VANISHING VISUAL HERITAGE: SATI AND HERO STONES IN

NAGARPARKAR, SINDH

ZULFIQAR ALI KALHORO

Introduction:

Nagarparkar is located in south-eastern

part of Tharparkar district in Sindh. It

joins marshy Rann of Kachchh in south.

The desert of Thar is so vast and gigantic

that its physiographic properties vary

markedly from one region to other.

Tharparkar is thus divided into nine parts

namely Kaerr Thar, Kantho Thar, Parkar

area, Samroti Thar, Wangho Thar, Wat,

Mohrano, Dhat and Achhro Thar

(Harijan 2005:1-12).The present study

was conducted in Parkar area of

Tharparkar. Parkar area consists of

southern portion of taluka Nagarparkar.

The outcrop of hills including Karunjhar

range covers quite a bit of this area. The

land is fertile and cultivable. Both

Muslims and Hindus inhabit in the

Nagarparkar taluka. Nagarparkar is rich

in terms of history, archaeology and

architecture.

While travelling in Nagarparkar,

one comes across many Jaina and Hindu

temples. Apart from Jain and Hindu

temples, the landscape of Nagarparkar is

dotted with memorial stones. These

memorial stones are objects of

veneration for Hindus living in the area.

Most of the memorial stones belong to

Sodha Rajputs who ruled over

Nagarparkar. The paper aims at

describing the crumbling condition of

free-standing memorial stones

commemorating satis and Jhujhars

(beheaded heroes) Prior to moving to

the discussion of memorial stones, it is

indispensable first to throw some light

on history of Sodhas since most of the

memorial stones in Nagarparkar are

related to them.

History of the Sodhas:

The Sodhas belonged to the Parmar

branch of Rajputs. Parmars are divided

into 35 branches, notably Soomras,

Sankla, Mori, Sagra, Rehar, Dhunda,

Pasra and Barkota (Ganguly 1933:24).

Dharni Brah, the Raja of Abu

(Rajasthan) in AD 1030, had two sons,

named Mahipal (alias Devraj) and

Bahar. Bahar had three sons, Sodho,

Sankhlo and Bagh, it was from the line

of the first two (Sodho and Sankhlo) that

the Sodha and Sankhla tribes were

created, respectively while the third son,

Bagh, died without producing a tribe to

carry his name ( Solanki 2004, 19).

After the death of Dharni Brah

(alias Charrai) in AD 1070, his elder son

Mahipal became the Raja of Abu. Bahar

left Abu and settled in Radhanpur. His

eldest son, Sodho, captured Ratokot in

AD 1125, which was then under the

suzerainty of the Soomra Rajputs. Sodho

and his son Chachak lived in Ratokot

and consolidated many neighbouring

villages. The Sodhas became known as

Ranas in Ratokot (Harijan 2005,

Solanki, 2004,),

Rano Raj Dev, son of Chachak

Dev, was a brave ruler in the family of

the Sodhas. He began to plot the attack

and capture of Umarkot from the

Soomras. In forming his strategy, he sent

his court poets, Junfah Charan and

Budhiman Charan, to prepare the ground

ZULFIQAR ALI KALHORO

232

for attack. They went to Umarkot and

lived there for some time before

returning to Ratokot. After deliberations

with both poets, Rano Raj Dev launched

his invasion (Harijan 2005).

In AD 1226, a battle ensued

between the armies of Khenhro Soomro

and Rano Raj Dev Sodho. Many people

were killed on both sides. However, the

Soomras lost the battle to the Sodhas and

retreated to Deeplo. Raj Dev Sodho

established his rule in Umarkot and was

known to have been the real founder of

the Sodha dynasty. He was a chivalrous

and daring ruler. After the conquest of

Umarkot, the Sodhas began to capture

parts of Mithi, Chelhar, Chacharo, and

they extended their sway upto

Nagarparkar. Four generations of the

Sodhas ruled and lived in Umarkot, after

which Darabursh, the ruler of Umarkot,

dived his state between his two sons

Darjanshal (alias Darjan Singh) and

Aasrai. He gave Umarkot and adjoining

areas to his elder son Darjanshal and

Nagarparkar to the younger son, Aasrai

(op. cit. pp. 41-42). The descendents of

Aasrai namely Devraj, Sukarjee,

Khangarjee, Arjanjee, Bhemjee,

Bakharjee, Gangojee and Akhojee ruled

over Nagarparkar (Ojha 1998). After

Akhojee the Sodhas of Nagarparkar

came to be called Akha Sodha. The

Akha Sodha, Mano Singh Sodha and

Nanda Sodha divided Nagarparkar into

twelve small states (kothri). Apart from

Sodhas, Makwana and Seendal Rajputs

also ruled over Nagarparkar for brief

periods. Sabusan served as capital of

Seendal Rajputs during the rule over

Nagarparkar. Barring Makwana Rajputs,

we find the memorial stones of the rulers

of Sodha and Seendal Rajputs in

different villages of Nagarparkar. The

main reason of discussing the history of

Sodha and Seendal Rajputs was that they

played very important role in socio-

political history of Nagarparkar. The role

of Makwana Rajput was not significant

and their brief stay in Nagarparkar added

nothing to the landscape of Nagarparkar

so far as the monuments are concerned.

However, the monuments of the Sodha

and Seendal (only in two villages) are

scattered throughout landscape.

Historical Background:

Memorial stones are erected for men

who died in battle or who met with an

unnatural death and for Satis who

immolated themselves either on the

funeral pyre of their husbands or on

hearing of the death of their husbands in

battle. The cult of sati and hero worship

is prevalent and widespread in

Nagarparkar.

According to the well-known

classical Hindu myth, Sati, the wife of

Shiva, committed suicide because her

father had insulted her husband. Though

there are different versions of the myth,

the principal one holds that she did so by

throwing herself into a sacrificial fire.

Her name, Sati, is the feminine form of

Sanskrit adjective sat (true) and the word

sati came to be applied specifically to

the widow who immolated herself on her

husband‟s funeral pyre (Noble and

Sankhyan 2001:343). The rite of Sati is

of uncertain origin and appears to have

developed in India during the post-Vedic

period. Though there are instances of

Sati in classical epics (Walker 1968: II,

461), Sati as a voluntary act appears to

have slowly spread throughout India

from the third century AD onward and

became more prevalent and popular after

the eighth century AD (Chattopadhay

1975). Thereafter, sacred works

increasingly advocated the rite as

religious duty for women and a way by

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233

which the wife might even ensure

salvation for both her dead husband and

herself (Altekar 1962:115-142, Thakur

1963:163-184).

The worship of the dead as

heroes on the basis of memorial stones

as well as the deification of human

beings and their continued existence as

„little‟ gods and goddesses is well

documented in the literature on Indian

religion ( Blackburn 1985,Thapar 1981).

It is said that if person dies a violent or

premature death, he or she is unable to

become an ancestor. In these cases, the

person becomes another kind of

supernatural entity ranging from

malevolent spirits to different sorts of

heroes and deified beings. Like

ancestors, these entities also have to be

appeased and worshipped, but in

different ways. Whereas ancestors are

remembered after the second or third

generation as a collective body (Knipe

1977), persons who die a violent death

are remembered individually. The

personal story of a hero or deified

human being will be remembered in the

form of a text, which can be either a hero

stone (Thapar 1981) or epic text which is

recited and performed during states of

possession (Blackburn 1985).

Meaning, Symbols and Motifs:

To the local Hindu population these

stones are objects of worship. These

sacred stones are frequented by people

on a number of occasions, when

marriages take place, when a new born

child is named and fed his first solid

food, when the baby‟s hair is cut or ears

pierced, etc.

The stelae of Sati, Mahasati and

Satimata are dominant media of visual

culture of Tharparkar in general and

Nagarparkar in particular. People

frequently visit the memorial stone of

Phool Bai Sati (Fig.1, Plate 1) at old

Mondaro. The Chhands (folk poetry) of

Phool Bahi Sati is popular in

Nagarparkar. These Chhands are recited

by Maganhars and Charan communities

respectively.

The shrine of Mahasati (Great

Sati) is located in a small village of

Mithrio Charan in Chachro tehsil. Hindu

community of Nagarparkar goes to pay

respects to Jhoma Sati. Jhoma Sati

belonging to Charan community

committed self-immolation in Mithario

Charan to stop the atrocities of Balochis

who frequently plundered her village.

She is worshipped by Hindu Charans of

Tharparkar. Apart from Charans, many

other Hindu castes notably Rebaris of

Nagarparkar, Menghwars, Bhils,

Suthahars, Sonaras, and Rajputs worship

Jhoma Sati (Fig.2, Plate 1). An annual

fair (in August) is held at the shrine of

Jhoma Sati in Mithario Charan. Jhoma

Sati is also worshipped in the Barmer

district of Rajasthan. She sacrificed her

life for the whole community. Later on

some of her descendents migrated to

Barmer, Rajasthan, where her cult is still

popular and widespread. According to

some Charans of Mithario Charan

village Jhoma hailed from Harvecha

village near Jaisalmer in Rajasthan.

The Hindu community also

worships the Kasu Ma Sati who is better

known as Satimata (Mother Sati). The

memorial stone of Kasu Ma is located

some five kilometers north-east of

Vejhiar in Islamkot. Kasu Ma immolated

herself with her son and became

Satimata (Mother Sati) in the eighteenth

century. She is the Kulsati (lineage Sati)

of Dohat Rathors of Tharparkar (Fig.3,

Plate 2). Legend has it that Kasu Ma

immolated herself with her son Harnath

Dohat Rathor Rajput. Harnath died in

ZULFIQAR ALI KALHORO

234

battle. It was the custom among the

Rajputs that after the death of their

husbands women were supposed to be

immolated with their husbands on the

funeral pyre. Trial by fire was an act of

truth (sat). The woman proved her

satitva (sati-hood) by showing no

physical pain at the time of ordeal.

According to Hindu belief, the sat

protects the sati like an unguent, coating

or armour. Death on the pyre is

compared to the fire-bath agnisnan (fire-

bath) (Weinberger-Thomas 2000: 43).

When Harnath died in battle, his wife

who belonged to the Kelan lineage of the

Sodha Rajputs refused to become a Sati.

Her refusal to immolate herself with her

husband earned a bad name for her and

her caste the Kelan Sodha Rajputs.

According to Rajput traditions and

customs, it was a bad omen not to

become a sati. Instead, the mother of

Harnath, Kasu Ma decided to cremate

herself with her son and became

Satimata.

Two daughters of Kasu Ma,

namely, Chanda Bai and Phul Bai, also

became sati. Chanda Bai was married to

Sobha Singh Nara Sodha. She became

sati after her husband died while fighting

against cattle-rustlers. Chanda Bai took

her deceased husband in her arms and

immolated herself. The descendents of

Sobha Singh Naro Sodho reside in the

Pabuhar area of Mithi district where

Chanda Bai is venerated. In addition to

that, Phul Bai became a sati as well. Her

memorial stone, as mentioned above, is

located in the old Mondaro village in

Nagarparkar.

The local terms that are widely

used for the memorial stones in

Nagarparkar are Pariyo, Khambi and

Khatri. It is important to make a clear

distinction among these terms. The local

community uses pariyo only for the

memorial stone of a Jhujhar (headless

hero) who died in an act of heroism such

as defending a village against raiders or

cattle against cattle-lifters or who have

died on the battle-field. Such stones have

come to be called hero stones. Local

people call these hero stones Jhujhar Jo

Pario’. Whereas Sati stones are called

Sati Ji Khambhi or Sati ni Khambi in

Nagarparkar. And Khatri (memorial) is

erected in the honour of those: (1) who

died accidental deaths, (2) who were

murdered (3) and who were the

distinguished persons such as priests or

heads of villages (Shah 1982:110). Such

stones are located at Khanpur near

Nagarparkar town.

Pariyo:

Etymology has often been cited by

anthropologists as evidence for hidden

meanings (Hastrup 1995: 39). While

distinguishing between words and

etymology Lecercle argues that words

are the monuments on which our history

and our origin are inscribed and

etymology the device that enables us to

decipher the inscriptions (Lecercle 1990:

191).

There is in no consensus of

opinion on the exact derivation of the

word pariyo. According to one school of

thought, the word originated from the

Sanskrit noun pala meaning protector or

guardian, its context here being: he who

died to uphold or protect his code of

ethics. Thus pariyo is the vernacular

equivalent of the classical pala. Initially,

the pariyas or Paliyas must have

signified the commemorative stones of

those who died for a cause. In the course

of time, this specific definition faded

into a more general one, implying any

type of memorial stone (Doshi 1982:

165).Another school of thought claims

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235

that the word pariyo or paliya comes

from the root pal, meaning to protect or

guard. The subscribers to this view argue

that, since it is we who look after the

stone-tablets of our forebears and offer

them worship, we are the protectors of

the memorial stones, hence pariya or

paliya indicates those that are protected

(Doshi: 165)

Khambi:

Another word that is used for memorials

in Nagarparkar is khambhi. Khambi is

erected for those who take their lives or

commit self-immolation. These

memorials are called khambis and not

pariyas even though they look alike. As

mentioned earlier, Pariyas are erected

only for those heroes who died in battle

or defending their villages or cattle,

whereas khambis are erected for those

who commited self- immolation or who

became Satis. Put differently, khambis

are erected for only Satis while Pariyas

for heroes (Jhujhars). One only hears

Sati ji Khambi not pariyo of Sati in

Nagarparkar.

It is believed that the word

khambi has come from the Sanskrit word

stambha meaning a column (Doshi

1982:170). Peter Maddock argues that

the word khambi is generally accepted as

deriving from the Sanskrit stambha and

its derivative khambha. Khambhas are a

type of menhir that date from Vedic

times or even earlier (Maddock

1993:107).

Meaning of Jhujhar:

It is an important to know about the

phenomena of Jhujhar. Jhujhars are the

warriors who continue to fight after they

are beheaded. According to Komal

Kothari, Jhujhar is a term which refers

to those people who die a violent death

and who later manifest themselves as

restless spirits (Bharucha 2003:130).

Drawing on local sources, Ann Grodzins

Gold (1989: pp.64-5) suggests that the

original meaning of Jhunjhar is a heroic

warrior who dies in battle (junjh, yuddh),

and whose spirit has not found release,

can no longer be taken literally in the

contemporary world where there are „no

wars‟. Lindsey Harlan argues that the

Jhumjhar may lose his head through

battle or palace intrigue. To die fighting

in not misfortunate, it is the goal of all

Rajput warriors. Nevertheless, to die of

decapitation whether on the battleground

or at home is degrading: it violates the

warrior‟s physical integrity, which is

inseparable from his moral integrity.

Such humiliation can be erased only by

revenge. As the abundance of sat

(goodness, character) enables the

jhunjhar to survive the loss of the head

long enough to avenge with interest the

insult paid him. Before dying he kills at

least a few, and perhaps many, enemies.

This revenge takes victory from the

hands of his slayers and immortalizes his

valor (Harlan 1994: 198).

Symbols and Motifs:

Memorial stones are divided into two

sections, the upper featuring a carved

motif and the lower bearing a brief

inscription. Mostly, the memorial stones

in Nagarparkar have carved on their

upper section representations of the sun

and the moon. The sun may be shown

with distinctive rays, and occasionally

has human face, while the moon may be

represented either full or crescent-

shaped and recumbent. The sun with a

human face is depicted on one of the

hero stones located at Khanpur near

Nagarparkar town (Fig.4 Plate 2). Local

ZULFIQAR ALI KALHORO

236

people say that it means that, as long as

the sun and moon exist, these persons

will be remembered, thus symbolizing

eternity. The depictions of mor

(peacock) are also found on some of the

memorials particularly those located at

Qasibo and Mithi Veri villages. In

addition, one also finds the depictions of

peacock on the memorial stone of

Rawoji at old Mondaro (Fig.5 Plate-3).

Rawoji Sodho was the husband of Phool

Bai Sati whose memorial stone stands

close to Rawoji. Peacock representations

can also be found on many memorials

located at Sabusan, Kharerio, Sura

Chand, Ranpur, Oran Jo Wandhio and at

Bodhesar villages. The peacock is

symbol of beauty and prosperity and

associated with the Hindu conception of

maya (the illusory world of matter) and

thus is associated with the goddesses of

Hindu pantheon.

The depiction of lotus can also be

found on various hero and sati stones at

Bodhesar, Surya Chand, Barerai, new

Qasibo, old Qasibo, Ranpur, Mokrio,

Berani, Churio, Veekasar villages. The

lotus is symbol of prosperity and

fertility. Another symbol found on hero

and Sati stones is the right turning

Svastika. It is symbol of auspiciousness.

Still another symbol sculpted on many

memorials in Nagarparkar is the linga,

the phallic emblem associated with

Shiva. It symbolizes that the deceased

was a devotee of Shiva. One finds the

symbol of the linga on memorials

located at Sura Chand, Rana Sar, and

Hara Sar (Fig.6 Plate-3) villages.

The Sati may be depicted as

holding a water-pot in one hand and

rosary in the other, while on the others,

one only finds women holding water

pots. This symbolizes the spirituality and

righteousness. Such depictions are found

on Sati stones at Khanpur near

Nagarparkar town, old Qasibo, Bodhesar

(Fig.7, Plate-4), Mokrio and old

Mondaro villages.

The following motifs are found

on sati and hero stones in Nagarparkar.

A sati stone with depiction of holding

her husband in her arms

The motif of the sati holding her

deceased husband in her arms is found

on some stones. There is a sati stone

near the pond in Berani village which

shows a sati holding her deceased

husband in her arms (Fig.8, Plate-4).

Apart from that one also finds a similar

depiction on one of the sati stones at old

Qasibo.

A sati- stone with namaskar pose

The female figures are most often in

namaskara pose (two palms together),

which expresses devotion to attainment

of after-life and devotion to one‟s

husband. Such sati stones with the

depiction of namaskara pose are located

in various villages of Nagarparkar.

A sati- stone with raised arm

Sati-memorials may have depictions of a

plain arm or an arm loaded down with

wrist and upper-arm bangles. The

representations of raised arms loaded

with bangles are found on two of the sati

stones at old Qasibo (Fig.9, Plate-5).

One can also find on some memorials

the motif of raised arm either plain or

loaded with bangles and figure of sati

carved in front of an arm. There are two

such memorials in Nagarparkar carrying

the motif of raised arm and figure of sati

at Bodhesar and Khanpur near

Nagarparkar.

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237

A sati stone with figures of both Sati

and her husband

There are some memorials which

contain the images of both Sati and her

husband on the same stone. The husband

is shown as a mounted warrior on

horseback and sati is depicted to his

right with namaskara pose, others are

either holding pot or carrying objects.

Such a motif can be found on one of the

memorial stones commemorating both

husband and wife at Khanpur near

Nagarparkar town (Fig.10, Plate-5).

A hero-stone with horse riders

A warrior with a sword and shield riding

on a horse is most frequently depicted on

hero stones in Nagarparkar. These hero

stones invariably belong to Rajputs. In

the topmost panel of the stone the sun on

the left and moon on the right are

invariably depicted. Some of the

memorial stones bearing the

representations of horse-riding warriors

are located in the villages of Adigam,

Ranpur, Feethapur, Churio, Berarai

(Fig.11,Plate-6), Sabusan (Fig.12, Plate-

6), Sabusan II, new Qasibo old Qasibo,

Mokrio, Harasar, Veeksar, etc.

A hero- stone with camel riders

Usually, the hero stones bear the relief of

a horse rider in Nagarparkar.

Nevertheless, one also comes across

hero stones depicting camel riders.

These stones unfailingly belong to the

Rabari community. One such hero stone

bearing a camel rider is located at

Sabusan (Fig.13, Plate-7). There are six

hero stones at Sabusan. Barring one, all

others depicting horse-riders belong to

Seendal Rajputs. Only one hero-stone

bears the relief of a camel rider and

belongs to Rabari. The Rabaris are

associated with camel breeding in

Nagarparkar. The camel is also the

vehicle of Mammai, the most popular

goddess of the Rabaris. Many temples of

the Mammai goddess exist in different

villages of Nagarparkar. However, the

most popular is situated at Chanida

village.

A hero-stone with two riders

When either two brothers or any two

members of the family die together in

battle, their memorial stones are erected

at one place. In this case, the hero-stone

depicts two horse riders together. Such

hero stones depicting two horse riders on

the same stone are located in the villages

of Sabusan, Surachand (Fig.14, Plate-7),

Churio (Fig.15, Plate-8) and Mithi Veri

(Fig.16, Plate-8).

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Fig. 1 Memorial stone of Phool Bai Sati at Old Mondaro

Fig. 2 Memorial Stone of Jhoma Sati at Mithario Charan village

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Fig. 3 Memorial Stone of Kasu Ma Mahasati

Fig. 4 The sun with a human face on the top of the memorial stone

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Fig.5 Memorial Stone of Rawoji, husband of Phool Bai

Fig. 6 Hero Stone with depiction of Linga at Hara Sar

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Fig.7 Sati holding water pot in her hand

Fig. 8 Sati holding her husband at Berani village

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Fig.9 Sati Stone depicting raised arm loaded with bangles

Fig.10 Memorial Stone depicting both husband and wife at Khanpur

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Fig.11 Memorial Stones representing horse riders at Berarai

Fig. 12 Hero Stones at Old Sabusan village, Nagarparkar

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Fig. 13 Hero Stone depicting camel rider at Sabusan

Fig. 14 Memorial stone depicting two horse riders at Surachand

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Fig.15 Memorial Stone of Indhar Singh and Karan Singh at Churio

Fig.16 Memorial Stone depicting two Heroes at Mithi Veri

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