SOME twenty-six kilometres west of Khairpur Nathan Shah, in Dadu district, is the historical Jamia Mosque of Garhie. Built by Mian Nasir Mohammad Kalhoro, in AD1680, he was known as the luminary of the family due to his popularity, preaching and righteousness.
Mian Mohammad was the celebrated spiritual as well as political ruler of the Kalhora dynasty who took the territory from the Pahnwar tribe and laid the foundation of his capital Garhie (the red) in the plains of Nain Gaj in Dadu.
A number of people from different tribes became his disciples and with their help Mian Nasir brought almost all of the area of Kachho under his control. As a result of this, he emerged as the political leader and came into conflict with the tribes that were supported by Mughals.
Mian Nasir’s followers were known as faqirs, who drove the Panhwar tribe out of Kachho to the present area of Dadu and Sehwan talukas. To mark his victory in the Kachho he laid the foundation of his capital Garhie that was named after a woman from whom Mian Nasir Mohammad purchased the land. At the same time, he laid the foundation of Jamia Masjid Garhie.
At first Mai Garhie was not willing to give her land to Mian Nasir. But she gave in when she was assured by Mian Nasir that the “land would be mine, but it would carry your name”. Hence the capital of Mian carried the name of Mai Garhie. After that Mai Garhie became an ardent disciple of Main Nasir Mohammad.
One night some people took away the cattle of Mai Garhie and fled to Karoo Chakoo near the present Jhal Magsi in Balochistan. The disciples of Mian Nasir Mohammad, under the command of his son Mian Deen Mohammad Kalhoro, followed them. After a brief encounter, near Karoo Chakoo, the posse retrieved the cattle. However, the whole operation didn’t come without a cost. In the clash some of the faqirs were killed. They included Bagho Khan Chandio, Gajji Shah Khoso and Shah Panjoo Sultan. Bagho Khan Chandio was buried in the necropolis of Mian Nasir Mohammad, while Gajji Shah was buried near Chhini Johi and Shah Panjoo Sultan in Mehar.
Muslims and Hindus equally venerated Mian Nasir Mohammad Kalhoro. During his reign he built a number of mosques in the territory under his control. Among these, Jamia Mosque Garhie was prominent that later became the prototype for the mosque architecture in Kachho and beyond.
Sadly, that was the era bygone. At present the mosque is in ruins and in constant decay. It is noted for its beautiful wall paintings that still look immaculate. It had three domes and two minarets of which two domes and one minaret have survived. The southern and northern walls have caved in while the eastern wall has partially collapsed. The only part that still stands is the minaret, which was later rebuilt due to eminent Scholar Dr N.A. Baloch’s efforts as told by Khalifo Abdul Hamid Chandio.
Khalifo Abdul Hamid Chandio, a very well-known personality of Madho in Mehar, has been trying to bring the dilapidated condition of mosque to notice of every concerned authority in order to save this historical mosque. My recent visit to the site revealed a very interesting and sad story.
As I was inside the mosque taking photographs, all of sudden a stumpy person with drooping moustache stormed into the mosque. Leaning against the wall of the mosque and darting with anger at me, he burst out “What on the earth are you doing? Every now and then somebody comes to visit this historical mosque and enlighten us about the renovation of the mosque. They do nothing but empty promises.
“But, now, we have come to this realization that what they say is fallacious.”
This man thought that I was probably one of the members of group of people who were responsible for the renovation of the mosque. He was a disciple of Mian Nasir Mohammad Kalhoro, named Rajib Vighio and was literally foaming at the mouth while complaining.
However, when he realized that I was not who he thought I was, he relaxed. He even told me that in the second Benazir government, the then Chief Minister Abdullah Shah granted about Rs2 millions for the renovation of the mosque.
Initially, some repair was carried out but then it was abandoned saying that due to paucity of further funds work could not continue. When we contacted the contractor, he told us categorically that work has been stymied by lack of money. Later, we came to know that money which was furnished him for carrying out repair was misused.
He made fool of all of us by showing mendacious reports and said that work would be kicked-off as soon as funds would be made available. When delayed, we went again but this time we were harassed and threatened. Concerted efforts were made in concert with some notables from other villages to raise the issue before the authorities concerned but to no avail. Running from pillar to post made us weary and eventually we deemed it wise not to make further efforts.
The above story reflects the callous and non-serious attitude of the authorities concerned to the cultural heritage of the country. This whole story merits our attention to sincerely strive for the preservation of our national heritage from further negligence. From this vantage point, it is the responsibility of the government to make all out efforts to direct the concerned authorities to honestly commit themselves for the proper maintenance of the historic monuments.
Apart from this historical mosque, there are a number of other structures, which I have personally visited and documented, notably the tombs in Khairpur Nathan Shah and Johi talukas of Dadu that stand neglected. These tombs belong to different tribes including the Legharis, Jamalis, Khosas, Talpurs, Kalhoras, Lunds, Rudhranis, Shahanis, Lasharis and Kaloi etc.
All these tombs are in the advance stage of the decay while some of the tombs have levelled to the ground. Those tombs, which have survived the vagaries of the weather, are in a shambles.
SOME twenty-six kilometres west of Khairpur Nathan Shah, in Dadu district, is the historical Jamia Mosque of Garhie. Built by Mian Nasir Mohammad Kalhoro, in AD1680, he was known as the luminary of the family due to his popularity, preaching and righteousness.
