Sindhi Ajrak

Ajrak (Sindhi: اجرڪ) is a name given to a unique form of blockprinted shawls and tiles found in Sindh, Pakistan. These shawls display special designs and patterns made using block printing by stamps. Common colours used while making these patterns may include but are not limited to blue, red, black, yellow and green. Over the years, ajraks have become a symbol of the Sindhi culture and traditions.

 

History

 

Early human settlements in the region which is now the province Sindh in Pakistan along the Indus River had found a way of cultivating and using Gossypium arboreum commonly known as tree cotton to make clothes for themselves. These civilizations are thought to have mastered the art of making cotton fabrics.

A bust of a priest-king excavated at Mohenjo-daro, currently in the National Museum of Pakistan, shows him draped over one shoulder in a piece of cloth that resembles an ajrak. Of special note are the trefoil pattern etched on the person’s garment interspersed with small circles, the interiors of which were filled with a red pigment. This symbol illustrates what is believed to be an edifice depicting the fusion of the three sun-disks of the gods of the sun, water and the earth. Excavations elsewhere in the Old World around Mesopotamia have yielded similar patterns appearing on various objects, most notably on the royal couch of Tutankhamen. Similar patterns appear in recent ajrak prints.

The level of geometry on the garment comes from the usage of a method of printing called woodblock printing in which prints were transferred from geometric shapes etched on the wooden blocks by pressing them hard on the fabric. Block printing is thought to have been first used in ancient China, at least as far as movable type is concerned. On its way through the populous regions of the Indus Valley, this technique of fabric printing was adopted at Mohenjo-daro.

 

The tradition still prevails centuries later, and people still use the same methods of production that were used in the earlier days to create an ajrak. The garment has become an essential part of the Sindhi culture and apparel of Sindhis. Men use it as a turban, a cummerbund or wind it around their shoulders or simply drape it over one shoulder. Women use it as a dupatta or a shawl and sometimes as a makeshift swing for children. Ajraks are usually about 2.5 to 3-meters long, patterned in intense colours predominantly rich crimson or a deep indigo with some white and black used sparingly to give definition to the geometric symmetry in design.

 

Ajraks are made all over Sindh, especially in Matiari, Hala, Bhit Shah, Moro, Sukkur, Kandyaro, Hyderabad, and many cities of Upper Sindh and Lower Sindh.

The ajrak is an integral part of Sindhi culture and Sindhi nationalism. Its usage is evident at all levels of society, and is held in high esteem, with the utmost respect given to it. According to Sindhi traditions, ajraks are often presented as gifts of hospitality to guests and presented to the person who is utterly respectable. They are also worn on festive occasions such as weddings and cultural events. Many prominent politicians from Sindh publicly adorn Ajrak, including the deceased former Pakistani Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto.

Sassui Punhun

Sassui Punhun (Sindhi: سَسُئيِ پُنهوُن, Sassui Punhun, Urdu: سسی پنوں, Sassi Punnun‎, Punjabi:  Sassi Punnun), is a famous folktale of love told in the length and breadth of Sindh, Pakistan. The story is about a faithful wife who is ready to undergo all kinds of troubles that would come her way while seeking her beloved husband who was separated from her by the rivals.^[1]

The story also appears in Shah Jo Risalo and forms part of seven popular tragic romances from Sindh. The other six tales are Umar Marui, Sohni Mehar, Lilan Chanesar, Noori Jam Tamachi, Sorath Rai Diyach and Momal Rano commonly known as Seven heroines (Sindhi: ست سورميون ) of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai.

This tragic story becomes for Shah the parable of seeker on mystical path who undergoes all kinds of tribulations in the quest of God whom he will find, at the end of the road, in his own heart, and Sassui, roaming in the wilderness and talking to the beasts, becomes something like feminine counterpart Majnun who, demented by his longing for Layla, is taken by the mystics of Persian and Turkish tradition as paragon of true lover

Punnhun

Mir Punnhun Khan, the son of Mir Aali, son of King Mir Hooth Khan, Ancestor of the Hooths, a famous Baloch tribe in Balochistan. King Hooth was son of Mir Jalal Khan, Ruler of today’s Balochistan (Pakistan) region in the 12th Century, and Father of Rind, Lashari, Hooth, Korai and Jatoi.

Sassui

Sassui was the daughter of the Raja of Bhambore in Sindh (now in Pakistan). Upon Sassui’s birth, astrologers predicted that she was a curse for the royal family’s prestige. The Raja ordered that the child be put in a wooden box and thrown in the Sindhu. A washerman of the Bhambore village found the wooden box and the child in the box. The washerman believed the child was a blessing from God and took her home. As he had no child of his own, he decided to adopt her.

 

When Sassui became a young girl, she was as beautiful as the fairies of heaven. Stories of her beauty reached Punhun and he became desperate to meet Sassi. The handsome young Prince therefore travelled to Bhambor. He sent his clothes to Sassi’s father (a washerman) so that he could catch a glimpse of Sassi. When he visited the washerman’s house, they fell in love at first sight. Sassui’s father was dispirited, hoping that Sassi would marry a washerman and no one else. Sassui’s father asked Punhun to prove that he was worthy of Sassui by passing the test as a washerman. Punhun agreed to prove his love. While washing, he tore all the clothes as, being a prince, he had never washed any clothes; he thus failed the agreement. But before he returned those clothes, he hid gold coins in the pockets of all the clothes, hoping this would keep the villagers quiet. The trick worked, and Sassui’s father agreed to the marriage.

Punhun’s brothers

Punhun’s father and brothers were against his marriage to Sassui (Punhun being a prince and she being a washerman’s daughter) and so, for their father’s sake, Punhun’s brothers traveled to Bhambor. First they threatened Punhun but when he didn’t relent, they tried more devious methods.
Punhun was surprised to see his brothers supporting his marriage and on the first night, they pretended to enjoy and participate in the marriage celebrations and forced Punhun to drink different types of wines. When he was intoxicated they carried him on a camel’s back and returned to their hometown of Kech.

The lovers meet their end

The next morning, when Sassui realized that she was cheated, she became mad with the grief of separation from her lover and ran barefoot towards the town of Kech Makran. To reach it, she had to cross miles of desert. Alone, she continued her journey until her feet were blistered and her lips were parched from crying “Punhun, Punhun!”. The journey was full of dangerous hazards, which lead to her demise. Punhun’s name was on Sassui’s lips throughout the journey. She was thirsty, there she saw a shepherd coming out of a hut. He gave her some water to drink.

 

 Seeing her incredible beauty, dirty lustful thoughts came into his mind, and he tried to force himself on Sassui. Sassui ran away and prayed to God to hide her and when God listened to her prayers, land shook and split and Sassui found herself buried in the valley of mountains. When Punhun woke he was himself in Makran he could not stop himself from running back to Bhambor. On the way he called out “Sassui, Sassui!” to which the shepherd replied. The shepherd told Punhun the whole story. Then Punhun also lamented the same prayer, the land shook and split again and he was also buried in the same mountain valley as Sassui. The legendary grave still exists in this valley. Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai sings this historic tale in his sufi poetry as an example of eternal love and union with Divine.

Kech Makran

The Kech Makran is located along now Makran Coastal Highway in Baluchistan, Pakistan. As we drive along the Makran Coastal Highway we can see The fort of Punnhun whose construction dates back to 6000-8000 BC^[3] is located there..^[2]

Noori Jam Tamachi

Noori Jam Tamachi (Sindhi: نوري ڄام تماچي ) is a famous tale of Prince Jam Tamachi‘s falling in love with the charming fisherwoman Noori. Noori makes Jam happy with her perfect surrender and obedience which causes him to raise her above all the other queens.^[1]

Noori Jam Tamachi also appears in Shah Jo Risalo and forms part of seven popular folk romances from Sindh, Pakistan. The other six tales are Umar Marui, Sohni Mehar, Sassui Punhun, Momal Rano, Sorath Rai Diyach and Laila Chanesar commonly known as Seven heroines (Sindhi: ست سورميون ) of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai.

It is the only story of fulfilled love and happiness, and not of burning love and helpless search.

Overview

Jam Tamachi was a Samma prince, a ruler of Sindh, Thatta, Pakistan. There are three lakes lying between Jherruk and Thatta, called the Keenjharboth locate in Pakistan, the Chholmari and Sonahri. On the banks of Keenjhar broken walls are still visible that mark the site of an old village of fishermen. A girl of this class Noori by name, happened to attract the attention of Jam Tamachi, who madly fell in love with her, and raised her above the ladies of royal blood. She was also called Gandri, her caste name.

This legend has been retold countless times, and is often used as metaphor for divine love by Sufis. Its most beautiful rendering is in found in poetic compendium Shah Jo Risalo of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai. By this anecdote, Shah shows that humility is great thing, and is meant to rise in the favour of the creator.^[2]

Nuri’s grave

 

According to the legend, Noori was buried in the middle of Kalri Lake, Pakistan. Her last resting place is in the middle of the lake and is visited by hundreds of tourists daily.

Keenjhar Lake

Grave of Noori, in the middle of deep waters of Keenjhar (Kalri) Lake, located in Thatta District of Sindh Province, Pakistan

Keenjhar Lake (Urdu: ڪينجهر جھیل ‎Sindhi: ڪينجهر ڍنڍ) commonly called Kalri Lake (Urdu: کلری جھیل ‎,Sindhi: ڪلڙي ڍنڍ ) is situated in Thatta District, Sindh, Pakistan. It is 122 km away from Karachi and 18 km away from the town of Thatta. It is the second largest fresh water lake in Pakistan. It is an important source that provides drinking water to Thatta District and Karachi city.^[2]

 

Keenjhar Lake has been declared a ramsar site and a wildlife sanctuary. It provides a favorable habitat of winter migratory birds like Ducks, Geese, Flamingos, Cormorants, Waders, Herons, Egrets, Ibises, Terns, Coots and Gulls. It has been observed as a breeding area of the Black-crowned Night Heron, the Cotton Pygmy Goose, Purple Swamphen, and Pheasant-tailed Jacana.^[3]

 

Keenjhar Lake is also a popular tourist resort. A large number of people visit it daily from Karachi, Hyderabad and Thatta to enjoy picnic, swimming, fishing, and boating.

The Sindhi legend of Noori Jam Tamachi took place around the lake, and to this day there is a shrine in the middle of the lake marking Noori’s grave. Everyday hundreds of devotees visit the shrine.

Mohenjo-daro

Mohenjo-daro (IPA: [muˑənⁱ dʑoˑ d̪əɽoˑ], Urdu: موئن جودڑو‎, Sindhi: موئن جو دڙو, lit. Mound of the Dead; English pronunciation: /moʊˌhɛn.dʒoʊ ˈdɑː.roʊ/), is an archeological site in the province of Sindh, Pakistan. Built around 2600 BCE, it was one of the largest settlements of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, and one of the world’s earliest major urban settlements, contemporaneous with the civilizations of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Crete. Mohenjo-daro was abandoned in the 19th century BCE, and was not rediscovered until 1922. Significant excavation has since been conducted at the site of the city, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980.^[1] However, the site is currently threatened by erosion and improper restoration

Name

Mohenjo-daro, the modern name for the site, simply means Mound of the Dead in Sindhi. The city’s original name is unknown, but analysis of a Mohenjo-daro seal suggests a possible ancient Dravidian name, Kukkutarma (“the city [-rma] of the cockerel [kukkuta]”).^[3] Cock-fighting may have had ritual and religious significance for the city, with domesticated chickens bred there for sacred purposes, rather than as a food source.^[4]

Location

Mohenjo-daro is located in the Larkana District of Sindh, Pakistan,^[5] on a Pleistocene ridge in the middle of the flood plain of the Indus River Valley, around 28 kilometres (17 mi) from the town of Larkana. The ridge was prominent during the time of the Indus Valley Civilization, allowing the city to stand above the surrounding plain, but the flooding of the river has since buried most of the ridge in deposited silt. The site occupies a central position between the Indus River and the Ghaggar-Hakra River. The Indus still flows to the east of the site, but the riverbed of the Ghaggar-Hakra on the western side is now dry.^[6]

Historical context

Mohenjo-daro was built in the 26th century BCE.^[7] It was one of the largest cities of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, also known as the Harappan Civilization,^[8] which developed around 3000 BCE from the prehistoric Indus culture. At its height, the Indus Civilization spanned much of what is now Pakistan and North India, extending westwards to the Iranian border, south to Gujarat in India and northwards to an outpost in Bactria, with major urban centers at Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, Lothal, Kalibangan, Dholavira and Rakhigarhi. Mohenjo-daro was the most advanced city of its time, with remarkably sophisticated civil engineering and urban planning.^[9] When the Indus civilization went into sudden decline around 1900 BCE, Mohenjo-daro was abandoned.^[7][10]

Rediscovery and excavation

The ruins of the city remained undocumented for over 3,700 years, until their discovery in 1922 by Rakhaldas Bandyopadhyay, an officer of the Archaeological Survey of India.^[7] He was led to the mound by a Buddhist monk, who reportedly believed it to be a stupa. In the 1930s, major excavations were conducted at the site under the leadership of John Marshall, D. K. Dikshitar and Ernest Mackay.^[1] Further excavations were carried out in 1945 by Ahmad Hasan Dani and Mortimer Wheeler.

The last major series of excavations were conducted in 1964 and 1965 by Dr. George F. Dales. After this date, excavations were banned due to weathering damage to the exposed structures, and the only projects allowed at the site since have been salvage excavations, surface surveys, and conservation projects. However, in the 1980s, German and Italian survey groups led by Dr. Michael Jansen and Dr. Maurizio Tosi used less invasive archeological techniques, such as architectural documentation, surface surveys, and localized probing, to gather further information about Mohenjo-daro.^[1]

Architecture and urban infrastructure 

Mohenjo-daro has a planned layout based on a street grid of rectilinear buildings. Most were built of fired and mortared brick; some incorporated sun-dried mud-brick and wooden superstructures. The sheer size of the city, and its provision of public buildings and facilities, suggests a high level of social organization. At its peak of development, Mohenjo-daro could have housed around 35,000 residents. The city is divided into two parts, the so-called Citadel and the Lower City. The Citadel – a mud-brick mound around 12 metres (39 ft) high – is known to have supported public baths, a large residential structure designed to house 5,000 citizens, and two large assembly halls.

 

The city had a central marketplace, with a large central well. Individual households or groups of households obtained their water from smaller wells. Waste water was channeled to covered drains that lined the major streets. Some houses, presumably those of wealthier inhabitants, include rooms that appear to have been set aside for bathing, and one building had an underground furnace (known as a hypocaust), possibly for heated bathing. Most houses had inner courtyards, with doors that opened onto side-lanes. Some buildings had two stories.

 

In 1950, Sir Mortimer Wheeler identified one large building in Mohenjo-daro as a “Great Granary”. Certain wall-divisions in its massive wooden superstructure appeared to be grain storage-bays, complete with air-ducts to dry the grain. According to Wheeler, carts would have brought grain from the countryside and unloaded them directly into the bays. However, Jonathan Mark Kenoyer noted the complete lack of evidence for grain at the “granary”, which, he argued, might therefore be better termed a “Great Hall” of uncertain function.^[10] Close to the “Great Granary” is a large and elaborate public bath, sometimes called the Great Bath. From a colonnaded courtyard, steps lead down to the brick-built pool, which was waterproofed by a lining of bitumen. The pool measures 12 metres (39 ft) long, 7 metres (23 ft) wide and 2.4 metres (7.9 ft) deep. It may have been used for religious purification. Other large buildings include a “Pillared Hall”, thought to be an assembly hall of some kind, and the so-called “College Hall”, a complex of buildings comprising 78 rooms, thought to have been a priestly residence.

 

Mohenjo-daro had no circuit of city walls, but was otherwise well fortified, with guard towers to the west of the main settlement, and defensive fortifications to the south. Considering these fortifications and the structure of other major Indus valley cities like Harappa, it is postulated that Mohenjo-daro was an administrative center. Both Harappa and Mohenjo-daro share relatively the same architectural layout, and were generally not heavily fortified like other Indus Valley sites. It is obvious from the identical city layouts of all Indus sites that there was some kind of political or administrative centrality, but the extent and functioning of an administrative center remains unclear.

Mohenjo-daro was successively destroyed and rebuilt at least seven times. Each time, the new cities were built directly on top of the old ones. Flooding by the Indus is thought to have been the cause of destruction..^[2]

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Silent City Makli

Makli Hill is one of the largest necropolises in the world, with a diameter of approximately 8 km. It lies approx. 98 km east of Karachi and is the burial place of some 125,000 local rulers, Sufi saints and others. Makli is located on the outskirts of Thatta, the capital of lower Sindh until the seventeenth century, in what is the southeastern province of present-day Pakistan.^[1] It was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1981^[2] under the name of Historical Monuments of Thatta.

History

Legends abound about its inception, but it is often believed that the cemetery grew around the shrine of a fourteenth-century Sarwa, Muhammad Hussain Abro. According to other sources however, the credit for establishing Makli as a holy place for worship and burial goes to the immigrant saint, poet and scholar Shaikh Hammad Jamali and the then local ruler, Jam Tamachi.^[3] Another legendary person buried at Makli is the saint Pir Murad (1428-1488).

 

The tombs and gravestones spread over the cemetery are material documents marking the social and political history of Sind. Many have been build using a local sandstone, others are plastered brick buildings (which have suffered the most, generally). The impressive royal mausoleums are divided into two major groups, those from the Samma (1352–1520) and from the Tarkhan (1556–1592) period. In total four historical periods are represented architecturally, namely the Samma, the Arghun, the Tarkhan and the Mughals periods. The tomb (or maqbara) of the King Jam Nizamuddin II (reigned 1461–1508), is an impressive square structure built of sandstone and decorated with floral and geometric medallions.

 

 Similar to this is the mausoleum of Isa Khan Hussain II (d. 1651), a two-story stone building with majestic cupolas and balconies. In contrast to the synthetic architecture of these two monuments, which integrate Hindu and Islamic motifs, are mausoleums that clearly show the Central Asian roots of the Tarkhan and Moghul dynasties. An example is the tomb of Jan Beg Tarkhan (d. 1600), a typical octagonal brick structure whose dome is covered in blue and turquoise glazed tiles. Pavilion or canopy tombs (chattri maqbara or umbrella tomb) are another typical Indo-Islamic architectural feature, as well as enclosure tombs. the Moghul period is represented by many tombs on the southern side of the necropolis, including the mausoleum of Mirza Jani & Mirza Ghazi Baig, that of Nawab Shurfa Khan, the enclosure of Mirza Baqi Baig Uzbek and of Mirza Jan Baba as well as the impressive restored tomb of Nawab Isa Khan Tarkhan the Younger.

 

Today, Makli Hill is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site that is visited by both pilgrims and tourists, but in strong need of conservation and maintenance. The Tomb Shrine of THE MAMAIDEV is Located in eastern end of Makali Hill, The Mamaidev was a great Sufi Saint,Philosopher and Predictor of future incoming Events,Makali is pigrimage of Maheswary Kutchi Meghwar of Sindh and Kutch and Gujarat,The MAMAIDEV Nirvan or he sacrificed his life on 1389 A.D.at Tattha by Shama king Bahminah during the Shama Dynasty of Sindh,Jam Unadji and his son Bahminaha was the follower of the MAMAIDEV,THE Mamaidev Preached to King shama of Sindh and King Rao Navaghan a Rajpoot Dynasty of Junagadh Gujarat and Rajpoot Jethwa Kings and Dynasty of Ghumali Jamnagar Gujarat,many Pllgrimage are coming from Kutch and Gujarat during the Manth of Vaisak. Makali jo Mukam is the memory of the Great Mamaidev, Reference from http://mamaidev.vinzoda.in, 2010 flooding unfortunately added to the deterioration of the site.^[4]