( All pictures are owned, kindly respect copyrights)
for text consulted book 'Ancient Cholistan' by Dr. Muhammad Rafique Mughal
22-02-2021
Cholistan
has a rich history, in ancient times, it was a lush region with a large river
fed by meltwater from the Himalayas, and so has a high density of ancient
settlements from the Indus Valley Civilization period dating back as early as
4000 BCE. Ganweriwala is situated near the Indian border on the dry riverbed of
the Ghaggar-Hakra, now part of a vast desert. It is spread over 80 hectares and
comparable in size with the largest sites of the Indus Valley Civilization.
TThe Cholistan Desert also locally known as Rohi is large in the southern part of
Punjab, Pakistan that forms part of the Greater Thar Desert, which extends to
Sindh province and the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is one of two large
deserts in Punjab.
The
region later became a center for caravan trade, leading to the construction of
numerous forts in the medieval period to protect trade routes - of which the
Derawar Fort is the best.
I
visited Derawar Fort in 2013 at that time I thought that it was the only fort
present in the Cholistan desert. I have a keen interest in navigating Google
maps, somebody has uploaded images of four other forts present in the desert. I
continued my search and able to mark fifteen more desert fort’s location pins
on Google Maps.
Meanwhile,
I also found a book 'Ancient Cholistan' by Dr. Muhammad Rafique Mughal, he
listed down the names of forty-one forts present in the Cholistan its outskirts.
With eight years of research and visiting more than fifteen forts in Cholistan,
I concluded that there were forty-Seven forts in total.
I
categorized them into four groups according to my knowledge.
|
|
Derawar Fort |
(28°45'54.88"N,71°20'35.96"E) |
|
|
Maujgarh Fort |
(29° 0'48.98"N, 72° 8'21.51"E) |
|
|
Marot Fort |
(29°10'37.11"N, 72°26'2.99"E) |
|
|
Jamgarh Fort |
(29°10'3.87"N, 72°32'53.06"E) |
|
|
Mirgarh Fort |
(29°10'27.76"N, 72°37'16.31"E) |
|
|
Phulra Fort/ Fort Abbas |
(29°10'49.16"N, 72°51'40.17"E |
|
|
Nawan Kot Fort |
(28°20'44.21"N, 71°22'21.21"E) |
|
|
Bijnot/ Winjhot Fort |
(28° 5'24.05"N, 71°40'54.73"E) |
|
|
Khangarh Fort |
(28°22'5.74"N, 71°43'2.49"E) |
|
|
Rukanpur Fort |
(28°23'51.79"N, 72° 2'23.97"E) |
|
|
Dingarh Fort |
(28°56'34.05"N, 71°50'13.80"E) |
|
|
Moochki Fort |
(28°20'20.47"N, 70°36'18.41"E) |
|
|
Khairgarh Fort |
(28°27'42.50"N, 70°50'36.73"E) |
|
|
Islamgarh Fort |
(27°51'18.22"N, 70°48'27.82"E) |
|
|
Bhagla
Fort |
(28°16'7.00"N,70°30'35.34"E) |
|
|
Bara/
Bhara Fort |
(28°56'47.62"N,
71°38'0.38"E) |
|
|
Muridwala
Fort |
(28°23'14.21"N,
70°45'52.95"E) |
|
|
Mau
Mubarak Fort |
(28°31'52.11"N,
70°21'44.39"E) |
|
|
Ahmadpur
Lamma Fort |
(28°19'15.13"N,
70° 3'6.45"E) |
|
|
Mubarakpur
Fort |
(29°15'42.11"N,
71°21'26.23"E) |
|
|
Unnamed
Fort |
(28°31'52.11"N,
70°21'44.39"E) |
|
|
Momal
Ji Mari |
(27°58'1.43"N, 69°24'42.65"E) |
|
|
Fatehgarh Fort |
30.2544, 73.802 |
|
|
Sahibgarh Fort |
|
|
|
Ghauspur Fort |
|
|
|
Qaimpur Fort |
(29°41'21.76"N, 72°25'12.47"E) |
|
|
Tajgarh Fort |
(28°30'33.77"N, 70°15'43.41"E) |
|
|
Liyara Fort |
(28°11'2.18"N, 69°53'23.79"E) |
|
|
Kotsabzal Fort |
(28°13'0.67"N, 69°53'29.16"E) |
|
|
Kandera Fort |
(28° 4'29.58"N, 70°10'32.39"E) |
|
|
Fazilpur Fort |
(28°16'39.5"N, 69°57'57.2"E) |
|
|
Jajjal Fort |
(30°11'51.38"N, 73°56'11.56"E) |
|
|
Kot Samaba Fort |
(28°33'16.11"N, 70°28'5.88"E) |
|
|
Nowshera Fort |
|
|
|
Sardargarh Fort |
(28°42'34.39"N, 70°26'13.19"E) |
|
|
Walhar Fort |
|
|
|
Bahawalgarh Fort |
(30° 9'45.30"N, 73°29'18.78"E) |
|
|
Gari Ikhtian Khan Fort |
(28°40'1.16"N, 70°31'32.15"E) |
|
|
Dhuin Fort and mound |
|
|
|
Moonday Shaheed Fort |
|
|
|
Falji Fort |
(28°12'37.37"N, 70°13'20.66"E) |
|
|
Sarwahi Fort |
(28°14'23.46"N, 69°58'17.05"E) |
|
|
Ghanipur or Khairpur Fort |
(29°34'54.40"N, 72°14'34.03"E) |
a.
Bahawalpur Fort
b.
Thatta Wattan Fort
c.
Ramkali Fort
d.
Paloli Fort
FORTS,
WHICH HAVE SOME REMAINS STILL LEFT.
a. Derawar Fort (28°45'54.88"N, 71°20'35.96"E)
The fort at Derawar is the most impressive architecturally and the best-preserved because it was still in the possession of the Nawabs of Bahawalpur. The present fort is believed to be standing on an ancient fort of pre-Islamic date which according to unconfirmed traditions, was reportedly built by "Bhati" ruler Dera Sidh, also known as "Dev Rawal". The fort was originally named after Dev Rawal but later, came to be called Derawar.
Not
much is known of its early history until the fort was captured by the first
Nawab of Bahawalpur, Sadiq Muhammad Khan I in A.D. 1733. Six years later, Nadir
Shah granted him the title of Nawab along with control over Shikarpur, Larkana,
Siwistan, Chhatar, and Derawar. The fort was re-occupied by Rawal Rai Singh in
A.D. 1747 during the time of the second Nawab, Mubarak Khan twelve years later
the promise of paying half the income of the tolls collected at Derawar. The
city of Bahawalpur and Derawar Fort was taken by Timur Shah in A.D. 1788 and
placed under Shah Muhammad Khan Badozai for a brief period, but both were
regained by the fourth Nawab, Muhammad Bahawal Khan II. Derawar has remained
under the rulers of Bahawalpur State since the last quarter of the 18th century
A.D. A royal graveyard and the marble mosque stand conspicuously outside the
fort.
Mojgarh was founded by Muhammad Maruf Khan Kehrani in A.D. 1743, his square tomb decorated with glazed tiles and surmounted by a single dome stands about 400 yards south of the fort was completed by Maruf Khan's son Jan Muhammad Khan and his successor, Umar Khan in A.D 1757. Among several iron plaques reported on its main door, one of them recorded the name of Jan Muhammad Khan and Muhammad Maruf Khan with the construction date of the gate in Persian A.D. 1797 along with the name of the builder, Sri Ram, ironsmith, Mojgarh was visited by Elphinstone and Masson.
At
present, the fort is in ruins. The outer burnt brick facing has collapsed at
numerous places and the material is being re-used by the local inhabitants. The
fort is almost square in plan. measuring 325, 312, and 238 feet on the
southern, western, and northern sides, respectively.
c.
Marot Fort (29°10'37.11"N, 72°26'2.99"E)
Marot was once an important commercial center located on an ancient route between Multan and Delhi, which passed through Sirsa and Hansi during the Medieval period. The existing ruins of Marot reportedly occupy an ancient place which according to the traditions was founded by one of the rulers of Chittor during pre-Islamic times. It contained several religious shrines including a temple of the Jains.
By twelfth-century A.D., Marot assumed strategic importance as well and emerged as a strong military outpost. Nasiruddin Qabacha, the local ruler of Uch was once stationed at Marot. Minhaj Uddin Siraj in A.D, 1250. During Akbar's time, a contingent of 200 horsemen and 1000 infantry was stationed at Marot.
Marot
fort was changed hands several times before Nawab Mubarak Khan took it from the
ruler of Jaisalmer towards the close of 18th century A.D. In 1842, Charles
Masson during his journeys through Afghanistan and Punjab visited Marot, when
it was still a commercial center. He noted mud walls and bastions of the fort
besides other features of the town.
d.
Jamgarh Fort (29°10'37.11"N, 72°26'2.99"E)
Jamgarh
Fort, is 9 km away from Meergarh Fort. It was built in 1788 by Jam Khan
Maroofani. It’s square, measuring 114 feet on each side. Its walls are 28 feet
high and strengthened by circular bastions at the corners.
e.
Meergarh/ Mirgarh Fort
(29°10'27.76"N, 72°37'16.31"E)
Mirgarh
Fort has situated about 15 km from Fort Abbas in Bahawalnagar. Mirgarh Fort was
founded by Noor Muhammad Khan, in l799 AD. The fort is made up of mud and has
been constantly ignored by the concerned authorities. Its high walls are just
waiting for a jolt to fall and disappear forever.
Phulra
is an ancient fort and is said to have existed long before the domination of
the Vikas, the founders of Bhikaner. In 1166 H. it was almost in ruins but was
repaired and strengthened by Karam Khan Arbani (son of Qaim Khan, the founder
of Qaimpur). The pakka bricks and the inner part is filled with mud. Near the
western wall, inside the fort, is a pakka well, 118' deep and 4' in
circumference, the water of which is sweet, a rare thing in the Cholistan. At
each corner of the fort is a tower, with an inner chamber. The north-western
tower is of burnt brick. In the south-eastern part of the fort is a
three-storeyed house, whose upper forms a small bungalow. On the front of the
bungalow are inscribed the words:- Malik-i mohall Muhammad Akram Khan Daudpotra
dar Shar-i-Ramazan 1166 Hijri, "Muhammad Akram Khan Daudpotra master of
the palace, in the month of Ramazan 1166 H. There are three wells outside the
fort, well-built of stucco and containing sweet water.
Regarding Marot, Phulra, and Maujgarh "Masson says”: - "The portion of desert stretching eastward of Bahawalpur to Bikaner is of course but little productivity, yet, as in many parts of it the surface has more soil than sand, there are amongst other inhabited localities, the Bazar towns of Phulra, Marot, and Maujgarh which drive a considerable trade in grain with neighboring states. Phularah on the frontier of Bikaner has a good Bazar but is not perhaps very commercial. The fortress adjacent has been a superior building, for these parts but is now sadly in decay. There was once a good trench; the walls are very high, and the battlements are tastefully decorated. The Kiladar’s house soars above the ramparts and whole has an antique and picturesque appearance, particularly from the northern side, where the walls are washed by a large expanse of water in which is a small island studded with trees. There are three guns at Pularah.
Colonel
Todd says "Phulra and Marot have still some importance the first is very
ancient and enumerated amongst the 'Nakoti Marooka' in the earliest period of
Pramara domination. I do not doubt that inscriptions in the ornamental
vail-headed character belonging to the Jains will be found here, having
obtained one from Lodorea in the desert which has been a ruin for nine
centuries. Phulra was the residence of Lakha Phoolni, a name well-known to
those versed in the old traditions of the desert. He was contemporary with Sid
Rae of Auhulwara and Udyadit of Dhar.
g.
Nawan Kot Fort (28°20'44.61"N, 71°22'19.16"E)
Located
away from the Hakra Riverbed in the desert, Nawan Kot still retains some of its
original features. Built of mudbrick with four corner towers. it means 156 feet
externally between the bastions. The walls are 10 feet thick and the parapet
wall which is pierced with loopholes is one foot thick. The corner bastions are
45 feet in diameter, built around corbelled rooms.
Bijnot
or (Winjhrot) is structurally an impressive fort. It was originally built by
Raja Winjha or Bija Bhattia in AD 757 but was reportedly demolished by Shahab
ud din Muhammad Ghauri in 1167 AD. At the moment the fort is in ruin only
original features have survived. It is located only 23 kilometers from the
Pak-Indo border.
The
fort was built by Nawab Muhammad Khan II in A.D 1783, which is 36 miles
southwest of Derawar fort. The purpose of its construction was that the
merchandise of Khusran going to Hindustan adopts a new route that was safer
than the Maujgorh fort route.
It
is a very less visited and photographed fort. It lies only 8 kilometers from
the Indo-Pak border and 101 kilometers from Derawar fort deep inside the
Cholistan desert. According to the archaeological department o Pakistan, this
fort is in the Bahawalpur Nizamat and was built by Muhammad Maruf Khan Kehrani
in 1190H. It is made of clay, which when burnt produces an inferior sort of
lime. In 1198 H the Afghan caravans complained to Muhammad Bahawal Khan of
being plundered by the officers of Umer Khan Marufani the office at the fort.
The Nawab dispatched Khuda Bakhsh Khan, son of Nur Muhammad Khan, who had
deserted Umer khan and sought refuge at Bahawalpur, with a body of soldiers to
seize Rukanpur, which he succeeded in doing; and the fort thereafter remained
part of Pirjani territory. It has four towers. The walls are in ruins, as the
mosque stables and house, etc. Inside there was a Pakka well, now filled up.
This
fort, now called Dingarh, lies in the Cholistan of Sádiqabad Tahsil and is said
to have been built Bahadur Khan Halani in 1171 H. at the instance of Lalu, a
Hindu of Jaisalmer, on the site of the Tirhára, place of considerable antiquity
and a strategic point on the Jaisalmer border. Another story is that the fort
was begun by one Brahim Khan, son of Muhammad Marúf Kehránà in 1170 H and
completed by his nephew Khuda Bakhsh Khan (son of Nur Muhammad khan, son of
Muhammad Narúf Khan
Machki
fort was built of burnt brick by one Lal khan, son of Ikhtiyar Khan Kehrani in
A.D. 1777. It measures 125 feet between corner bastions, with 6 feet thick
walls standing 18 feet high. The corner bastions are 42 feet in diameter and
stand 40 feet high. Access to the fort is provided through the eastern wall
which has the additionally engaged bastions 19.5 feet in diameter. the passage
of the gateway is 8 feet wide, flanked by several rooms. The corner bastions
are double-storeyed.
Located
twelve miles southeast of Bhutta Sheikhan in Bahawalpur District, the Khairgarh
fort was built by one Ikhtiayar Khan in A.D. 1775 with mud and burnt
bricks.
The
Islamgarh Fort is located deep in the Cholistan near the Indian border. The fort
itself is an impressive building of brickwork. with high and sloping walls
strengthened by bastions. Due to the availability of good drinkable water,
permanent human settlement existed outside the fort until 1971.
the fort was reportedly built by one Rawal Bhim Singh in A.D. 1608 and was called
Bhimwar. The present name, Islamgarh, was given to the fort in A.D. 1766 after
it was captured by Ikhtiar Khan Mundhani, a minor chief of Garhi Ikhtiyar
Khan.
FORTS,
WHICH ARE NEAR TO EXTINCT.
It
is a mud-brick fort having a dimension of 128 x 192 feet. the fortification
walls are 7 feet thick, and the corner bastions survive to a maximum height of
19 feet. The fort is totally in ruin, it was reportedly built in A.D. 1767 by
Ali Murad Pirjani.
It
was a square mud fort now totally vanish from the scenes. A few years back a bastion
left but
it
is also destroyed with time.
It
is a square fort of burnt brick, 87 feet internally with four bastions at the
corners, every 18 feet in diameter. the walls were 7 feet thick and stand 8
feet high. A 13 feet wide entrance is provided on the southern side. the fort
was built by one Haji Khan, son of Ikhtiyar Khan, in A.D. 1777 and was
reportedly destroyed by floods in 1805.
Ahmadpur
Lamma lies 4 miles northwest of Sádiqabad station on the North-Western Railway
and about 15 miles of the Indus. The town was once protected by walls which are
now in ruins.
In
1174 H, Nawab Mubarak Khan built, in the vicinity of Shahr Farid a fort, which
be named Mubarakpur. Its walls are of mud at the main entrance towards the
north, is a bungalow and other Kaccha buildings.
FORTS
WHICH ROUGH LOCATION IS KNOWN, BUT THE CURRENT CONDITION IS UNKNOWN.
a. Fatehgarh or Gaurdiana Fort
In
1213 H Nawab Muhammad Bahawal Khan II, built this fort with a pakka exterior,
on the site of Gaurjana or Gaurdiana, 15 miles northwest of Amruka railway
station and 150 miles north-east of Bahawalpur and named it Fatehgarh after his
father Fateh khan. The well inside the fort is now filled up. Outside the fort
are two pakka wells and a kaccha tank, of which the latter is used as a
reservoir for rainwater. Before the agency time, it was garrisoned with
batteries and placed in charge of the Arbani Daudportars, which descendants
still live in the village close to the now-ruined fort.
b.
Sahibgarh Fort
The
fort was built by Fazal Ali Khan Halani, the founder of Naushara (Rahimyar
Khan) in 1191 H. The exterior of the four walls and other buildings, inside the
fort, is pakka, and the interior kaccha. It was destroyed by Nawab Muhammad
Bahawal Khan II in 1220 H and the walls are in dilapidated condition. It is 78
miles southwest of Bahawalpur.
c.
Ghauspur Fort
It
is believed to have been founded by Lal Khan, ancestor of the Ghaleja tribe of
Ghauspur, and named after the Sain Ghaus Bahauddin Zakariya of Multan.
d.
Qaimpur Fort
Qaimpur
town in AD 1752. The fort shows a square plan with bastions at the corners,
among which those on the northern side are octagonal. In the northeastern
corner stand the remains of a three-storied palace with the fallen rooms but
still retaining something of original woodwork.
e.
Tajgarh Fort
Tajgarh
is situated about four miles to the northwest of Rahim yar khan railway station
on a high mound. Its name was "Hurar" in the 10th century A.D. when
it was built by rani Huran, daughter of a Jaisalmer chief. Huran was converted
to Islam by a saint called Sayyed Ahmed Billauri. It remained a fortified
palace for a long time under the Sumra kings of Sindh and the Bhatia chiefs of
Jaisalmer, but towards the close of the 18th century, it was a desolate mound
on this site.
f.
Liyara or Liara Fort
Liara fort was built in A.D. 1780; by Sabzal Khan and was reportedly destroyed by floods in AD 1804.
g.
Kotsabzal Fort
Kot
Sabzal is a small town, built on a mound about 20 feet high. The town was built
by Sabzal Khan, son of Mundhu Khan Kehrani, in 1756, with a rampart of mud
bricks. In 1806 Nawab Bahawal Khan II conquered Kot Sabazal and annexed
it.
h.
Kandera Fort
This
fort was built with a pakka exterior on a ruined mound called the Kandera in
1178 H. by Fazal Khan son of Bhakkar Khan Pirjani and is 125 miles southwest of
Bahawalpur. The fort has a gateway and four towers. In 1220H, it was demolished
by Nawab Muhammad Bahwal Khan II, and now only a ruined tower remains. The Cholistani
people, especially the Mahrs, bring their cattle here in the rains.
i. Fazilpur Fort (28°16'39.5"N, 69°57'57.2"E)
j.
Jajjal Fort
Close
to Jajjal village, which is about eight miles from Hasil Serhu is a large mound
called, "Tibba Jajjal." It is believed that it was once a flourishing
town and fort that below it ran the Sutlej, which now flows more than ten miles
to the north. The town was built by Rajak Jajja. Bhutta entirely of pakka
masonry, a fact borne out by the large bricks found on digging below the surface of the mound.
Kot
Samaba was built by Samaba Khan Pirjani, son of Ali Murad Khan, in 1754 A.D.
The town had originally a fortified wall which is now in ruins. It is situated
about a mile from the Railway station of the same name.
l.
Nausshahra or Rahimyar
Khan
Naushahra
lies on a mound, about 400 yards south of the Rahimyaar khan Railway station.
Naushahra was built in 1751 by Fazal Ali Khan Halani on the ruins of ancient Phul
Wadda, the capital of Phul, and his son Lakha during the Sumra supremacy in
Sindh.
Nawab
Mubarak Khan took the land of Wallhar on lease from the Raja of Bikaner in 1177
H. He soon began to construct a fort on the ruins of Wallhar fort, but Raja Gaj
Singh of Bikaner alarmed at the proposed fortifications send a force under
Diwan Mul Chand Brahila to recover the area from the Nawab.
o. Bahawalgarh
Bahawalgarh
now a village of about 150 houses, is built within the walls of the old fort of
that name, erected by Nawab Bahwal Khan, II in 1791 on the site of a village
called the Musafiranwala. A strong garrison was placed in it to overseas the
Bikaneris and the turbulent Joya and Watta subjects, who were always in
revolt.
p.
Gari Ikhtiyar Khan
Gari Ikhriyar Khan lies about 6 miles west of Khanpur, originally founded by Shadi Khan an official of Khuda Yar Khan Kalhora, during the supremacy of the Kalhoras in Sindh, it was named Gari Shadi Khan, but after the death of the Nur Muhammad Kalhora the Kalhora power declined and in 1753 Haji Ikhtiyar khan Mundhani of Gundi by a sudden attack on the town took control from the Kalhora officials. fortified it and changed its name to Gari Ikhtiyar Khan.
Dhin was a ruined mound, on which in 1186H. Aqil Khan son of Kabir Khan Achrani, built a Kachcha fort, now in ruins. It is 56 miles southwest of Bahawalpur and 32 miles of Derawar. In the rainy season cattle-breeders camp there. Their water is better.
Munde Shahid is a ruined fort of great antiquity neaqrAhmadpur East and contains a Nau Gaja tomb. According to General Cunningham these nawagaja tombs are remains of recumbent statues of Nirwana, and as Buddha was believed to have died with his face to the east all the Nirwana statues are placed from north to south; and since Muhammadan tombs are placed in the same direction, the early Muhammadans used them as ready-made graves for their leaders who fell in battle. Munde Shahid the resting place of one of the Arab leaders as per Colonel Minchin. There are several Nau Gaja tombs scattered along the edge of the sandhills which may be regarded as one of the proofs that Buddhism was the prevailing religion in upper Sindh at the time of the Arab conquest.
Situated at a distance of three miles north of Manthar are the remains of a fort recorded as Falji on the topographical maps. The fort is rectangular in plan, measuring 240 feet from north to south and 160 East to west without corner bastions. It is built of mud-brick with a burnt-brick exterior. The northeastern bastion survives to a height of 16 feet above the surrounding fields. The fort is in such a state of ruin that no other information was possible to collect. It is now reduced to a mound. The burnt-brick size is 9 x6x1.6 inches.
