Paat
Encyclopedia
Paat, also known as Pat or Goth Pat, is a small town in the Dadu District
of Sindh
, Pakistan
. It is located at 20°28'0N 48°68'0E with an altitude of 25 metres (82 ft)
Paat lies between the west bank of the Indus River
and the Dadu Canal. The climate is extreme. The town is surrounded by fertile agriculture land, which is irrigated by water from the Dadu canal. The local people have limited access to potable drinking water. The farming of livestock is common in Dadu, especially in Kachho, an area largely inaccessible due to the lack of a good road infrastructure. Paat, has a mainline railway station named Piyaro Goth.
. A mound known as Lohum-jo-Daro near the Piyaro Goth railway station was first discovered in 1925, and subsequently excaated by the archaelogist Majumdar
. He recovered several objects typical of Indus culture along with pottery from the Mohenjo Daro period. There is evidence that the conditions in Baluchistan and Sindh five thousand years ago were more favourable for human habitation than they are today.
Lal Shahbaz Qalander of Sehwan (1177 - 1274) visited Paat some time before 19986, and met a sufi nobleman there named Pir Haji Ismail. The two contemporaries became friends and often met to exchange ideas on religious preaching, tolerance, and cohesion among their communities. A shrine to Pir Haji Ismail was subsequently built in Paat, and is still regularly visited today.
In the sixteenth century, the Mughal
Emperor Humayun
fled to Sindh after his defeat by Sher Shah Suri
. He met and fell in love with Hamida Banu, a fourteen year old Arghun Sindhi girl, and married her at Paat in 1541. She gave birth to Akbar, who wet on to become the next Emperor.
In 1915, the reformist educationalist Kazi Ahmadi established, with the help of the British government, a co-educational Model School in Paat, which now bears his name. Education of girls in Sindh was a bold step in those days, and met with a lot of opposition. The school has since been completely rebuilt by the government of Sindh, who have managed it since Pakistan's independence.
, and those remaining in Paat suffer under poor economic conditions and low living standards.
Dadu District
Dadu is a district of Sindh Province, Pakistan.Dadu district was created in 1933 by the British Indian administration by merging Kotri and Kohistan tehsils from Karachi district and Mehar, Khairpur Nathan Shah, Dadu, Johi and Sehwan tehsils from Larkana district. The population of the district is...
of Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. It is located at 20°28'0N 48°68'0E with an altitude of 25 metres (82 ft)
Paat lies between the west bank of the Indus River
Indus River
The Indus River is a major river which flows through Pakistan. It also has courses through China and India.Originating in the Tibetan plateau of western China in the vicinity of Lake Mansarovar in Tibet Autonomous Region, the river runs a course through the Ladakh district of Jammu and Kashmir and...
and the Dadu Canal. The climate is extreme. The town is surrounded by fertile agriculture land, which is irrigated by water from the Dadu canal. The local people have limited access to potable drinking water. The farming of livestock is common in Dadu, especially in Kachho, an area largely inaccessible due to the lack of a good road infrastructure. Paat, has a mainline railway station named Piyaro Goth.
History
Paat is close to Sehwan, an ancient city of the Indus Valley CivilizationIndus Valley Civilization
The Indus Valley Civilization was a Bronze Age civilization that was located in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent, consisting of what is now mainly modern-day Pakistan and northwest India...
. A mound known as Lohum-jo-Daro near the Piyaro Goth railway station was first discovered in 1925, and subsequently excaated by the archaelogist Majumdar
Majumdar
Majumdar is a Bengali title, now commonly used as a family name....
. He recovered several objects typical of Indus culture along with pottery from the Mohenjo Daro period. There is evidence that the conditions in Baluchistan and Sindh five thousand years ago were more favourable for human habitation than they are today.
Lal Shahbaz Qalander of Sehwan (1177 - 1274) visited Paat some time before 19986, and met a sufi nobleman there named Pir Haji Ismail. The two contemporaries became friends and often met to exchange ideas on religious preaching, tolerance, and cohesion among their communities. A shrine to Pir Haji Ismail was subsequently built in Paat, and is still regularly visited today.
In the sixteenth century, the Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
Emperor Humayun
Humayun
Nasir ud-din Muhammad Humayun was the second Mughal Emperor who ruled present day Afghanistan, Pakistan, and parts of northern India from 1530–1540 and again from 1555–1556. Like his father, Babur, he lost his kingdom early, but with Persian aid, he eventually regained an even larger one...
fled to Sindh after his defeat by Sher Shah Suri
Sher Shah Suri
Sher Shah Suri , birth name Farid Khan, also known as Sher Khan , was the founder of the short-lived Sur Empire in northern India, with its capital at Delhi, before its demise in the hands of the resurgent Mughal Empire...
. He met and fell in love with Hamida Banu, a fourteen year old Arghun Sindhi girl, and married her at Paat in 1541. She gave birth to Akbar, who wet on to become the next Emperor.
In 1915, the reformist educationalist Kazi Ahmadi established, with the help of the British government, a co-educational Model School in Paat, which now bears his name. Education of girls in Sindh was a bold step in those days, and met with a lot of opposition. The school has since been completely rebuilt by the government of Sindh, who have managed it since Pakistan's independence.
Current status
Most of the original residents belonging to the Ansari, Junejo, Memon, Siddiqui, Kazi, Mangi, Palh and Channa families have settled in KarachiKarachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, and those remaining in Paat suffer under poor economic conditions and low living standards.