, Kambar [i.e. " the coloured man "), was once travelling with a caravan of camels laden with gold, when a blind mendi- cant by the wayside asked him for bread. 'Ali told Kambar to give him bread, but Kambar replied that it was impos- sible, as the bread was in a bale forming part of a camel's load. Then 'Ali said, " Give him the camel and its load." "But," said Kambar, "it is the leading camel of the string." 'Ali said, " Then give him the w^hole caravan." At this Kambar was so startled that he fell off his camel's back. 'Ali laughed at him and said, "Oh, Kambar, w^hy do you bury your noble countenance in the dust?" Kambar replied, " In my youth my parents told me that I was the household slave of my lord's horse Duldul, and now, seeing your generosity, I was astounded, fearing lest I, with the other gifts, might be sent wandering in the desert with faqirs." So the beggar received the whole caravan, and his sight was restored, and afterwards he emulated 'Ali's generosity, and became known as "Sakhi Sarwar," the Generous Lord. At one time he was persecuted and had to flee from his enemies along the parched-up country at the foot of the Sulaiman Hills where water is scarce. Whenever he needed water, he drove his stafif into the sand, and at those points (such as Choti Bala) fresh water may always still be found by digging in the sandy beds of the torrents. Once while