Mithankot
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Mithankot (a.k.a Mithancot, Mithankote, Kotmithan, Kotmithan Sharif), is located in southern Punjab, Pakistan, on the right (west) bank of the Indus river, only a short distance downstream from its junction with Panjnad River. The latter is formed by successive confluence of the five rivers of Punjab, namely Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej. Panjnad river is approximately 45 miles in length and joins the Sindhu river just above Mithankot. Because of its location at the confluence of major rivers, Mithankot was labelled as Allahabad of the Indus by some historians.
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[edit] Location
- 28°57' N
- 70°22' E
[edit] History
It is an ancient and historic town in the extreme southwest part of the province of Punjab in Pakistan; currently it is a part of the Rajanpur tahsil of the Rajanpur district. Previously Mithankot as well as Rajanpur were parts of the Dera Ghazi Khan district of Punjab, Pakistan.
Sulaiman range of mountains and hills of Balochistan approach the Sindhu river near Mithankot; Giandari peak (1,250 m or 4,160 feet) being approximately 35 miles west of the town.
The districts of Rajanpur and Dera Ghazi Khan are located in Derajat, the narrow strip of land sandwiched between the Sindhu river on the east and Sulaiman hills on the west, these are the only two districts of Punjab (Pakistan) which are located entirely west of the Sindhu river; they form the link between upper and lower Indus plains. The town of Mithankot is the generally accepted border between the two Indus plains. Rajanpur, Asni, Chacharan and Umerkot are some of the significant towns in the vicinity of Mithankot. In various books written in nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Mithankot has been spelled as Mitankot, Mithenkote, Mithinkote, Mithunkote or Mittunkote.
Due to their geographic location at the confluence of the major rivers, Mithankot and neighboring areas of Punjab were frequently at the periphery of various kingdoms and empires. In the prehistoric times of Ramayana and Mahabharata, Mithankot area was between Sauvira Kingdom and Sindhu Kingdom. The Sindhu river formed the eastern border of Persian empire of Darius I (522 BCE - 486 BCE); hence, the site of Mithankot was near the extreme edge of his empire. After the Persians lost control over Indus satrapy, the site of Mithankot was between the kingdom of Mallians in the north and Sambasti (the kingdom of Sambus) in the south. Later, it was at the eastern border of the short-lived empire of Alexander the Great, near the southern border of Kushan empire, near the western border of Gupta empire and at the southern border of Babur's empire. Later, it was at the southwest periphery of the Sikh empire of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, 1780 - 1839, (the Sutlej and Panjnad rivers being the southern limits of his empire), just beyond the northern limit of the princely state of Khairpur in upper Sindh and across the Indus river from the western limit of the princely state of Bahawalpur. Because of its periphral location at the frontier, Mithankot, along with the neighboring areas, was either neglected and "left alone" or it was subjected to greater scrutiny and repression, as border areas are often subjected to.
Mithankot is in the center of the area of the Indus Valley civilization, roughly halfway between Harrapa and Mohenjo-daro, the two major cities of Indus Valley civilization. It was an important transit point and a major riverine trade center along one of the southern routes of the "silk road" connecting central Asia and China to the Arabian Sea. Since prehistoric times, Mithankot was and has remained until today an important site for crossing the Sindhu river. The river, at this site, has two large islands which divide the river waters into three fordable streams. A bridge of boats was used to cross the river in fall, winter and early spring, when the water flow was slow and lethargic, to reach Chacharan, a town on the east bank of the river in Rahim Yar Khan district of Pakistan. The river islands have a fertile soil enriched by the silt brought by the waters of Sindhu river every spring and summer; water melons and fennel were two prized crops. Currently ferries, boats and railway provide transportation across the river. Indus Queen was one famous large stern-wheeler used for ferry service.
The confluence of the Sindhu with other rivers in the vicinity of Mithankot is mentioned in Hindu mythology - Lord Parashurama camped at this spot during his mission to eliminate all kshatriyas. In the prehistoric periods of Ramayana and Mahabharata, Mithankot area was a part of the Sauvira Kingdom. The kingdom of Sauvira joined Kauravas against Pandavas in the great war of Mahabharata.
Alexander the Great of Macedonia reached Mithankot area in late 325 BCE while he and his armies were retreating from India on their way to Persia and Babylon (Pakistan Handbook by Isobel Shaw 1998). According to the historian Arrian, he camped at the confluence of Indus with the combined stream of the Punjab rivers to recuperate from the serious wounds inflicted upon him during the previous battle with Mallians at or near the present-day Multan and also waited for a part of his army led by Perdiccas to join him. He also crossed the bridge of boats in operation at this location on the Indus river since prehistoric ancient times. He fixed the junction of the rivers as the southern extreme of the province to be governed by Philippus for him, and instructed Philippus to build dockyards and to establish a settlement at the site of the last confluence of the rivers (possibly the site of the old town of Mithankot or Chacharan). According to the local legend, Alexander realized the strategic importance of the crossing site and left a garrison of infantry and the entire Thracian cavalry in order to maintain control over it. Within two years, however, the garrison lost the control to Indians and some or all of the Greek, Persian, Thracian and Macedonian soldiers of the garrison married the local girls and became assimilated into the local Hindu society.
Some historians believe that, in 325 BCE, the confluence of the Sindhu with the rivers from Punjab was higher and near the present location of Uch Sharif, and gradually the Sindhu river and the confluence meandered southwest to the present location near Mithankot. It is highly probable that some of the inhabitants also moved along with the shifting courses of rivers, as the rivers were the most important source of their livelihood. It is not clear from the writings of Alexander's historians whether the settlement of Mithankot existed at that time, it had a different name or if a new city was ever built at all.
Guru Nanak Dev (1469-1538), the founder of Sikhism visited Mithankot in 1518; he held a lively debate on theology, God and other spiritual matters with Mian Mitha, a noted Muslim saint residing at Mithankot, and then returned to Kartarpur in north Punjab. It is possible that Mithankot's original name was Panchnaad, and it was renamed as Mithankot as an honor to Mian Mitha.
Khawaja Farid (1844-1901), a notable Saraiki poet and sufi mystic was born at Mithankot and also died there. His tomb ("dargah") attracts many pilgrims.
At the end of second Anglo-Sikh war (1848-1849), this area including Mithankot was surrendered by Sikhs to British forces; Mithankot became a part of the Dera Ghazi Khan district, the Multan division of the Punjab province of British India. During the previous reigns of Sikh Maharaja Ranjit Singh (he had conquered Mithankot in 1817) and his successors, Dewan Sawan Mal was the governor of this region. Under his supervision, an existing but neglected network of irrigation canals had been improved upon and expanded to bring prosperity to the region.
For more than a decade after the British takeover, Mithankot was an important trade as well as administrative center of the British government in south part of district Dera Ghazi Khan; its importance was second to Dera Ghazi Khan, the administrative headquarters of the district. In 1862, Mithankot was innudated and washed away by floods from the Sindhu river; the offices of the assistant district commissioner and the assistant district magistrate were shifted to Rajanpur, which was until then an unimportant village but now became the headquarters of the tahsil. Rajanpur had the advantage of being at a considerable distance from the Sindhu river. The old town and fort of Mithankot were abandoned and a new town with straight roads intersecting at right angles and planned markets was built five miles from the river, but it did not regain its previous importance as the administrative center (Imperial Gazetteer of India, vol.17 p379). During the period of relocation and rebuilding the town, the business of grain export was moved to Rajanpur and a substantial number of prosperous and influential Hindu Arora merchants and businessmen also moved to Rajanpur or other locations. By 1880's, Mithankot had lost its position as the mercantile capital of southwest Punjab and had become a quiet but prosperous country town.
After 1862, Punjab Flotilla (a government sponsored incorporated company) consisting of many steamers and barges provided riverine transportaion along the Sindhu river between Kalabagh in North Punjab and Mithankot and eventually up to Sukkur in Sindh province; Indus Flotilla did the same between Sukkur and Kotri in the Sindh province. This action undercut the income of the local shippers, businessmen and boatsmen. However, it appears that Mithankot remained an important transit station in the trade routes of Punjab and Sindh during the British administration.
Mithankot was the site of the Mithankot(e) conference in February 1871 between the governments of the Punjab and the Sindh provinces of British India when Capt Robert Groves Sandeman ("sandmaan sahib" in local dialect) was assigned the political control over adjacent Bugti and Marri Baloch "countries" in Sulaiman mountains and hills west of Mithankot and Rajanpur.
In 1873, the municipality of Mithankot was established. In 1901 census, the population of Mithankot was 3,487 vs. that of Rajanpur being 3,917. Muslims formed 87% of the population in the entire district of Dera Ghazi Khan; however, in cities and towns of Dera Ghazi Khan, Jampur, Rajanpur and Mithankot, Hindus and Muslims were almost equal in number. Muslims, consisting of Balochs, Rajputs, Arains and Jats were agriculturists, while Hindus, chiefly Arora community, were generally better educated and were merchants, traders, moneylenders, and government employees. A small number of sikhs, khojas (muslim aroras) and native Christians also lived in the district. In 1947, after the partition, nearly all Arora and other upper caste Hindus migrated to India; as a result, the population of Mithankot plunged to 3,675 (1951 census) from 5,881 in 1941. In 1998 census, the population of Mithankot was 13,556.
Mithankot lies at an elevation of 258 ft. above the sea level. The climate is arid and desert-like, the average annual rain fall being only 4 inches. It is extremely hot in summer and quite cold in winter. The cultivation of crops (wheat, sugarcane, cotton) is by the water of Indus river brought by canals made and maintained by industrious peasants over the many centuries.
[edit] Mithankot Today
At present, Muslim Balochs (belonging to Majari, Dreshak, Leghari, Gorchani, Bugti, Maari and other tribes), Rajputs, Arains and Jats form the majority of the population; Hindus are approximately one percent of the population of the entire district of Rajanpur. Baluchi, Saraiki (Derawali) and Urdu are the principal languages. Because of its peripheral location and significant proportion of tribal population, Rajanpur district including Mithankot have been severely neglected by the Pakistan government. As an example, in 2005, Rajanpur district had the lowest (only 21%) literacy rate among all the districts of the Punjab.
[edit] See also
