1 (*( S
2 ■ e° i x
3 m
4 : 5 2 /
5 Lal Dasi.
6 ’
7 r
8 'S i
9 As tho ChuhfAs have Brahmans of thoir own, so in Gnrguon they boast tho?r own Nafs,
10 and in that District and in Gnjrat they arc said to liavo Mflasis of their own, who livo
11 in Delhi, although ouo of the Ohuh;a,'s own functions is to recite genealogies at their
12 patrons’ weddings. These Mir&sis received rations but not cooked food for their
13 services,
14 r
15 L al D asi . — A sect of Musalmdua who approach, to Hinduism. It was founded
16 by Llil Dds, a Meo of Alwar, who though like all Meos a Musulmdn
17 by faith, followed, again like all Meos, Hindu observances. Ho was
18 born about 1540 A.D., and the account of his life and teachings which
19 follows is taken from Rowlett’s Gazetteer of Alwar, pp. 53 et seq. The
20 devotees of the sect are called fcSiidhs. The worship consists largely
21 of repeating the name of Ram, and Sunday is their high-day. Yet
22 L411)as was a MusalniiiD, is considered to be a P it , and the greater
23 number of his followers, in the’ Mewat proper at least, aro
24 Musalman Meos, though on the Punjab border, where the spread of
25 education' has made the Meos bettpr Muhammadans, the L41 Dasis aro
26 usually Hindu Bani&s and carpenters,
27 LAI Das lived many years at Dhaoli Dhab, and used to wander over the hills behind
28 Alwar, and into the fort in search of sticks, by selling which he got his living. At length
29 he began to work miracles. An excited elephant stopped in full career and saluted him,
30 and a Musalman saint, one Chishti Gadan, of Tijara, found him standing in the air in
31 meditation. The Musalman conversed with Lal Das, and discovering his piety and unworld-
32 lincss, enjoined him to teach both Hindus and Musalmans. After this Lid Das went and
33 lived at Bandoli, 16 miles north-east of Alwar, in the Ramgarh purganu. There ‘ he laboured
34 for his own support and the good of others.’ He lived on the top of a hill, and went through
35 great, austerities in the hottest weather, was safe from snake and from tiger, and cured
36 the sick. Disciples of all castes collected round him, and one, an oilman, received from him
37 miraculous power, which lie used to expose an adulteress beforo an assembly. For this
38 La.1 Das reproved him, and aventuaUy resumed his gift. LAI Das prayed that ho might
39 be relieved of all his false disciples, so persecution from a Mughal official began, and they
40 all fell away. It arose from Lal Dos ’ having caused tho death of a Mughal who lmd laid
41 hands on another man’s wife, and with his true followers ho was carried to Balnidarpur, a few
42 miles off. The Muhammadan Jwijddr of Balnidarpur expressed surprise at his being followed
43 by both Hindus and Mu Jinn ns, and asked him what he was. Lal DAs replied that the
44 question was a foolish one-what he was in truth he know not, but lie got his Garment the
45 Jlesh, in a Meo’s house. The faujd&r demanded Us. 5 apiece from tho party as the nri’en nf
46 releasing them, but they would pay nothing, and then thefuujdd, gavo them water i mm
47 poisonous well, tho only result of which was that the well became sweet and
48 i™ -,!
49 afterwards as ‘ the sugar well.’ On another occasion LAI Das was as auUcd
50 and called to his protection angels, who slew 14 of them, but his follower
51 it
52 anger was derogatory to U1 Das, spread a report U.rt
53 ^
54 thut Lal Das had shown no anger. LAI LAs left Bandoli and* redd d ii tiT»
55 b’ “ d
56 village of Todi, now in GurgAou, on the Alwar border, where bein''
57 away. At Naroli the people refused him water, whereupon thefr w^ul dried up At
58 Rosgtin, in Ramgarh, he was well received, aim there hn r«mJn«a .. u-t < ’ • upL
59 name, and teaching disciples the way." LAI Das thoueh it Jim .V* hilo, • i-opt-a.iing C'Otl s
60 tho severest asceticism, had not led a life of celibacy lie had a Jn .fh f11 to Imvepractircd
61 who could work miracles. Ono day ho told that erwitno™ „ i
62 ^ughter namod Sarupa,
63 vanity, they, too, pass away like tho wind nn.itv md
64 ,70udcr"'Torkulg eVcn 'vero
65 Those who possessed would attain to peace in heLvmWH
66 j ulone wer,° availing,
67 to birtii and death. LAI Das's son, l C
68 f
69 .bo 8ub ecl
70 and on Lal Efe’s brothers, Sher Khan and G h a i m llr“ 'e-,vor^lc r~ b |essings on him
71 , t-Tnr-U'i alone, and in no other Deo
72 . ■
73 hum. These all had hope in God
74 \ 2cmo fori told the birtli to him , r'„ A
75 111 a m08Que ('( ll.irmandir), where LAI DAs
76 f l i f e d in the works of many births' '°| AMr
77 ^
78 H
79 . polar Blar «M b ). and would
80 •• h S
81 ' ” A few months after to ■' u l
82 received tho announcement with ono word,
83 i ' w I hv
84 l i l Das felt no nrH
85 ^ 8J'lllh‘ a.
86 '«* " U> him, who died
87 BtKm after God spokx to hinuigain J } t h e 'S i n ? " i j S ll{;' rb.lia;’ tf ,“ f -
88 joyful.
89 e& -
90 At le gib u boy, A
91 h'litl.s prcgnaucy, was born. The child lived but 1 h dnyii but
92 he sp ike and rpproac ltd hie mother for not showing him M b father. L,i| Das was sJm iv„-
93 and t. iokc to him, whereupon the child died satisfied. A faithful midh washed and dres md
94 the corpse, and hm -is et Rarupa besought her father to con memorale him by a miracle The
95 child a body was taken towards Bandoli (whore, apparently, the infant daughters had been
96 ,