Punjab, the land of five rivers, has had historical significance from ancient times. Greeks called it Penta-potamia while in Mahabharat and Ramayan it was called Punjnad (spelt by English writers as Punjanada). One of the oldest names of Indus River was Punjab and the famous dictionary of Hobson-Jobson recorded it with numerous references.
Book Thal
of the Sindh Sagar Doab during Indus age
Author Zubair
Shafi Ghauri
Date of Publication June
2018
Pages 260
(almost A4 size)with color pictures
Publisher Iqbal
Publisher 112/A BoR Colony Johar Town, Lahore
Price Rs
1000
Forgotten Thal and its ancient roots
Aamir Riaz
Reading history through archeology is an interesting
discipline and when you try to decode mysteries resided in stones, you may
leave numerous prides and prejudices. Reading history through archeology &
anthropology largely open doors of new world. Unfortunately, in-spite of very
rich archeological remains throughout Pakistan, performance of concerned
departments is very poor and its result is obvious; we have numerous unexplored
remains in all the four provinces. The book ‘’ Thal of the Sindh Sagar doab
during Indus age’’ under review once again reminding us our collective
negligence regarding state of Archeology in the land of pure.
Zubair Shafi Ghauri, is among the rare civil servants of
modern times who is doing great service not only for the historians but also
for the society through his non-political cum research writings. It remind us
numerous British colonial officers who left a great resource for regarding.
That resource was largely penned to serve London yet it is still beneficial for
us, even we disagree with it. Writings
of Pakistani archeologists including works of Ghauri are beneficial for
Pakistan in many ways but our policy makers have little interest in it partly
due to religio-political mantara designed under ideology of Pakistan and partly
due to ignorance. Pakistan as a State & nation lost many opportunities due
to this neglect.
His previous book about Harappa & Pre-harappan
settlements along with abandoned course of river Ravi can be considered rare
work in Pakistan not only for archeologists but for young researchers &
historians largely.
Henry Thoby Prinsep’s famous book ‘’History of the Punjab’’
published in 1846, London (Two volumes) recorded beginning of archeological
discoveries of Gandhara at Manikayala, now a village (Kallar Sydan road) during
Ranjit Singh times by his French generals Vantura & Court in 1820s. With
the orders of Maharaja they had saved 15 hill topes where they found countless
coins, precious stones, ear rings, boxes of decomposed animal substance etc
and till the book was published many
such things had been deposited with Maharaja permission in Royal library of
Paris. In recently held ThinkFest literature, festival French scholar J M
Lafont mentioned a big collection of coins of general Court placed in Royal
British museum with the title Cunningham Collection. Alexander Cunningham was a
British military officer , participated in wars for the annexation of the
Punjab (1849) and founded & organized what later became the Archeological
Survey of India.
Punjab, the land of five rivers, is known in history from
ancient times. Greeks called it Penta-potamia while in Mahabharat & Ramayan
it is called PunjNad (spelled by English writers as Punjanada) and as per old
record areas of present Pakistan were part of land of five rivers and its
doabs. One of the oldest names of Indus River was Punjab and famous dictionary
of Hobson Jobson recorded it with numerous references. Among its five doabs, the
biggest yet thinly populated doab was Sindh Saghar doab, a land between rivers
Jehlum and Sindh. Main areas in this doab include the Kala Chita range, Margala
& Murti hills, Potohar, Salt range and Thal. Some of the major cities in
this doab are Attock, Mianwali, Pindi, Islamabad, Chakwal, Khushab, layyah,
Bhakkar, Muzaffargarh and Kot Addu.
From 2009, Ghauri spent three years in Sindh Saghar doab and
penned a new book. His latest work is about Thal dessert and it consists of an
account and analysis of 226 prehistoric settlements of the Hakara, early &
late harappan period in the Punjab. Author told that he has discovered 300 more
settlements too and will write 2nd part of this book. Dr Saif ur
Rahman Dar wrote an extensive preface in which he admitted that author ‘’is
more mature than most of the present-day senior professional archeologists’’. Many
of us who worked on Punjab must update their knowledge and try to understand
the unwritten history of the 5th doab of Punjab with special
reference of Thal.
Dar seems agree with author that Indus once used to follow
in the middle of the tract now called Thal. ‘’Some of the present days tracts
of Thal called patties (Laks) are almost certainly the ancient routs of the old
bed of the Indus’’. Those lands were used for cultivation in ancient times. When
author explored it, he admitted that unlike Cholistan, Thal is, at times of the
years, a heavily cultivated country.
Author, not only acknowledge previous works but also quoted
Settlement reports and gazetteers of British Punjab extensively. It included Muzaffargarh
settlement report 1873, Shahpur district gazetteer 1866 & 1897, Mianwali
gazetteer 1915, Settlement report Jhang 1874, Jhang gazetteer 1929, Land
revenue settlement D I Khan of Punjab 1872, D I Khan gazetteer
1883,Muzaffargarh gazetteer 1908, 1929, gazeteer of Tahsil Layyah 1916 and many
more.
Discovery of harappan settlements in Thal is important to
understand the common bounds between Sindh & the Punjab from ancient times.
Thanks to Islamization of General Zia and provincial nationalisms we often
ignore it in our narratives. But can we ignore archeology? Can we overlook
Muhanjo-Dharo, Kot Deji, Gandhara and Harappa? No matter it suits to limited
nationalism narrative or not but it is hard to ignore harappan and pre harappan
settlements.
Ghauri knew it well that his work is just a beginning rather
opening of a new arena for young researchers. With modesty he wrote that his
work will ‘’persuade research scholars to conduct detail surveys and reshape
ideas associated with settlements patterns
of the Indus age’’.
In the end he rightly advised that due to opening of Thal Canal
pre historic past of Thal dessert will vanish forever so better preserve it
before time.
In recent past, many of us often talk about Waseb, a word
used for Seraiki/Lahndi speaking areas and Thal is among them but very few
people knew about its ancient roots and its linkages with Harappan civilization
and PunjaNad. With this book they may able to discover forgotten history entrenched
& embedded in the Punj Daryaee Dharti since long.
