Khudabad

For other uses, see Khudabad (disambiguation).
خدا آباد
Khudabad
خدا آباد
Coordinates: 26°23′N 67°27′E / 26.39°N 67.45°ECoordinates: 26°23′N 67°27′E / 26.39°N 67.45°E
Country  Pakistan
Province Sindh
Elevation 31 m (102 ft)
Time zone PST (UTC+5)

Khudabad (Sindhi: خدا آباد, Urdu: خدا آباد ‎) is a city in Dadu District, Sindh, Pakistan.

Geography

It is located at 26°39'0N 67°45'0E with an altitude of 31 metres (104 feet) and lies to the south of the district capital Dadu.[1]

Demography

The population of Khudabad is 75,000. The ethnic groups are Sindhis and Balochis. The population is predominantly Muslim with a small Hindu minority.

History

Sindh was agricultural region with forests during the Indus Valley Civilization. The Vedic period is characterized by Indo-Aryan culture that invaded from Central Asia and settled in Sindh.

Starting with Muhammad bin Qasim and Habbari dynasty, later Delhi Sultanate and Mughal Empire ruled the region. The Sindh became predominantly Muslim due to missionary Sufi saints whose dargahs dot the landscape of Sindh.

Around 1710 AD Yar Muhammad Kalhoro along with his followers, won over Khudabad from the Panhwar. Between 1718 and 1719, Mian Yar Muhammad died and he was buried there.After his death when Mian Noor Mohammad Kalhoro became the ruler of Sindh (1719–1755) he chose Khudabad (City of God). He started developing the place rapidly as a well planned city, which led to many Amils and Bhaibands migrating there for employment and trade. He also built a beautiful Jamia Musjid. Khudabad was capital of Sindh between 1719 and 1768 when replaced with Hyderabad.

In 1755, Mian Noor Mohammad Kalhoro died and was buried in a tomb, built by him before his death, about a kilometre from Khudabad City. Those clubs have been kept in the tomb of Mian Noor Mohammad Kalhoro. People used to come to tomb and offer sticks as symbols of respect. Many a times, Hindus perform mundane ceremony of their children there and offer sticks as rituals. It is also said that people still find very old coins in the ruins of Khudabad city. Around 1908, a charcoal seller on his horse passed through Khudabad and collided with a wall of an old building and saw some silver coins. With the help of some confidential labourers he found many old silver coins worth about thirteen thousand rupees, which he kept with himself. After some time, this mystery leaked out and he was charged under Indian Treasure-Trove Act in the court of Resident Magistrate of Dadu.[2] After the death of Mian Noor Mohammad, Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro's claim to rule was challenged by his brothers Muradyab Khan and Attar Khan. The latter was able to obtain Sanad (Authority to Rule) from Ahmed Shah Durrani and so Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro vacated the seat in his favour. Mian Attar Khan could not manage the state of affairs. Taking advantage of political uncertainty, Khosa tribe invaded and looted local population and burnt the Khudabad city down by tying fire crackers with the feet of birds and let fly them throughout the city after setting fire the fire crackers.[3] Therefore, in 1759, the Baloch chiefs reinstalled Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro, who defeated his two brothers and assumed the throne. He started, once again, the settlement of Khudabad on nearby new lands, by the new course of the river Indus.

Fateh Ali Khan (Talpur) defeated the Kalhora (Mian Abdul Nabi Kalhora) in 1783 and took over as the new ruler of Sindh. Khudabad City continued to remain his capital till it was inundated by river Indus in 1789 and then Mir Fateh Ali Khan chose Hyderabad (old Nayrun Kot) as his capital. The change of capital no doubt induced a large number of the population of Khudabad including Sonaras, Amils and Bhaibands to migrate to the new seat of royalty. Those groups retained the term Khudabadi in the names of their communities as an identifier of origin. And Khudabad city's decline may be said to have commenced from that date. By the year 1800, the majority of Sonaras living in other parts of Sindh had migrated to Hyderabad.

The predominantly Muslim population supported Muslim League and Pakistan Movement. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the minority Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India while the Muslim refugees from India settled in the Dadu District.

Architecture

The tomb of Mian Yar Muhammad Kalhoro of ruler of Kalhora Dynasty is Khudabad, Dadu, Sindh.

The Jamia Masjid Khudabad or Badshahi Masjid, is situated in Khudabad, Dadu, Sindh and was built during the reign of Yar Mouhammed Kalhoro between 1700 and 1718.[4] The mosque served as a schools as well as for military training.[5]

Khudabadi script

The Khudabadi script was invented by Khudabadi Sindhi Swarankar community. The members of the Swarnakar community, while residing in Khudabad, around 1750, felt it necessary to invent a very simple script so that they can send written messages to their relations, who were living far away from them in their own home towns. This necessity mothered the invention/creation of a new script. The new script had no vowels and to be written from left to right (like Sanskrit) and continued to be in use for very long period of time among Khudabadi Sindhi Swarankar. Due to its simplicity, the use of this script spread very quickly and got acceptance in other sindhi communities, for sending written communications. Because it was originated from Khudabad, it was called Khudabadi script.

Education

There are many school, colleges in Khudabad. The Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) campus is located at Khudabad.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Location of Khudabad - Falling Rain Genomics
  2. ↑ Diwan Bherumal Meharchand "Amilan Jo Ahwal" 24 March 1919
  3. ↑ Diwan Bherumal Meharchand "Amilan Jo Ahwal" 24 March 1919
  4. ↑ Qurban Ali Khushik , "17th century Kalhoro tombs disappear brick by brick ", Dawn Media Group, 19 January 2010
  5. ↑ N. K. Bozai, "Kalhora Governance of Sindh - An Overview", Mahdavia Foundation, 2006