Gorakhnath and the Kanphata Yogis c8.24

c8.24

8. Rāwal or Nāgnāth. This is the third of the original Śiva group. The Rāwals, who are the most important of the Musalmān Yogīs, are great wanderers. In the western districts of the Panjab ‘they are occultists and quacks.’ There are two main groups of them: (1) the Madia, said to have been founded by Gorakhnāth; and (2) the Gal who are referred to Śiva and who are known both as Pāgalpanthīs and as Rāwal Galla. Those of the second division are found in Peshāwar, and the Bohar monastery in Rohtak belongs to them. The chief seat of the Rāwals is at Rāwalpindī, and members of the panth are found in Hajāro and in Afghanistan. Not all recognize the Rāwals as one of the twelve sects of the Gorakhnāthis, although they are widely reported as such.¹