The Tharparkar district of Sindh is home to a large number of memorial stones which were erected in the memory of the fallen heroes. These memorials belong to different Hindu castes. However, the majority of these funerary monuments (pariyo) commemorate Rajput heroes who either died on the battlefield; or defending their cattle or community against cattle-thieves and robbers; or in the name of family honour.
About 22 km south of Nagarparkar town are the remains of Sabun, the old settlement of Seendhal Rathore Rajputs. Sabusan was the main town of the Seendhal Rathore Rajputs who ruled Nagarparkar for a very brief period, leaving behind some some monumets which still dot its landscape. The Seendhal Rajputs trace their ancestry from Rao Seendhalji Rathore who was a son of Jopesinghji Rathore (1292 AD). And Jopesinghji was son of Rao Aasthaanji (1273-1292 AD). The latter had seven sons. Seendhalji was the elder son of Jopesinghji.
The Seendhal Rathore Rajputs of Nagarparkar were known for their chivalry and displayed their skill at arms in many battles fought against the Sultans of Gujarat. Their martial prowess is preserved in the folklore of Nagarparkar.
A hero stone of Seendhal Rathore at Sabusan I
There are three villages by the name of Sabusan. Two Sabusans were the main villages of the Seendhal Rathore Rajputs. The third Sabusan was founded when both Sabusan I and Sabusan II lost their grandeur. Both old Sabusan I and II contain several hero stones of the Seendhal Rathore Rajputs.
One of the eminent rulers of Seendhal was Meghraj Seendhal who ruled most parts of Nagarparkar in the fifteenth century. During his rule the Sultans of Delhi and Gujarat frequently plundered the villages under his dominion. In order to save their people from the frequent attacks by the Sultans of Gujarat, he ordered his people to establish their villages on the hills of Karoonjhar. Following his order, new villages were founded on the Karoonjhar hills which included Gareru, Mondaro, Old Qasibo, Ranpur and Dongri.
During his rule the Sultan of Gujarat Shams-ud-Din Muzaffar Shah I (1404-1411 AD) invaded Nagarparkar. Later when Panraj son of Meghraj became a new ruler, he built a fort in Nagarparkar to stop frequent attacks of the Sultans of Gujarat. The ruins of Panraj fort can still be seen in Karoonjhar. However, Ahmed Shah I (1411-1442 AD) attacked Nagarparkar and plundered many villages during his reign. Many people died fighting the army of the Sultans. The Seendhals also retaliated by raiding villages in Kutch. Meghraj Seendhal invaded Khareer in Kutch and annexed it in his dominion for a very brief. Likewise, his son attacked Belo in Kutch.
A warrior wielding a spear on horseback
The Seendhal Rathore Rajputs of Nagarparkar were known for their chivalry and displayed their skill at arms in many battles fought against the Sultans of Gujarat. Their martial prowess is preserved in the folklore of Nagarparkar
Many warriors of the Seendhal Rathore Rajputs were killed in various encounters and attacks. Those killed in these encounters were commemorated with memorial stones.
There are seven memorial stones of the Seendhal Rathore Rajputs at Old Sabusan I. Three hero-stones are broken and are lying on the ground whereas four pariyas (hero-stones) are still standing. All these hero-stones depict riders on horses except the one which shows the hero riding on a camel, which belongs to a Rabari. Hero-stones of the Rabaris depict camels. On the contrary all Rajput memorials feature carvings of the horse. Rabari also died in one of the encounters and was commemorated with a memorial stone. It is an inscribed hero stone.
The memorial stones of the Seendhal Rathore Rajputs are divided into two sections, with the lower ones bearing inscriptions and the upper ones featuring riders on horses. The heroes are shown dressed for battle, holding spears in one hand and bows in the other. One of the hero-stones depicts two riders. It appears that they were either brothers or members of the same family who died in a battle together. The inscription on this hero stone is badly eroded. The uppermost part shows a lotus accompanied by a pair of peacocks. The hero-stone of a Rabari also depicts a pair of peacocks. Above a pair of peacocks is depicted a sunflower. Representations of the sun and the moon are also found on the uppermost part of hero-stone of a Rabari.
Hero-stone of a Rabari at Sabsusan I
After the destruction of Sabusan I, Sabusan II was founded by the Seendhal Rathore Rajputs on the bank of the Jijho hill-stream. Now, there are only the ruins of this village. Painted and undecorated pottery is scattered at this settlement of the Seendhals. This settlement is located a half a kilometre west of Gul Hasan-Ji-Dhani. There are a few memorial stones at this site. These memorials are very close to Gataro Tarai, which was dug by the Seendhal Rathore Rajputs. There are five memorials at this site, two carved and three undecorated. The carved hero-stones belong to Seendhal Rajputs. Both hero-stones are divided into two sections, lower and upper. The lower part of the pariyo bears an inscription and the upper part contains the image of the deceased. Both heroes are shown riding on horses and holding spears over their heads. They are also shown with bows in their hands.
The uppermost parts of both the hero-stones are carved. One of the hero-stones depicts a date palm tree accompanied by the sun and the moon. In fact, it is quite interesting to see the carving of a date palm tree on the hero-stone of a Seendhal Rathore Rajput, which is not found on any other memorial stone in Nagarparkar. Another hero stone depicts an unidentified tree flanked by the sun and the moon.
Some hero-stones of the Seendhal Rathore Rajputs at Sabusan I
There are three more pariyas at this site. All these are undecorated and uninscribed hero-stones. One of these is just in front of the carved hero stones. Two other hero-stones are located north of the carved hero-stones. Both are simple granite hero- stones, which were also erected in the memory of the Seendhal Rathore Rajputs.
Today, all the hero monuments of the Seendhal Rathore Rajputs lie in a bad state of preservation. The authorities concerned should preserve these precious pariyas or hero-stones before they become history.
The Writer is an anthropologist. He can be contacted at zulfi04@hotmail.com
