Not exactly a place one would consider for a tourist trip. So the article was a bit of a surprise.
http://www.dawn.com/weekly/dmag/dmag10.htm
By Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro
Larkana, like the other districts of Sindh, is host to a number of historical tombs dotting each of its talukas. Among these the Chandia tombs belonging to Mirzani Chandia and Husnani Chandia, both descendants of Siraman Khan a cultural hero of the tribe, lie some 60 kilometres west of Larkana near Gebi Dero. Gebi Dero was the famous headquarters of the Chandia jagir bestowed upon them by the ruler of the Samma dynasty in the thirteenth century.
The Mirzani Chandia tombs, five kilometres northwest of Gebi Dero are unique monuments of the past . Locally, the necropolis of Mirzani Chandia is known as the “Rankun” dating back to the seventeenth century when the first tomb of Sardar Malik Gebi Khan (after whom the Gebi Dero is named) was built by his elder son, Wahid Bakhsh Khan. The last tomb, erected probably in 1994, belongs to Nawab Sir Gebi Khan. The tomb was ordered by his grandson Sardar Ahmed Sultan Khan who died prior to its completion. His great grandson Nawab Zada Ali Nawaz Khan completed the remaining work. The graveyard is spread over an area of five hundred acres and contains twenty-three tombs of the chiefs of Mirzani Chandia tribe. All the tombs are invariably of same type, differing only in size. Almost, each structure is erected on a raised platform and is square in plan except for a few exceptions which are on rectangular plan and contain female graves. Inside, each structure constitutes of a square room covered by a conical ceiling.
Apart from the Mirzani tombs is the huge cemetery of the Husnani tribe, locally known as the “Dau- ja- Cuba”. The necropolis is situated some eight kilometres southeast of Gebi Dero. All the tombs belong to Husnanis and are eight in number. This necropolis is attributed to Daud who was chief of the Husnani tribe. He was killed in 1614 during a battle against the troops of “Llaji” tribe at Mahu near Gebi Dero. Later, the tombs were erected for Daud and his relatives as well as for the soldiers by their descendants. They were completed in a short span of six years from 1819 to 1825. After a gory battle which involved much bloodletting, the Husnani tribe decided to move to Shahdadkot and the Mirokhan talukas of Larkana where the two clusters of tombs of both the talukas still stand as reminders of their past glory. According to local accounts the battle fought between the tribes of Haji and Husan claimed sixteen hundred lives.
The Husnani tombs are plastered with lime and are built entirely of burnt bricks with walls raised in three stratas. The Husnani tombs, have similar characteristics and features to the tombs of the Mirzanis.
The paintings on the tombs of the Husnanis and Mirzanis are significant for their perfect technique and subjects in an endless variety of geometric, floral and vegetal designs and human and animal figures spread over the interior surfaces. The surface has been divided into various panels of different shapes and dimensions according to the space available and all the soffits, niches; squinches, arches and interiors of the tombs are covered by these paintings. The basic elements of decoration are varied. Some of the patterns are essentially naturalistic like the trees, which seem to have been inspired by close observation of the local surroundings and some of the fruit trees are especially well done.
In comparison to the Mirzani tombs, the Husnani tombs bear figural representations, while the former contain only floral designs. The surface decoration on the tombs of the Husnanis is exquisitely done as it is excelled on the Mirzani tombs. On one of the panels on the Husnani tombs is a depiction of cock fighting a still popular game in the area. Below it, is a combat scene between a man and a “Gorpat” [a wild beast] which is commonly found in the adjoining mountains of Khirthar. Even more interesting is a separate panel, done in a different, more formal style. It depicts a group of figures, who appear to be engaged. Two people are sitting on a cot, behind whom is a man playing the “Surando”, a very popular musical instrument in Sindh.
Of all the figural works, however, the most interesting are probably those depicting dancing girls with a man in the middle holding their hands. Women are shown in pairs with embroidered shawls on their heads. The costumes thus show a mixture of Sindhi and Balochi elements. Above it, is a pair of peacocks holding snakes in their mouths, a depiction that is commonly found on several tombs scattered throughout Sindh.
The great perfection and elaboration, we see at both the Dau-ja-Quba and RanEun indeed suggests that the work can only have been done with the aid of fully trained craftsmen, drawn from the richest and most accomplished workshops
The mural paintings of Husnani tombs un-mistakably belongs to the Rajput School of paintings. The influence of the paintings of the Rajput school can be seen on the tombs of Mian Nasir Mohammad in Johi, Dadu. Since the tombs of Mian Nasir Mohammad are older than the tombs in Gebi Dero, the inspiration may have come from Johi where artisans of the Rajput school had already worked. We intend to say that the local artisans prevalent in the area may have got formal training from the artisans of the Rajput school in paintings and they later developed their own school of art termed as the Sindhi school of paintings. Subsequently, this intermingling diffused to the adjoining and far-flung areas.