Exploring the sepulchral folk art of Thano Bula Khan’s Mol Valley
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umerous prehistoric and historical sites are located along the Mol River in the Thano Bula Khan taluka of the Jamshoro district. The stone-carved graves, locally known as Rumiyoon, can be found throughout the Mol Valley. I have visited most of the graveyards, which stand out with their intricate ornamentation. One particularly famous graveyard, noted for its material symbols on the gravestones, is situated near the Lakhan Kanaro village. This graveyard, where the dignitaries of the Kanara clan are interred, is located nearly 3 kilometres south of Lakhan Kanaro.
I first visited this cemetery in 2003 and returned in 2006, 2009 and 2010. During these visits, I documented several historical cemeteries in Kanran Waro Rek, where the Lakhan Kanaro village is also situated. There are four historical cemeteries located in the cardinal directions of Lakhan village: to the east, west, north and south.
The Kanra graveyard is divided into two distinct sections: ancient and modern. The ancient graves are further categorised into three types. The first category consists of graves made of unhewn, undressed stones resembling cairns, which were erected during the pre-Islamic era. These graves are in a poor state of preservation, some showing evidence of vandalism.
The second category comprises graves constructed primarily from a combination of thin and thick stone bricks, characterised as platform-type structures. These graves predominantly date from the Tenth to Thirteenth Centuries, though some may be older. It is important to note that these graves are not associated with the Kanra clan, and the identities of the individuals interred within these remain unknown. Platform-type graves of this nature are commonly found throughout the Sindh-Kohistan region. Some platform-type graves made of thick stone slabs, which are absent in the Kanra graveyard, can be observed in the Kanran Waro Rek area. These graves, constructed from sandstone and limestone, are located along the Mol Valley near the Lakhan Kanaro village.
Further details and discussions about these types of graves can be found in Dr Kaleem Lashari’s seminal study titled A Study of Stone Carved Graves, published in the special issue of The Archaeological Review, Volume 5, Issues I & II (1996), edited by Dr Asma Ibrahim and Dr Kaleem Lashari. Dr Lashari’s work provides an in-depth analysis and critical discussions that enhance our understanding of the cultural and historical significance of these funerary monuments.
The third category consists of low-lying graves found in the Kanra graveyard. Unlike other graveyards in Thatta, Karachi and Jamshoro, these graves lack decorations. A distinctive feature of these low-lying stone graves is the use of monoliths to mark the northern and southern sides of the cenotaphs.
The modern graves in the Kanra graveyard can be classified into two groups. The first group comprises sandstone graves built during the 18th, 19th and 20th Centuries. These graves are constructed from stone and may be either decorative or simple in style. The second group includes relatively recent graves, some of which are adorned with ceramics, while others are cemented. Overall, stone graves are significantly more numerous than those decorated with ceramics.
Stone masonry was once a thriving and essential industry in Sindh, renowned for its skilled artisans and intricate stonework. By the second quarter of the 20th Century, this craft had transitioned into an on-demand service, catering to specific needs rather than functioning as a widespread industry. Despite this shift, stonemasons in Thano Bula Khan taluka’s Sari town continue the age-old tradition of crafting beautifully carved stone graves.
In a 2010 interview with Wali Muhammad Kanaro, a resident of Lakhan Kanaro village, it was revealed that the Rumi tombs, or stone-carved graves, in the Kanra graveyard were created by stonemasons from various communities. These included masons from the Khaskheli clan in Sari town, Pallari masons from Kalo Kohar village and Jurio Maghanhar from Lakhan village. This information is particularly intriguing as it highlights diversity among the artisans. Rather than stemming from a single community, these stonemasons came from different artistic traditions.
This diversity is significant because it facilitated a rich exchange of ideas and techniques, fostering innovative approaches to stonemasonry in the 19th and 20th Centuries. The various styles and practices developed by these distinct communities contributed to the evolution of the craft, resulting in a remarkable array of designs and constructions that reflect the unique influences of each artistic background.
Stonemasons in Sindh have a longstanding tradition of engraving their names on tombs, including those constructed centuries earlier, particularly in regions like Thano Bula Khan. For instance, the name of Wago, son of Nathalo, is engraved on the grave of Mando Pallari at Tak Makan in Thano Bula Khan taluka. The craftsman also inscribed the date, noted as 1150/ 1737-8.
Women’s graves typically feature depictions of jewellery. For instance, one grave in the Kanra cemetery shows a pair of bangles accompanied by a representation of a two-sided comb underneath.
This tradition of engraving stonemasons’ names on stone-carved graves likely originated in the Makli necropolis. It subsequently spread to other regions of Sindh. The practice continued during the Talpur period (1783–1843). Notably, builders of canopies also inscribed their names, along with those of female family members, on the pillars of these structures. A remarkable example is the fallen canopy of Mir Mazar (please verify spelling) Kalmatti at Makli, commissioned by his mother. She had the names of her family members engraved on the pillars and the names of the deceased inscribed on the graves.
This practice underscores the significant status women held in the tribal society of the 18th and 19th Centuries, reflecting their roles not only in commissioning monumental works but also in ensuring the preservation of family heritage through such inscriptions.
The Kanra graveyard contains approximately 40 modern stone-carved graves and six simple stone graves. The graves of men often feature material symbols, including depictions of guns and swords. Interestingly, alongside these martial symbols, items such as carved combs and other male cosmetic symbols have emerged as decorative elements in 20th-Century graves in the Jamshoro and Malir districts. These decorations include one-sided and two-sided combs, as well as mirrors engraved on the gravestones. Occasionally, combs are paired with mirrors, creating a thematic design introduced by engravers in the 20th Century in the Thano Bula Khan and Gadap talukas.
One example of this design can be found on a grave that features engravings of two guns, a sword and a comb. Another notable grave, that of Lal Muhammad Kanaro, depicts a sword and a single-barrel shotgun. Above these symbols, an ewer (badno/ loto) – a vessel used for ablution – is engraved. In some cases, the ewer is accompanied by a depiction of a prayer mat (musallo), a motif commonly found throughout the Indus Valley on stone funerary monuments. These symbols are present in graveyards stretching from Sindh to Pothohar in the Punjab and Haripur in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
I have observed similar symbols of ewers and prayer mats on several stone-carved graves in Chakwal’s Karsal village, tombstones in Nar Topa village in Attock’s Hazro, and graves in Haripur’s Ghazi tehsil. In Sindh, these engravings are predominantly found in the graveyards of Thano Bula Khan and Gadap talukas, providing a unique insight into the region’s funerary traditions and their cultural continuity across geographic boundaries.
Occasionally, the symbols of a rosary and a prayer mat are depicted side by side. For instance, these symbols can be seen on a stone grave in the Kanra graveyard. Earlier stone-carved graves from the Thirteenth Century also featured prayer mats (musallo). The earliest known graves with such depictions are located in the Gumbad graveyard in Thano Bula Khan’s Tiko Baran. Depictions of rosaries, prayer mats and ewers have been found on stone-carved graves built in the 15th, 16th and 17th Centuries across Sindh. In some cases, ewers were intricately engraved in friezes on 20th-Century graves. One notable example of such craftsmanship is the frieze on the stone-carved grave of Subedar Qaisar Khan Jokhio (d. 1906) in a cemetery in Malir’s Gadap taluka.
Women’s graves typically feature depictions of jewellery. For instance, one grave in the Kanra cemetery shows a pair of bangles accompanied by a representation of a two-sided comb underneath. While women’s graves commonly depict two-sided combs, men’s graves generally feature one-sided combs. Another example includes a stone tomb illustrating a necklace, with additional depictions of jewellery such as ornaments for the nose, arms and ankles appearing on several graves in the Thano Bula Khan taluka. These detailed engravings reflect the societal and cultural distinctions attributed to men and women, as well as the artistic traditions of the region.
The writer is an anthropologist. He has authored 16 books on Pakistan’s cultural heritage and anthropology. He tweets @kalhorozulfiqar and may be reached at zulfi04@hotmail.com