“This shall be my home. I shall make a garden of this wilderness, live here and die here,” said Brigadier General John Jacob who landed in a little known hamlet called Khangarh and turned it into a modern city. The town came to be known as Jacobabad.

The tower was built t commemorate the jubilee of Queen Victoria, celebrated in Jacobabad on february 16, 1887. It was financed by the zamindars, the Hindu panchayat, the municipality of Jacabad and the District Fund Board.

The tomb of Major Mir Qasim Ali Shah, a Muslim British soldeir, ia part of a large Muslim graveyard.

The Wado Mandir or Grand Temple is the town's biggest and oldest Hindu place of worship. It has been renovated by the panchayat. Many people visit it every morning before going to work.

Built in 1910, this building was designed by General John Jacob. The double-storeyed red brick building which is used as Police Headquarters, has three large domes and vast grounds used by local residents as a playground. Due to neglect it is losing its charm.

Excerpted with permission from From Upper Scinde Frontier to Jacobabad (HERITAGE) By Momin Bullo Pakistan Heritage Preservation and Promotion Society, Hyderabad 276pp. Price not listed

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