|
 |
|
History of Sindh |
Sindh has a history of town life, going back to some 5,000 years, as
attested by the numerous archaeological finds of modern times. The most
important archaeological sites are: Amri, Kotdijji and Mohen-jo- Daro. The
ruins of Mohen-jo-Daro, which was a flourishing city by about 2500 B.C.,
reveal a remarkably developed of civilization. The city has parallel
streets, a planned drainage system, and grain storage facilities.
Sindh's later history begins towards the end of the 6th century B.C., when
the Persian King Darius I (the Great) sent the Greek explorer Scylax to
survey the Indus Valley. In 325B.C., Alexander the Great of Macedona
conquered Sindh from the north, but after his death in 323B.C., Greek
influence began to wane. The region flourished once again in the days of
the Buddhist emperor Asoka (Ashoka), who reigned about 274-237 B.C. In the
2nd century B.C., following the disintegration of Asoka's empire. Sindh
became under the influence of Indo-Greek and Indo-Parthian dynasties.
Later it was absorbed into the Kushan empire, which reached its height in
the 1st and 2nd century A.D., During the region of kanisihka I, a great
patron of Buddhism. At the close of the 4th century, Sindh was part of the
empire of the Guptas, who effected a revival of Brahmanism in India.
Muslim rule in Sindh began with the Arab conquest of the region in 712
A.D. by Muhammad Ibn Kasim. He had been sent by Hajaj-Lbn yusuf, governor
of Iraq for the Umayya Caliph, to punish the Brahman ruler of Debal for
interfering with shipping in he Arabian sea. Sindh remained under Arab
rule for nearly 300 years. The Sammas in 1351 A.D.
In 1025-1026H, Mahmud Ghazanvi marched through Sindh to Somnath, which is
now in the Indian state of
Gujarat. Arghuns & Tarkhans ruled over
Sindh from 1521 A.D. to 1555 A.D. Sindh was then, annexed to the Delhi
Sultanate in 1555 A.D. The Mughal (Mogul) emperor Akbar, who was born in
Sindh , annexed it with Mughal empire in 1591A.D. Sindh maintained virtual
independence under local Muslim rulers, the Kalhoras in 1713 A.D.
From 1700 A.D. to 1783 A.D. Kalhoras ruled over Sindh. From 1783 A.D.
Sindh was governed by Amirs of the Talpur tribe, originally from
Balochistan. Sir Charles Nagpier conquered them for
Britain in 1843, transmitting the news in a message reading "peccavi",
Latin for "I have sinned ." The conquest was later much criticized. How
ever Sindh became united culturally, and linguistically, as well as
politically, under the British. It was administered as part of
Bombay
presidency until 1936, when it was made a separate province.
Boundaries of Sindh
Geographically speaking the word
"Sindh" denotes the lower half of he Indus Valley from
Bhakkar down to the sea and from the Kirthar in the west to
the desert of Thar in the east. These geographical
boundaries loosely form the basis of cultural, ethnic,
linguistic and political frontiers of Sindh. Generally
speaking the above-mentioned frontiers agree with the
geographical boundaries but in some cases they over-step
them. This is particularly noticeable in respect of the
languages. In the north Landha and in the east Rajhastani
co-mingle with Sindhi. Ethnically the
Sindhi society has been
cosmopolitan in its composition. Its ethnic groups range
from the descendants of the ancient Aryans, the Secthians,
the Arabs, the Turks, the Persians, the Rajputs and the
Baluchis.
Politically speaking it is difficult to draw exact frontiers
of Sindh as they have suffered constant changes in the
course of history. However, references made by the Greeks
and the Arab historians enable one to determine with some
measure of precision the frontiers of Sindh which existed at
the time when these records were written. The Greek accounts
of Alexander’s expedition show Sindh divided into several
states. The northern most was Alor, while Kachh-Gandava and
the Arabi (the Purali) formed the boundary on the west. The
description of Oritoe shows Mukran as a separate kingdom.
Later Hiue Tsiang mentioned Cutch as a part of Sindh and
described Multan as part of a separate kingdom. In the reign
of Chach (last half of 7 century AD) the frontiers of Sindh
extended upto Kashmir.
Present Boundaries of Sindh
Sindh is bounded on north by Baluchistan and the Punjab, on
the east by Rajisthan (India), on the south by the Runn of
Kutch and the Arabian Sea and on the West by Lasbela and
Kalat districts of the province of Baluchistan.
|
|
Sindhi Culture |
Sindh has very glorious past. The richness of its history and culture has
always attracted scholars of the country and abroad for the study of all
aspects of Sindhi life and its ethos.
Historically the roots of Sindhi culture and civilization go back to a
hoary past. Archaeological researches during 19th and 20th centuries A.D.,
showed the roots of social life, religion and culture of the people of the
Sindh- their agricultural practices, traditional arts and crafts, customs
and tradition etc. going back to a ripe and mature
Indus valley civilization of the third
millennium B.C. Recent researches have traced the richness of the
Indus
valley civilization, to even earlier ancestry.
Sindhi culture can truly lay claim to being one of the oldest known to
man, surpassing certain shades and colors even those of Egypt, Mesopotamia
and china.
To see the richness of the Sindhi culture, one only has to visit Sindh to
be aware of the diversity and beauty of her human world, their language,
literature, arts and crafts, music and social customs & traditions etc.
Tangibly, in brick and stone, it is , therefore, for all the visitors to
see the
Indus
Valley
civilization represented by the ancient sites of Mahrgharh, Amri, Kotdijji,
Mohen-jo-Daro and Harappa, dating back from seventh to the fourth
millennium B.C.
People of Sindh have possessed and retained most of the peculiarities and
characteristics of their ancestors, in spite of the fact that Sindhi
culture has been influenced by the cultures of invaders such as Aryans,
Iranians, Greeks, Scythians, Parthians Arabs and the western people.
Thus the study of Sindh, its people and their culture, is a very
interesting subject, and it invites the attention of scholars,
particularly that of the historians, anthropologists & linguists.
This is a region of diverse cultural influences. Throughout the centuries,
indeed, through out the millennium, as these influences arrived in Sindh,
they were incorporated into the rich traditions, which are defined as
"Sindhi Culture". Thus the people and culture of Sindh can be thought of
as a distinct entity in which almost every aspect eludes simple
definition.
The Sindhi is by nature, quiet and inoffensive. He is religious minded,
humanitarian, hospitable, accommodating, and prefers human values. His
attitude to life is determined by geographical, economic and moral set-up,
making him unassertive. In the opinion of professor pithawalla, "A Sindhi
is a philosophic, strong, forbearing, tolerant, patriotic and peace-loving
individual. "like the great river-Sindhu-which is Sindh's life-sprit, the
Sindhi farmer has learnt to receive and to give gifts." |
|
|
 |
