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| Ziarat of Mechan Nika (مچن نيکه) , Wana, South Waziristan. |
Shaikh Michan Niazi was a medieval Pashtun saint . His real name was Muhsin and he is generally said to have been 6th in descent from Khako, son of Niazi. He was given the title of Michan (meaning handmill in Pashto) when one day, while on hunt in wilderness, he started rotating like a hand-mill in religious ecstasy. A brief account of him is given in Makhzan-i-Afghani (composed in 1612 AD) as follow ;
“Shaikh Mechan, is related, in the prime of youth, to have been addicted to hunting and sporting. One day, while hunting, the divine attraction entered him, and the breeze of the Almighty’s grace breathed into him, so that he became affected with with ecstasy and contrition , and, by excessive love , was subjected to periodical rotation. In consequence of which , they called him Mechan , which in the Afghan language, signifies a ‘mill’ ; that is to say , he turned around like a mill. His descendants, among the Mati tribe, enjoy great authority ; and his threshold is a place of pilgrimage to high and low.” [B.Dorn translation]
The descendants of Michan Baba are reputed to posses charms against Snake bites and hydrophobia. They are known to catch living snakes with no fear or danger. Michan Baba is buried at Wana in thr hills of Waziristan. Haji Murad, a descendant of Michan, is a saint of great repute, and his tomb is on the bank of Kurram near Lakki. [“A Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North-West”, Vol-3, p-101]