When the name of Mughal Emperor Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar comes to mind, the names of Mughal Empire, Divine Religion and Rajput Jodha Bai come to mind. If the question is where King Akbar was born then many minds would like to take the option of Google search.
Umerkot is the birthplace of King Akbar the Great
Akbar was born in Umerkot. According to historical sources, Humayun settled in Umerkot after retreating from the battle with Afghan Governor Bihar Sher Khan. Were
The uncrowned king distributed musk nafah among his companions on the occasion of the joy of his son’s birth and said these words:
After the death of Humayun, Akbar ascended the throne at the age of 13 and he expanded the Mughal Empire many times by force of the sword and this empire lasted till the British occupied the region.
A monument has been erected at the place of Akbar’s birth in Umerkot, along with a small garden.
The gateway to Thar
Umerkot city is located at a distance of about three hundred kilometers from Karachi. There are also roads from Mirpur Khas, Sanghar and Thar, while the road from Super Highway to Mirpur Khas and then from there to Umerkot is better.
Prior to the construction of the road from Karachi to Mithi, the city was the center of important commercial activities and was known as the gateway to Thar.
The fort of Umerkot was considered the key to politics in this region. It is located at the important confluence of Marwar and Mehran valleys of Rajasthan.
Marvi’s prison
Umerkot is named after a fort here, where memories of many romance and heroic characters are buried. Umerkot was also ruled by the Rajput Thackeray and later the Soomra dynasty. Marvi, one of the five heroines or heroines of Sindh Sufi poet Abdul Latif, was born here.
Marvi belonged to the nomadic tribe of Thar. When the then ruler Omar Soomro heard rumors of her beauty, Marvi was abducted from her village Bhalwa when she came to draw water from a well.
Umar Kot
Omar offered marriage to Marvi which he turned down after which he was imprisoned, various temptations were given but Omar Badshah did not succeed, finally gave up and left Marvi as his sister in his village.
Shah Abdul Latif has made this whole story the subject of his poetry and Marvi’s character has become a symbol of patriotism and love for his people.
Museum at Umerkot Fort
There is a museum in the fort of Umerkot, in which in addition to the ancient weapons, there are munjik shells which were used to hit the walls of the forts, jewelery used in the region.
Due to the birthplace of King Akbar, books and documents written in Persian by the then Ministry, including the Akbari Constitution, are also available for display here. Among them are some sacred books of Hindu Dharma which have been translated into Persian.
Mughal era
There are also many pictures of Mughal court including Humayun, Hamida Begum and Akbar. There are also statues of Jains that were excavated from the ground during the construction of a road in Vera Wah, Thar.
Cannons are also mounted on the ramparts of the fort, and in the middle is a pole, which some people believe was used to hang people, from where the whole city can be easily seen.
Cannon
Above the entrance of the fort there is a mark of a horseshoe. According to local tradition, when Rana Ratan Singh was hanged, his horse jumped, during which one of his feet hit the wall of the fort and became the protagonist of this story.
Rana Ratan Singh had refused to pay taxes to the British government and fought with them after which he was arrested and hanged.
Religious harmony
Religious harmony is still evident in the birthplace of Emperor Akbar, who laid the foundation for religious harmony.
There are temples and mosques side by side, the Hindu-Muslim population is almost equal and both of them participate in festivals in addition to each other’s joys and sorrows.
Temple
Near the city there is an ancient temple of Shiva Mahadev which is visited by a festival every year and the organizers and helpers include Muslims.
Also nearby is the town of Sufi Faqir, the shrine of Sufi Sadiq, who belonged to the resistance movement of Sufi Shah Inayat. In addition, there is a mausoleum of Pir Pithoro in the city of Pithora, which is frequented by the devout Hindu community.
Umerkot Bazaar
The bazaar of Umerkot is one of the oldest bazaars of Sindh. Leaf-beading is still made here and some shopkeepers make traditional bangles of women which are called chora.
Bangles
They are worn wide from the wrists to the arms. The arms of the dance girl sculpture found at Moenjo Daro also look as wide as they used to be made of ivory or animal bones but now they are made of fiberglass. Are
Earlier it was used by women of both Muslim and Hindu religions but now it is restricted to Muslim families.
Silver ornaments are sold more here than gold. Hindu tribes give silver ornaments in dowry according to their tradition. The design of each tribe is also different.
Green and desert
The desert area also starts with the city of Umerkot. On one side there are green fields and on the other side there is a series of dunes.
The train bound for India passes through various cities of Umerkot district and crosses the border across Khokhra. This is an ancient route. At the time of partition of the subcontinent, many families including Mehdi Hassan, Mushtaq Ahmed Yousifi and Dr. Mubarak Ali had crossed this border and entered the borders of Pakistan.
