A Hindu temple of Patan Minara is said to be 2,000 years old. Around 250 BC, during the Hakrra Valley culture, Patan Minara was constructed. According to Colonel Toy, it was formerly the royal seat of a country in the year 10 AD. Some archaeologists think Alexander the Great built the building while he traveled through this region on his route to India for a military campaign. Alexander established a cantonment here, as was customary, with a Greek governor in charge and a tower for closely checking the surrounding tribes. The existence of riches concealed in an old structure has a mysterious history. When the Patan Minara was destroyed in the 18th century, they found a brick with Sanskrit writing. The historical and architectural context of Pattan Munara was the main subject of this investigation.
1. Historical Background of Pattan Munara
In the sub-continent, Buddhism was a revolt against the Brahmin priesthood and the corrupt Hindu society based upon the concept of caste, color, and creed. `Gautama Buddha, one of the most remarkable personages of early India, declared that spiritual power is everywhere and everything; that each man must endure the consequences of his acts; that peace consists in a final release from the bond of incarnation and absorption into the absolute, and that it is to be obtained only through the extinction of desire (Ahmad, Ali, & Farooq, 2005).
Eventually, Buddha’s teachings and his noble example were incredibly instrumental in bringing about the spread of Buddhism in Asia. By 487 B.C., it had spread to countries such as Ceylon, Burma, Siam, Japan, China, Cochin, Mongolia, Manchuria, and Tibet. In India, the Parthians ultimately destroyed the Buddhist civilization, and they, in turn, fell before the Indo-Scythians dynasty, whose greatest ruler, Kanishka, also became a co-consult to Buddhism. The center of the Indo-Scythian power lay in (Jandhara and Kashmir, and Kanishka's capital was Parashapura (Peshawar). Kanishka proved himself to be a great proselytizer of the Buddhist religion. However, at that time, the Buddhist faith was the Mahayana or Great Vehicle, the latter being cast in a somewhat Brahimanial mold. It seems that the Punjab is in its heyday. Buddhist rule was a. mere province of the empire, and with Kashmir, Sind and territories west of the Indus formed a viceroyalty ruled from Taxila. It also seems that Buddhism had minimal impact on the life and beliefs of the people of the Indus Valley, as a religion did not last long, even in those areas from where it sprang up (Auj, 1991).
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| Figure 1: . The structure has a single doorway facing west. There appears to be no way to reach the top floor. At some point in time, the minara is said to have been used as a watch tower. The most flourishing period of Buddhism in the Indus Valley was when the stupas were built here in the second century A.D. Parthian rule over North West India succumbed to the Kushans then. Kujula Kadphises, the Chief of the Kushans, captured the Kabul valley, and later on, his son, Vima, added Taxila and its territories to his dominions. Vima's successor, Kanishka, eventually became the ruler of the Indus Valley. It appears from an inscription at village Sui Vihar, close to the present Bahawalpur city, in which he describes himself as “the Great King of Kings and son of the Gods, Kanishka. This is dated on the 28th day of the Macedonian month Daisios in the eleventh year of his reign.” Pattan Munara in Cholistan near Rahimyar Khan city is another stupa built during the time of Kanishka. The various names of Fattan, Pattanpur, and Selso know the place,e. It is among one of the most extensive ruins in the Cholistan region. The only piece of ancient architecture amid these ruins is a tower in the center of four similar but smaller towers forming a Buddhist monastery. The four buildings, which were joined to the central building at the upper story, existed in a dilapidated condition as late as the beginning of the eighteenth century when they were pulled down by Fazi Ali Khan Halani and their bricks and stones utilized in making the new fortifications at Dingarh, Sahibgirh, and Bhagla. Only one story of the story stands, but Tradi, ion asserts that it has three stories. Nostoriesn says that the upper story fell. Still, the second story was pulled down by Bahadar Khan Flaallani in 1740 AD, and a brick that bore an inscription in Sanskrit showing that the monastery was built during Alexander the Great was discovered. Colonel Minchin had the mounds close to the course of the tower excavated in 1870, but nothing rewarded his exertions. During excavations, the laborers encountered some putrid semi-liquid matter over which swarmed flies of a large size and peculiar color. The deadly smell of the decayed matter and the venomous sting of the flies caused the instantaneous death of several coolies. The ruins extend over several miles, and an attempt has yet to be made to excavate them. Round Pattan Manara, there are other ruined mounds, viz., those or Khokhar, which is five miles, Bandar, four miles, and Darwaza, five miles to the east of Pattan ruins; and of Binder, four miles to the west of them. Tradition asserts that the city, in the days of its prosperity, extended over a hundred square miles, that the mounds mentioned earlier are part of the same -city, that Bhandar was a vast building for storing the grain collected from the subjects of Raja of Pattan, that Darwaza was the main entrance to the town, and that the Bindor was the central jail of the Pattan Kingdom. The etymology of Kohokar is still being determined, and there is no tradition about it. "It is possible," says the Imperial Gazetteer of India, "that the ruins of Pattan Munnara mark the site of the capital of Mousicanus, who, after a brief submission to Alexander, revolted and was crucified in 325 B.C. The name Mousicanus probably conceals the name of the tribe or territory ruled by the chieftain, and it has been suggested that it survives either in the tribal name of the Magasi or Magsi Balochs or in that of the Machkas. Another theory identifies the capital with Aror in Sind. A Sanskrit inscription, now lost, is said to have recorded the existence of an ancient monastery. The town was re-founded by the Sumras in the 10th century, but it is now a desolate ruin. The identification of Pattan Munaa with Alor, the old capital of Sind, during Rai Chach's rule, is probably correct. Previously, the present site of On was considered Alor's site. It was then a thickly populated and prosperous city containing several royal villas, gardens, fountains, streams, meadows, and trees. The present site of Rohri is supposed to be too small to have held a big city like Alor spread over several miles. Moreover, even though it was an ancient Hindu capital, there is hardly any evidence of Hindu art and architecture. It is generally believed that looking for this city within the limits of Rohri is useless. According to Lambrick."Alor may have been somewhere between, roughly, Panu Aqil and Kandkot." However, he has not given any convincing reasons for this hypothesis. Mr Moor Ali Hussani, a Bahawalpuri historian, has concluded that "the grand mound of Pattan was the real Alor. He has further pointed out the possibility of Bindor, a western Dart of the mound of Pattan, to be Benagara of Greek writers. It is also evident from the architecture and layout of the city that it was initially built on the pattern of Moenjo Baro and Harappa. The city has three separate and spacious settlements: Bindor, Darwaza, and Khokar. The ruins of grain godowns are similar in pattern and style to that of the godowns of Harrapa. It appears it was once the metropolis of the rich and powerful kingdom of Upper Sind, ruled by the most powerful monarch of India called Mousikanus. It is recorded that Mousikanus submitted to Alexander and was allowed to retain his sovereignty, which stretched to the seaboard. But his Brahman advisers prevailed upon him to revolt during Alexander's absence, and he was captured by Peithon and executed. The country around the present Pattan was highly praised. By the Macedonian historians for its fertility, the virtues of its people, and the efficient government under which they lived. The writers have used the name Mouin in various ways sik. McCrindle has assumed it to be a territorial title of the term ‘Musicani’ applied by Curtius to the then residents of Musikano's territory. Lasson and Saint Martin connect it with a tribe of Moghasis (Magasis), which, according to them, form the most numerous part of the population of Kutch Gandava, a region bordering on the territories of the ancient Mosikano. Another historian considers it to represent the Sanskrit Mushika, meaning a mouse or a thief, "Indirect evidence of its existence … if evidence were wanted … is perhaps to be found in the description given of the territory of Mousikanos", says Major-General Haig. “His lands were reported to Alexander as being 'the most flourishing of all in India,' a report verified by the subsequent experience of the Greeks. It has been usual to identify this territory with the district around Aror. I am inclined to place part of it, all the events, farther north and to determine the whole with the southwest portion of Bahawalpur territory and perhaps a considerable part of modern Sind east of the Indus. In the northern portion of this district, some thirty miles from the Sind frontier, are the ruins of the ancient town Mau, a name that at least suggests a possible connection with Mousikanos. The last syllable of the latter is undoubtedly a Greek suffix, as are the previous syllables in Oxykanos and Portikanos, names which appear to have been applied to the same person through some error or confusion on the part of either Arrian or Diodorous. The meaning of all three would be 'Chief of the tribe, or country, of Mousika, Oxyka, Portika. Lasson says that Mushika is the name of a tribe mentioned in the Vishnu Puran, and it is possible that it may have settled on the Indus banks. Still, whether or not, and however doubtful the connection between Mau and Mousikanos, it is more likely that the Bahawalpur district would be exceptionally remarkable for its flourishing condition than the country in the neighborhood of Aror. This huge area is occupied by rock and sand hills. It is still productive, though now far from crowded, and it is exposed to Hoods from the Indus, which in these later ages is charged with the whole volume of the Punjab streams, while in the older times, a considerable portion of the burden was born by the lost river." We need to gain more knowledge about Buddhism in the Indus Valley due to the accounts left by the numerous Chinese pilgrims who trod the 'Silk Route' that led across fertile valleys, barren deserts, and snow-capped mountains to visit the birthplace of Buddhism. More than 60 such travelers have left behind valuable records of their journeys, the famous among them being Fahein, Yuan Chwang, and Hiuen Tsang. The account left by Hiuen Tsang throws much light upon the social and religious conditions of the Indus Valley. He says that during the time (7th A.D.), several hundred Sangharanas in the Indus region were occupied by about 10,000 priests, and they studied the Little Vehicle. When the Tathagata, the Buddha, was in the world, he frequently passed through this country. Therefore, Ashoka Raja had found many stupas at places where the sacred traces of his presence were found. From the record of Hiuen Tsang, the pilgrim also visited Alor, which he calls Pi-then-po-pu-lo. According to N.M. Billimoria, "the single principality of Upper Sind which is now. generally known as ‘Siro' that is the 'Head or Upper' division, described as being 7000 li, or 1167 miles, in the circuit, which is too great unless, as is very probable, it comprised the whole of Kachh Gandava on the west … In the seventh century, the Capital of the Province was named Pi-Chen-po-po-lu, which M. Julien transcribes. According to Vicvapura M. Vivien de St. Martin, the city that Hiuen Tsang referred to as Pi-chen-po-pu-lo in his writings may be the Sanskriti Cichalapura, also known as the "city of the Middle Sind," and referred to by the locals as Vachlo. While Hiuen Tsang could have used the Hindi Bichwa-pur to refer to the "Middle city," his consistent usage of Sanskrit forms prompts us to look for a pure Sanskrit word as the original name. Historical records and tradition suggest that Alor was the capital of Sind both before and after Hiuen Tsang's visit. Therefore, the newly discovered name is likely to be a variant appellation of the old city rather than a reference to a second capital. The indications are that the Chinese word Pi-chen-po-pu-lo is the translation of Pattan-jo-Munaro. It is also possible that even at that time as today, Pattan might have had more than one name. Moreover, there are also instances that a new city was always built close to the old city in the Indus Valley after the changes in the courses of rivers swept it away. This happened even in historical times in Sind. Pattan Munara was a new city near Alor when Hieun Tswang visited it. Moreover, the name Vichavpur may be the corruption of the words Fattanpur or Pattanpur, two other names of the present ruins of Pattan Munara. It also appears that when Alor was surrounded by the rivers Hacra and Indus, a lighthouse was built there, and Alor or Aror also assumed the name of Pattan Munara because of its lighthouse. We cannot blame Hiuen Tsang entirely for this connection. For example, he is correct when he says that the Raja of Upper Sind at the time of his visit (A.D. 641) was Sin-to-b or Sudra; he also correctly translates the name of the city of Patiala, which he calls O-fan-cha. The second name of the town of Alor was probably Pattan Munara. The antiquity of the city of Patan is proven because no Muslim historian mentions Pattan in his work. It must have been depopulated and ruined long before they wrote their accounts. The present name has survived only in local legends. Even Colonel Tod needs to trace the entire history of Pattan. He considers this city as a capital of a great Hindu Raja in the 10th century A.D. In his 'Annals of Rajasthan’ the names of the 'Prince of Pattan' "Princes of Pattan,' etc., occur, but he does not give the correct site of the place, leaving it to the imagination of his readers. The author mentions Alor and highlights its significance by quoting Abul Fazal and Ibn-Haukal. According to these sources, Alor was a prominent city comparable in importance to Multan. It was one of the nine divisions of Maru under the Pramar dynasty's governance. Notably, the Sodha clan was one of the primary branches of this dynasty. Bakhar Island, also known as Mansura, was named by the lieutenant of the Kalif Al-Mansur. It is located a few miles west of Aror and was considered the capital of Sogdai during Alexander's voyage down the Indus. The Sogdai and Soda may be the same, given the similarity of the names and the well-authenticated fact of immemorial sovereignty over the region. The Soda princes were the patriarchs of the desert when the Bhattis migrated from the north, but it is unclear from the chronicles whether they also deprived them of Aror and Lodorva. It is unlikely that the Umras and Sumras are merely sub-divisions of the Sodha rather than coequal or coeval branches with them. St. Martin places the capital of the sogdai at Alor or Aror. At the same time, Cunningham suggests that it is located higher upstream, at the village of Sarwahi, about midway between Alor and Uch. All these are confusing statements but give weight to the opinion that Alor was indeed very near to Pattan or was the second name of the Pattan. Sarwahi, also known as Seorai and Siwrae, is only a few miles from Pattan. In the 10th century, Pattan was rebuilt by the Sumras, whose capital it remained for a long time. The last Chief of the dynasty was Hamir Sumra, whom the Sammas deposed. Bahawalpur Gazetteer says that “the branch of Sumras settled here is said to have joined the Biloches, now called the Gurchani section, and is settled in Harrand in the Dera Ghazi Khan district. The legend runs that Goresh Sumra lost his way out hunting and was found in the last stage of exhaustion by a party of Bilochis who carried him to their encampment, where they employed a young woman to nurse him. On his recovery, he married her, was admitted into her tribe, and, joined by all his brethren, founded the Gurchani section of the Baluch tribe. The Tarikh Murad gives another legend accounting for the voluntary exile of the Sutras. When Hamir Sumra flourished at Pattan, the country was split up into petty principalities quite independent of and often at war with one another, and the Chief of Phul Wada (now shastra or Rahimyar Khan) was one Lakha, son of Phul who was famous for his generosity to the bards. Lakha gave some horses as gifts to a Charan called Swami. These were stolen at Pattan, where the bard halted on his way home, by some Sumra youths. Knowing that the theft was committed with the connivance of Hamir and his wazir, the Charan composed the following quatrain. “Cursed be upon Dhura Roe, who robbed a Charan, may Pattan fall and Sej change its course. May Hamir Sumra not be spared to reign to a full old age.’ This quatrain spread far and wide into the country, and the dishonor to which this verse subjected the Sumras was so unbearable that they left Pattan for Baluchistan hills and are now called Guchanis.” According to legend, the city of Pattan, too, like Alor (Aror), was destroyed due to the wickedness of women. Both were maids and very beautiful. This is more proof that both settlements are the same. The woman who killed Pattan is known as the 'Maid of Pattan.' The legend says: "Once upon a time, a maid of enchanting beauty lived in the ancient city of Pattan. One day, she was bathing on the banks of river Hacra when the god of waters appeared on the scene. The god was so impressed by her beauty that he immediately begged her to be his spoke and to lead a life of eternity in his realm. But she politely refused the offer on the ground that she preferred to live as an ordinary mortal. Enraged by her refusal, the god of the waters threatened to destroy the city if his wish was not fulfilled. But the maid was clever. Upon her request, her parents arranged a hasty marriage, and she left Pattan immediately after marriage. She was away when the very next day, the angry waves of the river engulfed the city under the instruction of their god. The following local proverb still recalls that incident: “Jainh sang Pattan qarq thia, Uho which hi nan hai, i.e., The woman who was the cause of the destruction of Pattan was not in it (when it was destroyed). When Colonel Minchin got the tower of Pattan excavated, some inscriptions in Sindhi character were found from which it appeared that it served as a temple between A.D. 1559 and 1569. It shows that this Buddhist monastery was converted into a temple. People from Bikaner and Jaisalmer used to visit the tower as late as the beginning of the 16th century and annually celebrated a meta, called the Shivratri, in the month of Mangh. In those days, the Sej received the Shivratri in the month of Mangh. In those days, the Sej received the overflow of Indus, and Pattan was an attractive place. There was an underground building with seven rooms (all, including the floor and roof, of stone) in the center of which were two reservoirs, one filled with milk and the other with water during the festival. Baba Ratta or Haji Rata used to administer the sacred milk and water to the pilgrims. In the time of Nawab Bahawal Khan 111 (about 1840), a Jogi of the Ogur caste was in charge of this sacred building; he is said to have got himself buried in a heap of salt close to the underground chamber and thus ended his life. The disciple of Jogi abjured old practices and placed a ling in the marhi. The ling worship was so popular that Muslim women began visiting and began the machine. This excited the wrath of the orthodox Muslims, who demolished the building and, on its ruins, built a mosque. |
Architecture of Pattan Munara
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| Figure 2: Pattan Munāra, Punjab, ‘minār’ from south |
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| Figure 3: Pattan Munāra, brick temple, south. |
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| Figure 4: Pattan Munāra, brick temple, sanctum, southwest. |
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| Figure 5: Māri-Indus, Temple B, entry hall, trefoil arch over doorway, east. |
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| Figure 6: Pattan Munāra, brick temple, south wall, vaulted niche with trefoil pediment. |
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| Figure 7: Moulding typologies |
2.1 Surviving Remains
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| Figure 8: Pattan Munāra, sanctum, plan reconstructed with balconies and circumambulatory corridor. |
“They appear to have been meant for the insertion of wooden beams joined together at the projecting ends by crossbeams, over which were raised pillars supporting the projecting parts of the four subsidiary sikharas corbeled near the middle of the second story. Decayed pieces of beams, which might have held together the lower framework fitted into the holes referred to, still exist on the sides of the tower. The vacant spaces between the central and subsidiary shares at the corners were occupied by tower-like constructions relieved by chaitya-roof and gable-moldings.”
2.2 Reconstruction
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| Figure 9: Ambulatory plans in Western India: a) Osiāñ, Mahāvīra temple; b) Chittor, Kālikāmātā temple. |
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| Figure 10: Pattan Munāra, brick temple (right), detail of damaged tower before conservation |
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