THE SACRED PAKISTANI CROCODILES OF MANGHO PIR

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http://www.opf.org.pk/almanac/S/shrines.htm

MangHo Pir

 

Mangho Pir is said to have been a hermit who settled at the site of

present Karachi, sometime in the 13th century. Erroneously called

Mangho Pir, the saint was originally known as Kamaluddin and came from

Khorasan. He was a contemporary of Sheikh Bahaul Haq Zakaria of

Multan. According to folklore, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar and Ghous Bahaul

Haq transformed this barren valley into a habitable place by causing

hot and cold springs to issue forth from the rocks.

 

On the western side of the tomb is a swamp formed by the superfluous

waters from the hot springs. This rather large pond is populated by

big crocodiles which are fed goats and other animals offered at the

shrine. As per local tradition, the crocodiles were introduced by

another saint, Mor Mubarak, who brought a pair of young crocodiles

from Waghodar. Thus the crocodiles came to be known as Mor Sain or Mor

Sahib, after the name of saint, and Manhgo Pir came to be known as the

Crocodile Saint.

 

A regular fair is held here annually in the holy month of Ramazan.

Villagers from all over the adjoining areas who want to have a

particular wish fulfilled slaughter a goat or a sheep and offer some

of the meat to the crocodile. If " Mor Sahib " accepts the meat, then

the wish is sure to be fulfilled.

 

As is common in Sindh, this site is also a place of pilgrimage for

Hindus, who call Mangho Pir " Lala Jasrai. "

 

 

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_27-11-2004_pg7_44

 

Mystic crocodiles draw thousands of devotees in Karachi

 

KARACHI: Crocodiles with huge teeth-filled mouths lie in the sand and

slap their snouts on the edge of sulphur springs, greeting worshippers

who journey to the Mango Pir shrine on the outskirts of Karachi.

 

It is one of thousands of Sufi shrines where millions of devotees come

from all corners of the country to pray, chant, dance, sing,

occasionally smoke hashish, and seek healing. The 700-year old Mango

Pir shrine, 25 kilometres southwest of the city centre, is believed to

be the resting place of a Hindu bandit who tried to rob the caravan of

Baba Farid Shakar Ganj, a 13th century Sufi saint.

 

According to local legend, Mango Pir converted from Hinduism to Islam

when he realised his sin, and in reward Ganj gave him lice which grew

into crocodiles.

 

The compound surrounding his shrine swarms with some 150 crocodiles.

Devotees regard the deadly reptiles as sacred, and potential

fulfillers of their most fervent wishes. Devotees journeying to Mango

Pir make offerings not to the buried there, but to the scaly

creatures. " We have been serving these crocodiles for seven centuries

and many generations. My forefathers were the followers of Mango Pir,

who assigned them this task, " said Mohammad Sajjad Barfat, caretaker

of the crocodile's sanctuary.

 

Wildlife experts are unsure how the crocodiles came to be there. Some

believe they may be traced back to a time when the area was a swamp.

" The area may have been a wetland some time in history and that could

be the only explanation of their presence at such an isolated place, "

said World Conservation Union (IUCN) researcher Tahir Qureshi.

" Earlier, their natural habitat was available to them. But now they

are confined to ponds and their subsistence largely relies on

artificial food. " Devotees, including many from neighbouring India

just 400 kilometres away, give beef, mutton or chicken to the

crocodiles as offerings in the hope they will make their wishes come

true.

 

Acceptance of the meat offerings by the 'king' of the crocodiles,

known as More Sawab, is taken as a sign that a wish will be granted.

" If More Sawab accepts the offering, that means the wish of the

devotee is fulfilled, " said caretaker Barfat. Despite being the

largest of the crocodiles, More Sawab is reputed to be friendly

towards humans, although such tall tales are legion in South Asia. " I

cannot forget the incident when a child of 10 years tumbled into the

pond and everyone including his mother were sure of child's ill fate, "

recalled the caretaker. " But More Sawab nudged the child with his

snout to help him reach the bank of the pond. It was amazing to

witness. " The Mango Pir draws leprosy patients and those suffering

from chronic skin diseases, seeking to bathe in the lukewarm waters

gushing outside the shrine.

 

Scientists say the water may contain sulphur, which has therapeutic

value in healing scabies, a common disease among people living in

crowded areas in unhygienic conditions. However it can aggravate other

diseases. " This is a general misconception about the Mango Pir stream,

which could be good for scabies because of sulphur in the water but

disastrous for leprosy patients, " said dermatologist Sharaf Ali Shah.

afp

 

Mystic crocodiles draw thousands of devotees in Karachi

 

KARACHI: Crocodiles with huge teeth-filled mouths lie in the sand and

slap their snouts on the edge of sulphur springs, greeting worshippers

who journey to the Mango Pir shrine on the outskirts of Karachi.

 

It is one of thousands of Sufi shrines where millions of devotees come

from all corners of the country to pray, chant, dance, sing,

occasionally smoke hashish, and seek healing. The 700-year old Mango

Pir shrine, 25 kilometres southwest of the city centre, is believed to

be the resting place of a Hindu bandit who tried to rob the caravan of

Baba Farid Shakar Ganj, a 13th century Sufi saint.

 

According to local legend, Mango Pir converted from Hinduism to Islam

when he realised his sin, and in reward Ganj gave him lice which grew

into crocodiles.

 

The compound surrounding his shrine swarms with some 150 crocodiles.

Devotees regard the deadly reptiles as sacred, and potential

fulfillers of their most fervent wishes. Devotees journeying to Mango

Pir make offerings not to the buried there, but to the scaly

creatures. " We have been serving these crocodiles for seven centuries

and many generations. My forefathers were the followers of Mango Pir,

who assigned them this task, " said Mohammad Sajjad Barfat, caretaker

of the crocodile's sanctuary.

 

Wildlife experts are unsure how the crocodiles came to be there. Some

believe they may be traced back to a time when the area was a swamp.

" The area may have been a wetland some time in history and that could

be the only explanation of their presence at such an isolated place, "

said World Conservation Union (IUCN) researcher Tahir Qureshi.

" Earlier, their natural habitat was available to them. But now they

are confined to ponds and their subsistence largely relies on

artificial food. " Devotees, including many from neighbouring India

just 400 kilometres away, give beef, mutton or chicken to the

crocodiles as offerings in the hope they will make their wishes come

true.

 

Acceptance of the meat offerings by the 'king' of the crocodiles,

known as More Sawab, is taken as a sign that a wish will be granted.

" If More Sawab accepts the offering, that means the wish of the

devotee is fulfilled, " said caretaker Barfat. Despite being the

largest of the crocodiles, More Sawab is reputed to be friendly

towards humans, although such tall tales are legion in South Asia. " I

cannot forget the incident when a child of 10 years tumbled into the

pond and everyone including his mother were sure of child's ill fate, "

recalled the caretaker. " But More Sawab nudged the child with his

snout to help him reach the bank of the pond. It was amazing to

witness. " The Mango Pir draws leprosy patients and those suffering

from chronic skin diseases, seeking to bathe in the lukewarm waters

gushing outside the shrine.

 

Scientists say the water may contain sulphur, which has therapeutic

value in healing scabies, a common disease among people living in

crowded areas in unhygienic conditions. However it can aggravate other

diseases. " This is a general misconception about the Mango Pir stream,

which could be good for scabies because of sulphur in the water but

disastrous for leprosy patients, " said dermatologist Sharaf Ali Shah.

afp

 

http://rpakistan.tripod.com/historic_pakistan/mango_pir/mango_pir.htm

MANGHO PIR

 

Located over 7 miles north of Karachi, the sacred tomb of Pir Haji

Mangho (a saint whose original name was Kamaldin) with its resident

population of crocodiles and the adjacent sulphur springs offered

opportunities to pilgrims for cleansing both the spirit and the flesh.

No evidence has been forthcoming as to how these crocodiles of a

species not normally found in or around the Jndus river were marooned

in such a hilly oasis. Their very presence, an enigma in itself, has

helped popularise their attraction to visitors and residents of

Karachi for over 150 years.

An early surveyor of Karachi, Lt. T.G. Carless recorded in his report

of 1838: 'The valley of Pir Mangho is surrounded by hills 700 or 800

feet high, between which glimpses are occasionally obtained of the

level plains beyond, but at the upper extremity it stretches away in

high undulating ground far to thenorthward. An extensive grove of date

and other trees occupies the centre of the plain, and on the western

side there is another, above which is seen the cupola of a small white

mosque, erected on a rocky eminence.'

Carless continued: 'The spring gushes out in a small stream from among

the roots of a picturesque clump of date trees, covering the extremity

of a rocky knoll of limestone about 30 feet high, and falls into a

small natural basin, from whence it escapes in numerous rills to the

adjacent gardens. The name of this spring is Kisti, but it was

formerly called Kirkund, or the milk-tank, from the water being

milk-white, which was no doubt owing to its flowing at that time over

a bed of chalk. It is now colourless and perfectly pure to the taste,

having no perceptible flavour of any kind, but, from the stones in

some of the rivulets being encrusted with a soft substance of a dark

reddish-brown colour, probably contains a small portion of iron. The

water is so warm that at first you can scarcely bear your hand in it,

and its temperature was afterwards found to be 1330. The natives say

it cures every disease, and they not only bathe in it whenever they

have an opportunity, but drink it in large quantities. They believe

that all the springs in the valley owe their existence to Lal Shahbaz,

the celebrated saint of Sehwan, who, in order to make the spot holy,

commanded them to burst forth from the rocks.' (Carless, quoted in

Hughes (1876), 340 -341.)