Daily Times

More than a century ago, explorer, spy and eccentric Richard F Burton sailed the Indus from Kashmore to Thatta, right down the middle of the province of Sindh.

The images that stuck with him most was how, in this thinly populated province with the vast majority of its population clinging closely to the river, how many shrines, mosques, temples and mausoleums there were.

Hundreds maybe even thousands, each devoted to a saint, a god, goddess, prince, noble or simple in praise of the Creator!

Today the case still holds true, however through excessive damming, outdated irrigation and irresponsible water use, the Indus can no longer hold a travelling vessel that can make the journey seamlessly from one end of Sindh to another.

Out of all these places of worship, hundreds maybe even thousands, have been devoted to a saint, a god, goddess, prince, noble or simply in praise of the Creator

However, what has replaced this are vast networks of roads and highways with a shrine, temple or mosque to serve the weary traveller and quench their need for faith.

Sindh is perhaps Pakistan’s most syncretic province and the deeper you go, further away from the Indus and into the Thar Desert, you feel as if you have stepped back into a world where Muslim and Hindu lived together without judgment or compulsion.

These photographs, taken over a four-year period show the smallest glimpse of the diversity of these places of worship.

Published in Daily Times, July 9^th , 2017.