Daily Times

Kachho area stretching from Kambar Shahdadkot in north to Manchar Lake in south is a sandy strip between Khirthar range and flood protection bund. This area is dotted with more than 200 historical, archaeological and natural beauty sites. One among these sites is Mir Allahyar Khan Talpur Graveyard situated about 45 kilometres west of Dadu.

Constructed around 1731, the various tombs depict panels with battle scenes and men and women sitting and talking with their attendants. This site is under multiple threats; the most danger is from gold hunters, who descent in the dead of the night and dig graves, believing that big treasures might be buried with the dead.

The Drigh Balla Village served as the first headquarters of the Talpurs after their migration from Punjab to this area in the 17th Century during Mian Nasir Muhammad Kalhoro’s rule. The cemetery is spread over 10 acres. Local population calls it Mir Allahyar Ja Quba. There are almost 12 mausoleums in the cemetery of which eight are notable – the burial places of Mir Allahyar Khan Talpur, Mir Chhuto Khan, Tharo Khan Talpur, Mir Manik, Mir Suleman Khan, Khair Muhammad Jamali, Muhammad Bakhsh Jamali and Allah Ditto Surhio. Some graves without mausoleums have been built on elevation to remain safe from heave rain and successive inundation from Nai Gaj which flows very close to the commentary in the North West. These graves have stones in elevated upper threshold which are plastered with lime stones. On the top of the graves four pillars are shaped like traditional Sindhi cot which is still in use. Other graves built on the ground level have been constructed with backed bricks and chiselled stones. On the tombs, the area’s cultural way of life is finely and poignantly depicted through paintings. Those painting which have not been tempered by some of the irresponsible visitors look mesmerising as if they have been painted few days earlier. But a majority of the paintings have been marred and disfigured and parts of these paintings have been wiped out by local people and visitors from the nearby towns.

This historical graveyard is under threat from three fronts — to its west, it is threatened by the Mighty Nai Gaj. Powerful flash floods have already damaged this cultural heritage and there is imminent danger that the next flow or series of floods may create havoc in this heritage

This historical graveyard is under threat from three fronts – to its west, it is threatened by the Mighty Nai Gaj. The powerful flash floods have already damaged this cultural heritage. And there is imminent danger that next flow or series of flows may play havoc with this heritage. Other danger is from heavy rains and sandy soft soils. The rain washes away the soil and makes big ditches in and around the main graves. Third and equally serious threat is from the superstitious individuals who dig the graves in dead of the night in a false belief that there might be gold buried along with dead. It’s suspected by local population that bhopa or fortune tellers lure the gullible poverty affected persons to go and change their destiny by digging a particular grave. The men fascinated by prospects of finding out filled cauldron buried alongside dead undertake this adventures but destructive exercise and reach the particular grave. They dig the grave as deep as 5 to 10 feet as most f the graves have been built on elevation 300 years ago.

The gold hunter takes grave risk as the digging the grave brings social exclusion, beating by public and law if caught red handed. This is also a great sin from a religious point of view which brings exclusion and stigma. But the sheer greed and lure of become a millionaire overnight motivates men to undertake this destructive adventure which is extremely harmful to the cultural treasure trove. The graves and mausoleums are excellent specimen of art and painting. The whole graveyard is no less than exquisite museum containing history, architecture and local culture. Abdul Fatah Dahri, head of the Dahri communities and highly learned persons in the area said that he has tried his utmost to save this historical and cultural heritage by urging people to perverse it and if they cannot take any positive step for its perseveration at least they should desist from disfiguring and writing over the paintings but to no avail. He suggested that a strong stone pitched protecting wall should be constructed to save this cultural treasure trove from flood and a concerned department can appoint a watchman from nearby village and this can prevent the gold hunters.

If the concerned government departments and non-governmental entities working on the preservation of local culture and art do not pay heed and take immediate and concrete steps, each successive flash flood would eat away the major portion of this cultural heritage and if persevering measures for filling the ditches made by heavy rain and make slop for rain water smooth drainage as well as fill the dug graves and mausoleums by gold hunter and take preventive and security measure to prevent future attempt of gold hunters the heritage would lose its status of cultural heritage preservation site and tourist attraction.

The writer can be reached at guslherp@yahoo.com