Memorial Stones: Tharparkar by Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro, published by the Endowment Fund Trust for Preservation of the Heritage of Sindh, provides an extensive survey of a centuries-old tradition within the Tharparkar region — that of stone markers to (usually) commemorate graves. Kalhoro also includes an overview of Thar’s society, economy, religious beliefs and resources within the desert lifestyle, and how these factors have contributed to the rudimentary, yet fascinating, structures that he explores and describes. The book covers memorial stones distributed across six talukas [subdivisions] of the Tharparkar district in Sindh.

Memorial stones are anthropological relics and form a part of the tangible cultural heritage of a place. For the geographic area covered in the book, it is difficult to trace the first stones to an exact date, but the practice of erecting them seems to have become prevalent by the 11th century. Some of these markers are standalone monuments whereas, at other sites, they comprise collections of stones encircled by a boundary or topped with a canopy.

Kalhoro describes the various types of memorial stones, such as pariyo, khambhi, jaryo and sati among several others. It is also interesting to know that these markers represent a largely Hindu heritage, and constitute a little-explored cultural and historical aspect of Muslim-dominated Pakistan. Human and animal figures feature extensively on them, pointing out the stark contrast with the traditionally more prevalent Islamic funerary architecture prototypes that consist more of floral designs, arabesque patterns and calligraphic inscriptions. In the stones of Tharparkar, however, inscriptions — where present — are in basic Gujarati or Devanagari script, often engraved as a single layer of chiselling with minimal embellishment. In India, too, memorial stones are present extensively in the western/north-western and southern parts, such as Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra. The northern and eastern parts of India do not have such relics, probably because of the centuries of Muslim settlement there.

Commemorative stones of the Thar Desert tell long-forgotten tales of heroes, loyalty and valour

The tales behind the stones are intriguing to say the least. Whereas some mark communal cow pastures (gauchar), others commemorate local war heroes (jhujhars), or celebrate women who committed sati [self-immolation] after the death of a husband or son. Some stones were erected in the memory of people who died of snake bites, others for war animals. Sites where Jain ascetics practiced traditions such as self-mutilation and voluntary hunger (sallekhana) have come to be marked with nishidi memorial stones in their honour. The practice of self-death (traga/khattari) during battle, by piercing a dagger into one’s own jugular vein and sprinkling one’s blood onto the opponent, was considered a brave act that cursed the enemy for life. Several such ‘heroic’ acts of valour and honour were deified, etched into local memory and the local landscape as traga memorial stones.

Over time, memorial stones came to constitute a form of ancestor worship. The stones themselves became objects and places of reverence, spawning miniature replicas to be kept in houses, temples and workplaces not merely as souvenirs, but as standalone idols emulating the divine attributes of the original stone.

The photographs in the book — and there are plenty — complement the text impressively. In addition to visually depicting the details on the stones themselves, the photos convey the broader topographical context of the region. Desolate plains stretching for miles, dry shrubbery, arid soil, fallen leaves, parched keekar trees and the dunes of the inner Thar Desert all form an intense backdrop for the placement of these monumental structures.

The book includes many tribal folktales as well. It would have been interesting to see some other details associated with these tales, such as lineage trees, historic maps and battle sites to help the narrative flow more smoothly. With the inclusion of such additional research, the various individual memorial stones mentioned herein could possibly be linked to one another within a larger temporo-spatial context.

Another aspect the book might have incorporated could be an account of how the author reached those remote locations, with travel details such as duration, distance, the best weather to travel in, any local assistance he elicited, and how he overcame language issues while communicating with the locals. Such information would have made an interesting appendage to this extensive research project, presenting a more complete picture of the endeavour and as a model for other field researchers in similar contexts.

Kalhoro also raises awareness about the frequent theft of memorial stones, which are then sold abroad as expensive antiquities. The author’s choice to not name any exact sites of the stones could be seen as a strategic exclusion to prevent further theft or vandalism.

However, for a project that attempts to present original, context-based research, the book has a somewhat disappointing number of errors in language. There are various mistakes of grammar, missing or extra apostrophes, multiple spelling variations for the same terminology, skipped articles (a/an/the), and various disfluencies in the sentences. It would have been good had the book undergone a more rigorous proofreading check.

Despite that, the book presents a very specific inventory of historical relics, which could prove helpful as a basis for further research in relevant domains. Kalhoro’s attention to various smaller settlements and remote sites has produced a valuable pictorial asset that could be employed as a visual atlas of the Tharparkar and Nagarparkar regions. In recent years, the post-monsoon floral bloom in Thar and Nagarparkar has started gaining increased attention as an opportunity to develop regional tourism. Perhaps this aspect of Thar’s cultural heritage, the memorial stones, could also be incorporated into an extended policy to help create a more sustainable local tourism industry.

The reviewer is is an architect currently pursuing a doctoral degree at the Middle East Technical University, Turkey

Memorial Stones:
Tharparkar
By Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro
Endowment Fund
Trust for Preservation
of the Heritage of
Sindh, Karachi
ISBN: 978-9699860102
186pp.

Published in Dawn, Books & Authors, October 1st, 2017