«*» RUKHSANA«*» Shrine of Mangho Pir

Shrine of Mangho Pir

(My Tour to Karachi :: December 5-7, 2011)

 

Manghopir is famous for three major attractions. The shrine of Saint Sakhi Sultan which is located on a hill at an altitude of approximately 600 ft. Adjacent to the shrine is the second attraction in the form of a crocodile pond with a hundred plus docile crocodiles lying lazily there. A kilometer away from this shrine-crocodile pit complex is the third attraction in the form of hot water sulfur springs.

 

Who was Pir Mangho? This is a question shrouded in mystery which is laced with both myths and facts. The myths seem to have an upper hand on facts. Among all other things it is also not clear that who is actually buried in the shrine. Is it some saint called Sakhi Sultan or a saint called Mangho or are these two people one and the same person. The photo to the left shows the shrine of Manghopir. I was able to find at least four legends describing the origins of Pir Mangho. I am however, not going to draw a conclusion on what legend seems right or wrong. I'll leave that to our readership.

 

 

1.  According to first legend once there lived a bandit by the name of Mangho Wasa. He was notorious for looting caravans. Once the famous saint Baba Farid Ganj Shakar (AD 1173-1266) was passing near the present day Karachi on his way to perform Hajj (pilgrimage) in Mecca when Mangho Wasa looted him. This also brought Mangho in direct contact with Baba Farid. The divine sight and righteous personality of Baba Farid impressed Mangho Wasa so much that he converted to Islam. He became one of the disciples and started practicing sufism. Baba Farid was so pleased with Mangho that he titled him a saint (pir). Thus from that day onwards Mangho came to be known as Pir Mangho and the locality became famous as Manghopir. According to this legend, it is indeed Pir Mangho Wasa who is buried in the shrine and is now called Sakhi Sultan Manghopir.

 

2.  Another legend says the person buried at Manghopir is infact Hazrat Khwaja Hasan Maroof Sufi Sakhi Sultan Baba (this got to be the longest name ever). When Mangho Wasa the bandit visited the shrine, he out of repentance for his sins, converted to Islam and served the wayfarers all his life. The shrine is now known as Manghopir in association of Mangho Wasa dacoit who turned into a pious soul in his later life. The person buried in the shrine is however Sakhi Sultan and not Mangho Wasa. Where is Mangho Wasa buried then? This legend is silent on that question.

 

 

3. The third legend says that Mangho came from Arabia in the 13th century. Soon after his arrival, he went into a meditation for 40 years in a nearby cave. He became popular as a saint because of the devotion he showed in his 40-year meditation and hence the people named him Pir Mangho. He is said to have lived to the age of 150. This legend is silent on why Mangho chose this area to go into a 40 year meditation

 

4. Fourth legend tells that the saint buried in the shrine is in fact Hazrat Syed Kamaluddin Shah, who was from Iraq as has been said in the four-hundred-year old book Tarikh al-Burhan. He was the son of a king but refused to succeed his father. He left home and wandered about, following which he had visions in which he was told to meet Baba Farid. They met in Mangho and Baba Farid told Hazrat Syed to take over the supervision of the area.

 

Nearby the shrine, are sandstone tombs carved with exquisite design with emblems to differentiate between the male and female tombs. The tomb shown in the picture belongs to a lady; there is a pair of ear-ring carved on the front face; the male's tomb has a horse with a rider or a sword and a shield.

 

They are a priceless heritage and should be preserved properly. But right now people carry away the relics to their homes. A day will come when all will be lost.

 

 

 

Regards,

 

Farhan Wilayat Butt