It is one of thousands of Sufi shrines in this Islamic republic, where millions of devotees set out on pilgrimages, from all corners of the country, to pray, chant, dance, sing, occasionally smoke hashish, and seek healing.

Sufism is the most artistic, liberal strand of Islam, embracing song and dance as expressions of love for God.

The 700-year old Mango Pir shrine, 25 kilometers (15 miles) 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.

Pilgrims 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," Mohammad Sajjad Barfat, caretaker of the crocodile's sanctuary, told AFP.

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 Cons-ervation Union (IUCN) researcher Tahir Qureshi.