This is quite sad.
I hope this sending abroad of our cultural heritage stops.
I wish pakistan would take more pride in its diverse legacy.
I hope to visit Nagarparkar next year. Has anyone been there yet?
Footloose, NOS, The News International
Falling to pieces
The memorial stones of great historical significance in Nagarparkar are being stolen and sent abroad
By Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro
Journey through Nagarparkar in Tharparkar is dotted with many Jain and Hindu temples as well as memorial stones. These stones are objects of veneration for Hindus living in the area. Most of them belong to Sodha Rajputs who ruled over Nagarparkar.
The memorial stones are erected for men who either died in battles or met with unnatural deaths and for Satis who immolated themselves either on the funeral pyre of their husbands or on hearing the news of their husbands’ deaths in battle. The cult of Sati and hero worship is prevalent in Nagarparkar even today.
Locally, these memorial stones are called Pariyo, Khambi and Khatri. Local community uses Pariyo only for the memorial stone of Jhujhars (headless hero) who died heroically such as defending a village against raiders or cattles against cattle-lifters or someone who died on the battlefield. Such stones have come to be called hero stones. Local people call these hero stones Jhujhar Jo Pario. Sati stones are called Sati Ji Khambi or Sati ni Khambi in Nagarparkar. “Khatri (memorial) is erected to honour those who died an accidental death, were murdered or for priests or heads of villages,” explains Bheemo Rabari, a fifty year old resident of Mau Village, 5 km from Nagarparkar. Such stones are located at Khanpur near Nagarparkar town.
The memorial stones invariably face east and are divided into two sections; the upper featuring carved motif and the lower bearing a brief inscription. Mostly, the memorial stones in Nagarparkar have the sun and the moon carved on their upper sections. The sun is carved with distinct rays, and occasionally has a human face, while moon may be represented either full or crescent-shaped and recumbent. Sun with a human face is depicted on one of the hero stones located at Khanpur near the Nagarparkar town. The interpretation of these carvings, according to the locals, is that as long as the sun and moon remain, these people will be remembered thus symbolising eternity.
One also comes across the hero stones depicting camel riders. These stones unfailingly belong to the Rabari community, also a Hindu community. One such hero stone bearing camel rider is located at Sabusan. 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 camel rider and belongs to Rabari. The Rabaris are associated with camel breeding in Nagarparkar. The camel is also 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.
The memorial stones also bear many depictions of birds and flowers. The depictions of peacock are also found on some of the memorials, particularly those located at Qasibo and Mithi Veri villages. Apart from that, one also finds the depictions of peacock on the memorial stone of Rawoji at old Mondaro. Rawoji Sodho was the husband of Phool Bai Sati whose memorial stone stands close to Phool Bai. Peacock representations can also be found on many memorials located at Sabusan, Kharerio, Sura Chand, Ranpur, Oran Jo Wandhio and a Sati stone at Bodhesar villages. “The peacock is a symbol of beauty and prosperity,” says Devo Rabari, 60 of Mondaro located about 10 km from Nagarparkar.
The depiction of lotus can also be found on various hero stones and Sati stones at Bodhesar, Surya Chand, Barerai, new Qasibo, old Qasibo, Ranpur, Mokrio, Berani, Churio, Veekasar villages. According to Mahraj, 64 year old camel-breeder of Sabusan village, 16 km from Nagarparkar "The lotus symbolises prosperity and fertility. Another symbol found on hero and Sati stones is Swastika – a symbol of auspiciousness. Still another symbol sculpted on many memorials in Nagarparkar is linga, the phallic emblem associated with Shiva. “It shows that the deceased was the devotee of Shiva. One finds the symbol of linga on memorials located at Sura Chand, Rana Sar, and Hara Sar villages,” says Mahio Rabari, a 51 year old camel-breeder of Sakhpur village.
Sati can be seen holding waterpot in one hand and rosary in the other. While on other stones, one only finds women holding waterpots. “It stands for their spirituality and righteousness,” believes Bhoro Rabari of Lakhar Khadyo village. Such depictions are found on sati stones at Khanpur near Nagarparkar town, old Qasibo, Bodhesar, Mokrio and old Mondaro villages.
“Sati-memorials sometimes have depictions of naked arm or an armful of bangles. The representations of raised arms with bangles are found on two of Sati stones at old Qasibo,” says Anchal Singh Seedal Rajput, one of the elders of Sabusan village. There are two such memorials in Nagarparkar carrying the motif of raised arm and figure of Sati at Bodhesar and Khanpur near Nagarparkar.
“At times the images of both Sati and her husband are seen on the same stone. The husband is shown as a mounted warrior on horse while Sati stands on his right with her hands joined, others are either holding pot or carrying objects. Such motifs can be found on one of the memorial stones commemorating both husband and wife at Khanpur near Nagarparkar town,” informs Anchal Singh Seendal Sodho of Sabusan village.
According to Ismail Kumbhar of Churio village, a warrior with a sword and shield riding a horse is most frequently depicted on hero stones in Nagarparkar. In the topmost panel of the stone, the sun on the left and moon on the right are depicted. Some of the memorial stones bearing the representations of horse-riding warriors are located in the villages of Adigam, Ranpur, Fethapur, Churio, Berarai, Sabusan I, Sabusan II, new Qasibo old Qasibo, Mokrio, Harasar, Veeksar etc.
Khetoji Sodho of Oran Jo Wandhio village believes that usually the hero stones bear the relief of a horse rider in Nagarparkar.
Nawaz Ali Khoso is a 72 year old retired government employee. It is believed by many that no one knows Nagarparker better than him. When inquired he told the scribe that when two brothers or any two members of the family die together in the battle, their memorial stones are erected at one place. In this case, 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, Churio, and Mithi veri.
The condition of the memorial stones located in different villages of Nagarparkar is pathetic. The stealing and whisking away of the monuments continues unabated. Of late, an attempted theft of memorial stones at old Qasibo went unnoticed and unreported like other such incidents. The culprits are either local people or outsiders who sell these stones abroad. Some of the hero stones at Oran Jo Wandhio have been damaged by local people. The broken hero stones lie at Sabusan, apparently damaged by local people either in an attempt of stealing or sheer vandalism. One also finds badly damaged Sati stone in Berani village. The broken pieces of the Sati stone are scattered over the site. The destroyed hero stones can also be seen near the pond in Adigam village.
The least the authorities can do is appoint night watchmen to look after the memorial stones located in different villages. In this way, we can protect these pieces of heritage from theft and vandalism. Furthermore, they should renovate some of the monuments located at Sabusan, Sura Chand, Oran Jo Wandhio and old Qasibo villages which lie in pathetic condition and are fast falling to pieces. In order to check further decay and destruction of the visual heritage, the concerned authorities should chalk out a strategy as soon as possible.