Some fakirs were Hindoos. As their temples had been desecrated, these had no central place to congregate. Instead they were scattered around the Maidan Shah, under trees or in the lee of walls, performing various penances, some of which were more bizarre and some less bizarre than those of the Mohametan fakirs . The common objective of all fakirs was to get money out of people, and by that definition, Jack and Padraig were fakirs themselves.