Written by: Sirat Gohar Daudpoto
Posted on: July 23, 2024 | 
| 中文
Shrine Complex of Sain Nizamuddin Naushahi in Dhoke Hafiz, Rawalpindi (Photo by Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro)
Pothohar is a prominent geographical zone in Pakistan due to its physical appearance, and in geological terms, the tract with such features is called plateau. Pothohar Plateau is located in north-eastern Pakistan encompassing all the districts that lie between the Margalla Hills in the north, Salt Range in the south and the Jhelum and Indus rivers in the east and west respectively. Limiting boundary of Pothohar on the basis of language is possible as we know Pothohari is spoken in a large area stretching from the mountains of Slat Range up to the foothills of Himalaya. However, at the same time, language forces us to include Kashmir, which is historically and linguistically a distinct region, into Pothohar, and it is locally not correct. As in the words of the people inhabiting the northern strip of Pothohar specifically Islamabad: ‘[transl.] when Murree [Hills] start Pothohar end’.
Interior view of the Jamia Mosque of Chountra Sodaghran, Islamabad (Photo by Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro)
On Pothohar’s nomenclature. In local traditions, the area covering the whole Indus Valley and its neighboring regions has been given different names according to its topography and inhabitants’ profile, such as Marwar and Kathiawar. And similarly, Pothohar. In his book Reflectionson the Pothohar Heritage, Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro mentions that to Ahmad Hassan Dani, who was very well-known for his contributions to the cultural history of Pakistan, Pothohar’s ancient name was Prshthwar of Sanskrit origin: Prshta means back of Indus River and War has the meaning of an area. Another similar meaning of the name of the region can be derived with reference to Sindh and the Sindhi language. The present name of the region Pothohar is a combination of two words: Poth and War. Both words have same meaning in Pothohari and Sindhi due to the fact that Pothohari and Sindhi are sister languages. The word Poth used to denote ‘the back of the human body and War is for ‘the area’. Thus, Pothohar means ‘askew or non-linear land’ or ‘the region to the back of Sindh’. Furthermore, according to Raja A. Minhas, who writes in his book on Pothohar written in Urdu, Pothohar comes from Patha Harr which has the meaning of ‘the unnatural (reverse) flow of watercourse’. A few more intriguing explanations about the etymology of word Pothohar offered by him, certainly, come from the oral traditions of the region. Minhas has mentioned two such traditions. First, ‘[transl.] the right name of the region under discussion is Phatthar, which is made-up of two words Phatt (meaning ‘break’) and Harr (meaning ‘summer season’). The tradition goes as follows: ‘[transl.] when Mahmood Ghazni invaded this region [Pothohar] he ordered his governor Ayaz to build a fort in present-day Gujar Khan. First of all, a water reservoir was constructed to ensure the supply of water. In summers when the weather was hot and dry the reservoir dried up and the surface was cracked. Due to which they called it Phatthar meaning ‘the land which breaks in summer season’. Second, ‘[transl.] according to Doni Chand, after defeating Shahabudin Ghori in a war Rai Pithora following the orders of his Sultan stayed in Dangli. The whole land was covered with flowers. Thrilled by the beauty of the area, Rai Mamduh called it Pop Har which means ‘the necklace of flowers’. Furthermore, Minhas also writes that in past times Pothohar was also called Bhattiwar due to the presence of large number of its inhabitants belonging to Bhatti lineage.
The Shrine of Mai Nawab Sahib at Pir Garata, Kallar Syedan (Photo by Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro)
Pothohar, located in the center of Pakistan, is the richest region of the country in terms of cultural inheritance. Its antiquity covers an immense period of human history, from stone age till now. As for the diversity of cultural heritage, Pothohar comes foremost in the country’s cultural profile with spaces belonging to a number of different peoples and cultures. Overall, the diversity in every aspect of culture and heritage is what makes it a distinct and significant in the cultural panorama of the country. Thanks to the researches of the scholars from all across the world we know about the cultural history and heritage of Pothohar. However, there is a lot more to be explored and brought to fore about Pothohar to fully understand and acknowledge its contribution to human history. With the exception of a very few, most of the scholars have focused on the prominent places and popular themes over and over again.
Jamia Mosque Fim Kassar, Chakwal (Photo by Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro)
Here, the name of Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro, who is a Pakistani cultural anthropologist of a very high repute, is worth mentioning who has written three books on the cultural inheritance of the region. The titles of his books are (1) Reflections on the Pothohar Heritage, (2) Memories, Mystics and Monuments of Pothohar and (3) Mystics, Mosques and Masons of Pothohar. In all three of his books Kalhoro has focused on the not-so-well-known places, peoples and practices of the region. His last two books are part of his series of books Pothohar’s History, Culture and Heritage. First book of this series Memories, Mystics and Monuments of Pothohar was about the mystics and monuments of Attock, Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Chakwal districts. Whereas, second book of this series Mystics, Mosques and Masons of Pothohar is on the saints, mosques and masons of the places located in Islamabad and Chakwal, Rawalpindi, Jhelum and Attock districts.
Painted Wooden Ceiling of Jamia Mosque Jasial Village, Talagang (Photo by Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro)
Mystics, Mosques and Masons of Pothohar is lastest book of Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro. It contains twenty-four articles with pictures adding to the text, of which one was published in The News on Sunday (TNS) and the rest in The Friday Times-Naya Daur. In the introduction of this book, he writes: “Many aspects of Pothohar’s culture, including Sufism and heritage, have not been discussed in detail. In this book, I have tried to enlighten the reader about the lesser-known shrines and saints that did not receive scholarly attention. This book introduces the reader to the history of Sufi saints of specific villages and towns who spread their respective Silsila through their teachings. They built mosques from where they spread their teachings. They employed celebrated masons to construct the mosques, which reflects the mastery of the Pothohari masons over stone and woodwork (p. xi)”.
Singwala Jamia Mosque, Talagang (Photo by Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro)
Mystics, Mosques and Masons of Pothohar is an invaluable addition to the Pothohar studies, contributing to our understating about the religious and architectural legacies of the region. It will be asset for the cultural historians and other scholars and people interested in the history and cultures of Pothohar.
Published in 2024 by the Emel Publications in Pakistan, Mystics, Mosques and Masons of Pothohar is written in 136 pages. The price of book is 1600 PKR and it is available in book stores in Islamabad and store of the publisher.
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