Satrikh, the home of several ‘respectable’ Muslim families who had built several mosques of burnt bricks, was the site of a huge fair held in March at the shrine of Sheikh Salat, the father of Ghazi Miyan Salar Masud, whose shrine is at Bahraich. Pilgrims visited the shrine, bringing with them long poles covered in cloth, which is left at the shrine. A leather worker living in Rudauli built the mausoleum in 1799. Sleeman’s Hindu camp followers revered the shrine as much as the Muslims (*) At such sites dotted on Awadh’s graph, and this is indeed a point that needs to be constantly underlined, the ulama and the theologian could scarcely turn against the more emotive and expressive aspects of Sufism. This was true of Rudauli as of Bilgram. The follow statement sums up the overall tone and tenor of Awadh society:
“When the conch sounded in the temples in its notes [in Bilgram], the Muslims heard the voices of unity and kinship. When the call for prayer (azan) sounded, the mellifluous voice entranced the Hindus to accept Allah’s greatness. During Muharram, Hindus and Muslims walked shoulder to shoulder reciting elegies and dirges. Music did not provoke violence nor did the Pipal tree cause conflict. The slaughter of animals during Bakr Id did not lead to human killings. In short, be it matters of religion or matters temporal Hindus and Muslims were like sweetness in milk… This is the atmosphere in which I grew up” -Hosh Bilgrami, Mushahidat p. 3
* Abul Fazl comments on the shrine “The common people of the Muhammadan faith greatly reverence this spot and pilgrims visit it from distant parts, forming themselves inbands and bearding gilded manners.” One day Muhummad Husain Khan asked the Sheikh (Abul Fath of Khairabad) ‘ what sort of man was Salar Masud” The Sheikh replied, “he was an Afghan who met his death by martyrdom”. -Muntakhabu-t-tawarikh pp 46-7
Amoung the many traditions quoted is the following one: ‘Sahu Salar died in Satrikh 800 years ago, was considered as holy man, but probably little would have been known of him but for his son Syud Salar Mahmud Ghazi who was very active in the crusades all over Oudh; and eventually was killed in Bahraich at the early age of 21 years’ Chamier Report p 55,288
