Thal, SindhSagar, Harappa & the Punjab in History & Archaeology (A book Review in The News)

Thal, SindhSagar, Harappa & the Punjab in History & Archaeology

(A book Review in The News) 

Read and unlearn, we will soon do a radio program with author soon. 

Story of coin collection

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.

In the recent past, many of us have come across the word Waseb, used to describe the Seraiki/Lahndi speaking areas. Thal is among them but very few people know about its ancient roots and its linkages with Harappan civilisation and Punjanad. With this book, they may be able to discover their forgotten history entrenched and embedded in the punj daryaee dharti since long.

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.

Among its five doabs, the biggest yet thinly populated one was the Sindh Sagar Doab, the area between rivers Jehlum and Sindh. Main areas in this doab include the Kala Chitta Range, Margala and 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.

Read complete article/review

http://tns.thenews.com.pk/forgotten-thal-ancient-roots/#.XGvSaaIzbIV

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 2^nd 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 5^th 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.