Tombs of Mianwal faqirs
The tombs of the soldiers of Kalhoro period are in a dilapidated condition but that doesn't discourage the visitors
By Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro
The necropolis of Jeevan Shah, spread over four acres, is located some ten kilometres west of Naudero town in the village of Jeevan Shah. Formerly, here existed the town of Shah Garh, considered an important town of Kalhora period (1700-1784) and lay on an old Qandhari road. Most of the personages buried in this cemetery died either in the Battle of Gerello (1699) or in various encounters with the Brohi and Daudpotra tribes. Some also died in the Madad Khan Pathan's foray into Sindh. The town of Shah Garh is believed to have been destroyed by the army of Madad Khan in 1780.

'My family never gave up building boats since they built the ark of Hazrat Nuh!' Ghulam Arabi did not so much as bat an eyelid making this startling disclosure. Then he went on to tell me that before the time of the prophet who saved mankind from the Deluge, ship-building was unknown. As irrefutable finality of that statement, Ghulam Arabi cited the Quran.

For added authenticity he said even his great-grandfather was a boatwright. I did not point out that between his great-grandfather and Hazrat Nuh there must have been several thousand years. Quick to see the doubt in my eyes, he said that since his family knows only this craft, it has long been suspected that they go back to those biblical times. That was arithmetic at its simplest, and I could hardly quarrel with it. At forty Ghulam Arabi, having learned the trade at his late father's knee, himself had twenty-five years of boat-building experience.

He said that he was a Mughal and his sub-caste was Gharu. This latter, he said, derived from the Punjabi or Urdu word for shaping wood. I asked him if his family was called Gharu even in the time of Hazrat Nuh and he looked at me as if I could scarcely have asked a more imbecile question. That, then, was settled: he was a Mughal of the sub-caste Gharu whose family history of ship-building went back to the great Deluge. And so we moved on to less exciting but rather more plausible aspects of his profession.

There were thirty-six different kinds of boats in Pakistan. These included the several types of flat-bottomed punts on rivers and lakes that could either be rowed, poled or fitted with outboard motors. Then there were the large sabot-shaped houseboats (different sizes) of the Sindhu River and Manchhar Lake and there were the different types and sizes of keeled sea-going vessels of the coast. Ghulam Arabi, his brother, two sons, a nephew and a maternal uncle who all work together, could build any of those boats. And they were not the only boatwrights of the country. There were a few dozen other families engaged in the craft.

But they never employed drawings or measurements. There was nothing on paper. Ghulam Arabi and his team had everything in their heads. All that was needed was a photograph and the desired length of the boat and they could produce it. Chaudri Munir, a well-known industrialist from Lahore, brought a catalogue of boat designs complete with measurements and drawings to Ghulam Arabi. He wanted a boat copied and had tried several carpenters in Lahore. But nothing worked. After wasting much time and even more money, Munir turned to Ghulam Arabi.

When our man was offered the catalogue to study, he refused. He simply looked at the picture of the boat, asked how big Chaudri sahib wanted his vessel to be and got his team working. In six weeks flat, Ghulam Arabi had the boat ready to the great delight of his rich client.

We were sitting in the sand of the once great Sindhu River at the ford of Bungla Ichha near Jamaldin Wali in Rahim Yar Khan district. Ghulam Arabi, a native of Chachran, fifty kilometres upstream, was taking time off from repairing three or four boats that were soon to be hitched in a boat bridge. Every year between November and March when the river runs low, the boat bridge is strung out and all motor traffic passes over it to Rojhan on the west bank.

The rest of the year, the river being far too wide and with a greater flow for this arrangement, crossings are affected by smaller engine-powered punts. Since these can at most carry a couple of motorcycles and are mainly for passengers, vehicular traffic is routed over Guddu Barrage about thirty kilometres downstream.

Business was good, said Ghulam Arabi. The going rate to build a new vessel was Rs600 per foot and a typical twenty foot-long punt took about a month to finish. Charges for repair work, on the other hand, were variable depending on the scale of work. All materials, the timber (always deodar cedar), as well as the nails and other items, were supplied by the client. Ghulam Arabi and his team came with the tools of their trade and their expertise.

The typical work day for them began after the morning prayers and ended with sundown. But though the work day was some five hours longer in summer, daily output tended to be the same throughout the year. The reason according to Ghulam Arabi was the debilitating heat of summer that reduced efficiency.

At the fishing village of Ibrahim Hyderi in Karachi, Ghulam Arabi had learned the science of building keeled marine engine-powered boats. Thereafter he had worked there a full eight years to master the craft. Subsequently he moved to Gwadar where he remained another couple of years working with another ustad. He worked at the two places in order to learn the subtle differences between the Baloch and the Sindhi design.

Time was when there were only single-masted sailboats plying the several fords on the Sindhu between Dera Ghazi Khan and Kashmore. Ghulam Arabi and his team built the last of those sailing boats in the later 1990s. Now there are only these small boats with the diesel engine that for some abstruse reason we call a 'peter engine' in Pakistan.

'The sailing boat took five hours to cross the river. These little powered boats take three quarters of an hour. Now everyone is in a hurry and they just want to get wherever they are going.'

Ghulam Arabi said he had no complaints. Business had been brisk and there were still orders in hand for the coming months. I pointed out that one day a bridge will span this part of the river adversely affecting his business. What will he do then?

'The fishermen of the Sindhi lakes as well as those of the seaboard will never go out of business. If it comes to the worst, we'll have to move either to Karachi or to Gwadar. But we will carry on the profession we have followed since the time of Hazrat Nuh.' Ghulam Arabi, the boatwright, was spot on. He and others like him will never run out of work.

The necropolis of Jeevan Shah, spread over four acres, is located some ten kilometres west of Naudero town in the village of Jeevan Shah. Formerly, here existed the town of Shah Garh, considered an important town of Kalhora period (1700-1784) and lay on an old Qandhari road. Most of the personages buried in this cemetery died either in the Battle of Gerello (1699) or in various encounters with the Brohi and Daudpotra tribes. Some also died in the Madad Khan Pathan's foray into Sindh. The town of Shah Garh is believed to have been destroyed by the army of Madad Khan in 1780.

These days, there exists a small village of Jeevan Shah inhabited by Chandia tribe. The ruins of old town of Shah Garh can be seen in and around the village. Most of the ruined area is being cultivated, playing havoc with the historical heritage. Near the village lies the necropolis noted for the beautiful mausoleums and Chaukhandi tombs of the soldiers of the Kalhoras. Unfortunately, most of these are in crumbling conditions.

The largest tomb belongs to Meeran Shah Jhinjhan, a renowned general of Mian Din Muhammad Kalhoro. Apart from the battle of Gerello, Meeran Shah took part in many battles. He also played a significant role in forcing the Qambar Khan Brohi of Kalat for peace parleys. After the battle of Gerello, Qamber Khan came for the help of Mughals and attacked the war party of Kalhoras. He initially achieved some success. Nevertheless, when the Mianwal faqirs began gathering under the command of Meeran Shah, Qamber Khan instantly agreed for peace talks and returned to Qalat. Meeran Shah is believed to have killed his whole family before going to a battle where he was ultimately killed.

The tomb of Meeran Shah is in a derelict and dilapidated condition. The dome of tomb has recently collapsed. There have been two persons in Mianwal movement by the name of Meeran Shah. One belongs to Jhinjhan tribe while the other to Solangi tribe. The tomb of Meeran Shah Solangi, the resolute and devoted disciple and general of Mian Nasir Muhammad Kalhoro, is located near the Manchhar Lake in Dadu.

According to some local accounts Meeran Shah fought bravely in the battle of Gerello and survived where many of his soldiers died. His two body guards Muhabat Khan Chandio and Masu Jalbani also died in the same battle. Their graves are inside the tomb of Meeran Shah. On entering into the tomb of Meeran Shah, one finds the grave of Masu Jalbani on the right and Muhabat Khan Chandio's on the left side. The grave of Meeran Shah is taller than other graves indicating his status and power. Muhabat Khan Chandio and Masu Jalbani were brave and courageous soldiers of Meeran Shah who always escorted him.

Meeran Shah Jhinjhan is considered to be the patron saint of Shahani tribe. Every tribesman brings his newly born baby to the tomb of Meeran Shah for their first head shave. At the time of the head shaving ceremony of the male baby, the necropolis is crowded with people of Shahani tribe.

To the eastern side of Meeran Shah's mausoleum is sited tomb of Jeevan Shah Jhinjhan who, like Meeran Shah, served as general in the army of Mian Din Muhammad Kalhoro and Mian Yar Muhammad Kalhoro. Jeevan Shah was a cousin of Meeran Shah. He displayed his heroism and gallantry in many battles thrust upon the Kalhoras by the Mughals, the Brohis and the Daudpotras.

An old tomb of Jeevan Shah collapsed some fifteen years ago. According to Mithal Chandio and Gul Bahar Chandio, villagers have recently built the tomb of Jeevan Shah. Not a single tomb in the graveyard carries inscriptions. The local people know the stories and heroics of the dignitaries through the interaction with the descendents of the personages who frequently visit the tombs and graves of their ancestors.

To the north of Jeevan Shah's tomb is situated the dilapidated tomb of Qado Damraho. He served Mian Din Muhammad, Yar Muhammad Kalhoro and Mian Yar Muhammad Kalhoro. Presently, he is considered as a patron saint of Damraho tribe. Like Meeran shah, his tomb bustles with his tribesmen who bring their male babies for head shaving. Only the remaining walls of the tomb that have withstood the vagaries of weather are destroying the original beauty of structure. Not a single tomb in the necropolis has survived in its original shape.

Apart from these tombs, some structures lie to eastern and southern sides of Jeevan Shah village. To the eastern side of the village, in the middle of agricultural land, is located the tomb of Mian Radho Rahujo who served as general of Mian Yar Muhammad Kalhoro. Many of his tribesmen were under his command. The necropolis where his tomb is located is known as Rahujan -Jo-Muqam (The necropolis of Rahuja tribe). A large part of the area of the necropolis is being used for cultivation with only a little space left for graves now surrounded by bushes.

To the south of Jeevan Shah Village lies village of Wasand Jeho where tomb of Pir Kalhoro is located. Pir Kalhoro is believed to have been a Nazim of Shah Garh during Mian Noor Muhammad Kalhoro's time. Some of the contemporary Mianwal faqirs believe that the real name of Pir Kalhoro is Paliyo Khan who lived during the rule of Mian Noor Muhammad Kalhoro. Locally he is known as Pir Kalhoro. The tomb of Pir Kalhoro has almost leveled to ground.

Tombs veneration is now common and widespread among many communities who visit the tombs in the hopes of getting their wishes fulfilled. Local community and people from far-flung areas also come to pay homage to the soldiers of the Kalhora period. Most of the graves are covered with clothes. The heroism of these soldiers and generals also dominates the daily discourse of the local community who narrate the stories of the each of the soldiers admiringly and fondly.