Cholistan
Cholistan (चोलिस्तान) is name of Desert in Punjab, Pakistan, also locally known as Rohi.
Contents
Variants
Location
It sprawls 30 km from Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan and covers an area of 16,000 km2. It adjoins the Thar Desert, extending over to Sindh and into India.
Origin of name
The word Cholistan is derived from the Turkic word Chol, meaning desert.
History
Forts in Cholistan
चोलिस्तान
विजयेन्द्र कुमार माथुर[1] ने लेख किया है ...2. चोल (AS, p.346): वर्तमान चोलिस्तान, जिसकी स्थिति वंक्षु (आक्सस) नदी के दक्षिण और वाल्हीक के पूर्व में थी. महाभारत सभा पर्व है 27,21 में इस प्रदेश पर अर्जुन की विजय का उल्लेख है-- 'ततः सुह्मांश च चॊलांश च किरीटी पाण्डवर्षभः, सहितः सर्वसैन्येन परामदत कुरुनन्दनः'.
ठाकुर देशराज
ठाकुर देशराज [2] ने लिखा है ....चंद्रापीड - यह पंजाब के मालवा देश के पड़ोसी चोलिस्तान के क्षेत्र के लोगों में पैदा हुए थे। संस्कृत के प्रसिद्ध ग्रंथ कादंबरी में इनका विस्तृत वर्णन दिया हुआ है। इनका विवाह उद्यान के शिव लोगों में ही हुआ था।
Terra cotta
The Indus Civilization was the earliest center of ceramics, and thus the pottery of Cholistan has a long history. Local soil is very fine, thus most suitable for making pottery. The fineness of the earth can be observed on the Kacha houses which are actually plastered with mud but look like white cemented. The chief Cholistani ceramic articles are their surahies, piyalas, and glasses, remarkable for their lightness and fine finishing.
In the early times only the art of pottery and terracotta developed, but from the seventh century onwards, a large number of temples and images were also built on account of the intensified religious passions and the accumulation of wealth in cities. The building activity reached to such an extent that some cities actually became city temples. In fact the area particularly came to be known for its forts, villas, palaces, havelis, gateways, fortifications, and city walls.
The people
The people of Cholistan lead a semi-nomadic life, moving from one place to another in search of water and fodder for their animals. The dry bed of the Hakra River runs through the area, along which many settlements of the Indus Valley Civilization have been found.
References
Back to Jat Places in Pakistan