Hakra - A mythological river of Rohi

Arts & Culture History
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Hakra is the part of legends and folk songs of Rohi (Cholistan) region.

Anyone knows the history of the river?

How & when it dried?

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Re: Hakra - A mythological river of Rohi

I know Haqraan is a small town but never heard about the river.

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Re: Hakra - A mythological river of Rohi

What is the location of Haqraan? Is it near desert?

OK I googled it. There is some 'Haqraan Ada in District Lodhran'. I heard some people believe Hakra is basically Sutlej and Lodhran is loctaed on northen side of Sultlej. That means Haqraan is variation of Hakra.

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Re: Hakra - A mythological river of Rohi

The Hakra is the dried-out channel of a river in Pakistan that is the continuation of the Ghaggar River in India. Several times, but not continuously, it carried the water of the Sutlej during the Bronze Age period. Many settlements of the Indus Valley Civilisation have been found along and inside the river beds of the Ghaggar and Hakra rivers.

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Re: Hakra - A mythological river of Rohi

Thanks BM for nice info. Hakra is more than a dried river in Saraiki culture. People’s love for the river depicted from their traditions and folk songs, which is a natural thing for people living in desert.

**History behind name of Cholistan & Rohi

**In effect Cholistan is a vast sandy desert covering an area of 2407 square kilometres, also locally known as Rohi – so lovingly immortalised by the great mystic poet, Khwaja Farid.

The desert area is predominantly the scene of high sand dunes, sometimes rising to some 12 metres. In between or across the sand dunes there are patches of levelled areas running several kilometres together. The Hakra River – now a clear depression suggesting to its bed – divides the area into smaller and greater Cholistans. The smaller Cholistan lies in the north of Hakra depression and is relatively flat with a few low sand dunes. The greater Cholistan lies in the south and is entirely occupied by large sand dunes.

Name Cholistan

The intrusion of the sand of these dunes from the greater Cholistan is a continuous danger for the local people. This movement of sand has induced many to seek the meanings of Cholistan in it. **According to them the name is derived from the word ‘cholna’ – walking or moving – adding the word Stan denoting place like that in Balochistan, or even Pakistan. However, this does not seem plausible as the very pronunciation or the mother word does not match the one as used in the region’s Seraiki. However, the most appealing of the origin of the name seems to have derived from the Turkish word ÇÖl (pronounced as Choal in English), which literally means desert. **Of course, like the practice in vogue, the sthan or stan standing for place, region or area stands attached to it.

Name Rohi

However, there is another name generally used with affection by the locals as Rohi hence the inhabitants as Rohillas. This particularly is the name used in his sublime poetry by the great Mystic Poet, Khwaja Ghulam Farid – mostly known as Khwaja Farid. The word Roh probably bring with it the meanings of highland or wilderness but its musical rendering by Khwaja Farid has made it reverberate in the ears of the Rohilas and even their guests from outside the region.

New bifuraction of area

In the modern administrative set up this whole region – the Greater Cholistan, the Lesser Cholistan and the Alluvial plain with fertile land – consists of the districts of Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalnagar and Bahawalpur. **The physiography of this region is very interesting as there are three distinct strips of land running parallel from north to south throughout the length of the region. These strips may broadly be dissimilar from each other as they can be defined as: -

**1) The Pure desert, the long stretches of sand and sand dunes with only desertic fauna and flora;

  1. A central tract, mainly consisting of the desert, hardly capable of any cultivation while also considerably higher than the valleys of rivers in its vicinity, thus rendering it incapable of irrigation by this natural source;

  2. The alluvial plain, which is formed by the action of the rivers hence very fertile and most suited to cultivation.

  3. The Pure Desert

The pure desert region is in fact a northward continuation of the great Pakistani Desert, Thar, while also extending beyond the international border into the Rajputana Desert of India, perhaps also spilling itself to the Bikaner region in India. The desert region is bounded on the north and west by a **pronounced depression locally known as Hakra, the abandoned bed of the now extinct river variedly known in history by the names of the Hakra, the Ghaggar or the Vedic period Sarasvati. (Ganga Jamna & Sarswati)

**The surface of this region is marked by a succession of sand dunes, which may even majestically rise to a height of more than 150 metres. The natural vegetation here is confined to that which is peculiar to sandy tracts. There is no other soil even to much depth and the wells dug – with much difficulty by applying gypsum to sustain the sides of the sand - may well go down to some 25 metres but invariably resulting in brackish water. In many of the valleys of this sandy tract amorphous sulphate of lime is found overlaying it, usually in a thickness of about 1 to 2 metres. This tract in general is called Cholistan – or Rohi, generally in the local lore.

  1. A Central Tract

The second stripe of the three tracts is virtually sandwiched between the other two as it runs in the middle. Locally known as the Pat or the Bar and is more like the north-southward running of the Sulaiman Range in the Derajat and parts of south-western Punjab. It could also be a northward extension of the Pat region of the Thar Desert. This central tract has a pronounced boundary on the river side where there is a chain of sand hills, which abruptly falls to a lower valley on the north-eastern side of the region. This area also consists of a number of Dahrs – vast tracts of barren plains, which run for many a kilometre while each of this plain is given locally a name like Hakranwala Dahr*, Chitta Dahr, Shinghaar Dahr, Dilwash Dahr etc. etc. Although the least favourable as far as availability of water or useful vegetation yet they were always a welcome scene to the caravans crossing over from the high sand dunes region. The retinues of the rulers and governors especially pitched their camps in these Dahrs for preparations before entering the populated areas on the west.

**It is interesting to note that in both the tracts mentioned above, the subterranean water is permeated with salts of different kinds leaving it almost unsuitable for human consumption. However, the wells dug in the region continue to supply practically hard water as long as they remain in use. Their water becomes obnoxious and entirely unusable if it is allowed to stagnate by abandoning them for some time. They could be made usable again only by drawing the stagnating water letting it replenished by fresh supply from the bed.

**The level of the underground water depends on the distance from the river. Its depth continues to increase while going away from this perennial source of water. According to the Bahawalpur State gazetteer ‘in the eastern portion … the subterranean spring level falls at the rate of 38 inches (96.72 centimetres) per mile (1.609 kilometres), while at its confluence with the Chenab the fall is only 17 ½ inches (44.45 centimetres) per mile’.

How Rivers Extinct

As the fall of the country from east to west and from north to south is considerably variable, the rivers have to adjust the bed of their courses accordingly. As such they changes their courses resulting in meanders that at certain point of time are once again abandoned with the result that the old beds once again serves as their renewed courses. T**his action of the rivers, together with the result of extinction of at least a couple of major rivers, has left the region with depressions. One of these depressions, which is also the greatest of all, in fact separates it from Rajputana Desert and the Indian State of Jaisalmer on its south-eastern side. This refers to the old bed of the legendary river Sarasvati, also known as Hakra or Ghaggar during ancient times.

http://www.wasaib.com/forum/cholistan-to-bahawalpur.html
**

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Re: Hakra - A mythological river of Rohi

I have been to Rohi , half of the lower punjab and saraiki areas comes in Rohi. Rohi covers Bahawalpur, Lodhran, Zahir peer, Koot mithan, Rajan pur, RYK towards Sadiq abad the last city in Punjab district ,Sindh starts after that.

Cultural wise , Rohi is an important thing for Saraikis as Khuwajh Gulam Fareed has expressed Rohi in his poetry.In Saraiki culture a young girl and a young boy is called Rohi di Heer and Rohi da Raja :wub:

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Re: Hakra - A mythological river of Rohi

Thanks LipPY for this sharing. I think They call Chhoower to boy in Saraiki… Sannan Chhoower Raja Rohi Da.

Do share more about cultural and historical aspects of Rohi.

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Re: Hakra - A mythological river of Rohi

I am saraiki but I know more about Multan .Yes, i have been to rohi and told you what i knew.
Hakran was a new thing to me, I never heard of that may be because they are mostly found in Lodhran side.
I 'll post some more info regarding rohi.

Girl is called Choohayr
Boy is called Choohar

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Re: Hakra - A mythological river of Rohi

Yes do share. I also got some information about forts of Rohi, will post it here soon.

Good to know that you are Saraiki. Bohoo mithi boli hai tussan di. mekun bohoo pasand hai. Khwaja Fareed I love his poetry. I listen ‘Mai ni main kinnu aakhan’ when I feel sad.

There was a time when PTV produced dramas like ‘Darya’ and ‘Raigzaar’ revolving around Rohi’s life.. but now its all about commercialism :hinna:

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I wanna go to Rohi too to find my Heer :wub:

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Ek Saraiki Tay Duji Punjabi Dono Meethi Boli A

Saraiki is Dilect of Punjabi :wub:

Im A Punjabi :blush:

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Re: Hakra - A mythological river of Rohi

Tuwadi Zaban bhi medi apni hai… Pakistan diyan sari boliyan mithyan ni. :jhanda:

What do you know about Rohi/Cholistan and Hakra. Have you ever been to Cholistan?

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Re: Hakra - A mythological river of Rohi

:eek: Juliet se bewafai. Gori chitti Juliet ko chor ke Rohi ki sanwli saloni ke peeche chal pade.

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Re: Hakra - A mythological river of Rohi

Pakistan apay he meetha a :wub:

I only know about Rohi and Cholistan :wub:
I wanna go there Insha Allah one day I will

Mayko Heer Chahye Juliet Nahi :blush:

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Re: Hakra - A mythological river of Rohi

So finally ‘Jamni hont saraiki bolen, aur kanon main rus gholen’ worked.

You must visit Cholistan. Its full of rich culture and history.

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Re: Hakra - A mythological river of Rohi

Aho :wub:

Insha Allah I Will

Have u been there

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Re: Hakra - A mythological river of Rohi

in which state is cholistan?

i have one more question...can u ppl travel to balochistan with out any problem?

sorry for derailing the thread :(but both of u r residing in pakistan so i can not hold myself back....

muqawee bhai i ll ask u more question some other day about karachi

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Re: Hakra - A mythological river of Rohi

No. I’ve visited Multan & Rahim Yar Khan for 2-3 times. I lived in RYK for more than a month, but have not gone to Desert Area.

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Re: Hakra - A mythological river of Rohi

No Problem Ninja. We can bring the thread on topic, but you must ask your question about Karachi here.

For Balochistan, I've been to Quetta in 1990s with my family in summer vacations. My uncle have some good friends there including a Producer of PTV Queeta Center (who is not Baloch). The situation is quite problematic in Balochistan, but people are still living there. Recently, I was watching a PTV Queeta program and was glad to see the name of son of that producer in the technical team of the program.

Cholistan is the part of southern Punjab.

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Re: Hakra - A mythological river of Rohi

Is it dangerous to carry blackberry,apple iphone or other smartphones as there are chances that someone may rob you?

From few threads and posts its feel like karachi is very dangerous place for common folks.....though i always think that a city with

population of nearly 10 million must be safe place for common man...........

Are you afraid to walk freely on the streets means is it safe to take a walk on road for few kilometers