FAKIR, or Fagent, from the Arabic Eakar, signify ing a poor person, is a kind of dervise, or religious beg gar, very common in Eastern countries. They some times travel alone, or in troops of 200 or 300, having a superior, who is distinguished by his habit.
The Fakirs never work, but subsist solely by the alms which they receive abundantly from the superstitions of the people. They go entirely naked, carrying on their shoulders a thick club, the end of which is wound round with rags of cloth of all colours. They strew their hair, which hangs half way down the back, with ashes, with which they sometimes besmear their whole bodies. They are not allowed to marry. " They generally take up their abode," says Stavorinus," in shady places, either in the open air, or in old and ruinous buildings, without using any thing to repose upon, or to cover themselves. Genuine Fakirs make vows that they will perform penance by remaining during their whole lives in some unnatural or uneasy posture, or by torturing their bodies by various methods ; but most of them are not excited by real peni tence or compunction, hut are spurred on by vain glory, endeavouring to attract the notice and respect of the commonalty, and thereby to raise themselves to esteem and honour. I met with several of them at different times. Among others, were some who, by keeping one arm stretched out upwards for many years, had lost the power of lowering it again, and were forced always to remain in that position. Others, who had made choice of bending their body forwards, and who were in con sequence grown so crooked, that they formed a right angle. Some who, by continually bending the head backwards, could not bring it hack to its natural posi tion. There were others, again, who dragged heavy iron chains about with them during their whole lives." In another part of his voyages, Stavorinus informs us, that he met with the ruins of a stone building in which a Fakir had taken up his residence. He sat en
tirely naked, by a slow fire, in the middle of the ashes. His long and black hair was clotted with ashes and dirt, and he had imposed upon himself the horrid pe nance of thrusting through the glans of the penis a brass ring, of about the thickness of a quill, and three inches in diameter. The Bengalcse women think that sterility may be cured by a particular species of devotion to this disgusting object. Besides this ring, Stavorinus observed three other rivetted iron rings link ed to it, which might weigh altogether about 2i pounds. When the Fakir walked, the whole of these rings hung loose, without seeming in the least degree to incommode him.
Stavorinus describes another Fakir at Surat, who had imposed upon himself a silence of twelve years, ten years of which had already elapsed. He was about 30 years of age, and well made. He was covered with a white dust, made of the ashes of burnt cow-dung, and his hair and beard were filled with that dust. In the large hut where he resided, there was a niche oppo site to where he sat, which contained an image three feet high, carved out of one piece of a black shining stone, and representing a man in armour, with four arms. The Gentoos paid the greatest respect to this Fakir.
It would be a waste of time to give an account of the various tortures by which these Fakirs seek for reputa tion. Tavernier informs us, that sonic of them never sit or lie clown to sleep, but support themselves by a rope hung down for that purpose. Others lay fire on their heads, and burn their scalps to the very bone ; ethers roll themselves naked on thorns, while some bury them selves in a pit or ditch for nine or ten days, without tast ing food or drink. D'Herbelot reckons that there are about 800,000 Mahometan Fakirs, and 1,200,000 idola trous ones in the Indies. See Tavernier's Travels, and Stavorinus' Voyage to the East Indies, vol. i. p. 133, 142 ; and vol. iii. p. 147. (j)