I
have been spending the last few weeks reading about the history of Sindh. One
of the fascinating yet little known era of Sindh was the rule of
Brahmin/Brahman Dynasty. The Dynasty ruled Sindh from circa. AD 632 - AD
724. They succeeded Rai Dynasty, who were the last Buddhist rulers of
Sindh. The dynasty was founded by a Brahman named Chach of Alor in c. 632
CE after he married the widow of Rai Sahasi II, the last ruler of the Rai
dynasty.
The
most well-known king of the Brahman Dynasty was Raja Dahir, son of Raja Chach.
Raja Dahir ruled Sindh from AD 663-712 before he was killed in the battle of
Aror which marked the beginning of the Muslim rule in Sindh. The general of
Umayyad Caliphate, Muhammad bin Qasim invaded Sindh in 710 and Raja Dahir, in
the battle of Aror. Much of the information regarding Brahmin dynasty comes
from “Chhachnama” (Story of Chach) ,
originally written in Persian in 13th century which captures details
about the Brahman Dynasty. The book is considered a landmark as it is one of
the few texts which detail the origin/beginning of Islam in Indian
Sub-continent region.
I
find the Brahman dynasty to be an interesting period in Sindh’s history as I
believe it has an important role to play in the emergence of Sindh as a Secular
Sufi land in the coming centuries. Chach of Alor being married to the widow of Rai
Sahasi who was a Buddhist and the eventual establishment of Muslim rule a
century later perhaps to some extent explains why the Sindhi religious/cultural
practices developed to be a liberal mix of Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam in coming
centuries. Of-course not to forget the spreading of Sikhism in Sindh also meant
that the emphasis was always on liberation of self via good karma rather than focusing
on pure ritualistic practices, something which complements Sufi style of
living. The powerful opening words/symbol of Sikhism “Ek On(m)kar, Sat Naam “ (There is one god ; His
name is Truth) seem to so beautifully capture “Sufi” spirit.
I
end with this short video of a Sindhi Satsang by Dr. Sispal Sharma (Prabhu
Sarva Bhamadas of ISKCON) in Hyderabad,
Pakistan which I hope you will find interesting.
Jiye Sindhiyat
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