 Thatta
or Thatto , is a
historic town of
22,000 inhabitants
in the Sindh
province of
Pakistan. Its major
monuments are listed
among the World
Heritage Sites.
The city, formerly
commanding the delta
of the Indus, was
the capital of Lower
Sindh from the 14th
century. Since 1592,
it was governed in
the name of the
Mughal emperors of
Delhi. After the
province was ceded
to Nadir Shah of
Persia in 1739,
Thatta has fallen
into neglect.
Thatta's monuments
include the Jama
Mosque, built by
Shah Jahan in
1647-49 and lined
with glazed tiles.
There are also the
tombs of Jam
Nizamuddin (reigned
in 1461-1509),
several Tarkhan
rulers and Mughal
officials. A vast
old necropolis with
thousands of graves
may be found at the
nearby Makli Hills.
Thatta is home to
beautiful lake
called Keenjhar.
Many people from the
neighboring district
of Karachi make
weekend-trips to
this aesthetic
place. The central
city is host to the
magnificent Badshahi
Mosque, which was
built by the late
Mughal emperor
Shahjahan. This
mosque has 101 domes
and is designed in
such a way that
imam's voice can
reach every corner
of this building
without the help of
any loudspeaker or
other device.
History
After 1853's
Invasion of Charles
Napier, Sindh was
divided into
provinces and was
assigned a
Zamindar's to
collect taxes for
the British;
Zamindar's were also
known as 'Wadara'.
Wadara of
"Shikarpur" was Lord
Wadra Bhagwandas
Golani (1861–1931),
a merchant born in
the royal family of
the Golani's . After
his death in his
eldest son Shobraj,
Bhagwandas Golani
(1885–1978) took
over as the Landlord
of Shikarpur, Digri,
Jamrao, Kachhelo,
Tando Jan Mohammed,
Ratnabad, Roshanabad,
and Khayrpur.
Shobraj Bhagwandas
Golani was also
invited to Great
Britain by the King
along with all the
Nawabs and Rajahs of
India in 1901 to
discuss the
participation of
their respective
provinces in
Expansion of British
Empire in Middle
East. Shobraj along
with his eldest son,
Shri Hashmatrai S
Golani (1918–1979),
moved to Bombay in
1948 after the
Partition of India
and Pakistan. Sindh
was later made part
of British India's
Bombay Presidency,
and became a
separate province in
1935. |
