Magar Talao, 1908
Magar Talao
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
(Crocodile Tank,' also called Magar Pir, or more correctly, Pir Mangho). — Tank, hot springs, and temple in the District and Taluka of Karachi, Sind, Bombay, situated in 24° 58' N. and 67° 5' E., about 9 miles north of Karachi city, among very barren and rocky hills. Formerly there was a swamp here, in which many hundreds of tame crocodiles lived. This swamp has long ceased to be the home of crocodiles, which are now, to the number of about 25, confined in a small pool, surrounded by a masonry wall. They are quite different from the gharidl, or long-snouted kind which abounds in the Indus. The temperature of the water of the hot springs is 133°. The springs are considered by the natives to be efficacious in the cure of every disease, and many bathe daily in the waters. The Hiranand Leper Asylum, which is intended for all those afflicted with skin disease, owes its inception to private enterprise. Picnics are frequently made here by parties from Karachi, when a goat or other animal is bought and sacrificed for the crocodiles. At the present time, a fairly constructed road runs from Karachi to Magar Talao, and thence westerly to the Hab river ; and a rough track also leads north to Shah Bilawal in Las Bela. There is a dharmsala at Magar Talao, as also a small bungalow, erected by a Parsi, where visitors can put up during their stay.
