A village called Sim exists west of Kakar, near Gaj River, which some historians believe corresponds to the ancient Sisum
By Aziz Kingrani
Since ancient times, the people of Sindh not only mastered the art of war for the defense of their homeland but also saw the construction of forts and strongholds as essential to protect against foreign invasions. Some of these forts survive only in name or ruins. Among these is the ancient Fort of Sisum in Johi Taluka of Dadu District Sindh.
The fort of Sisum is mentioned in ‘Chachnama‘, the earliest known historical record of Sindh, although the account is riddled with contradictions and exaggerations. The original Arabic account of the Arab general Muhammad bin Qasim’s conquest of Sindh was translated into Persian by Ali Kufi, and later into Sindhi, Urdu and English.
Muhammad bin Qasim conquered Debal, the fort of Nerun (now Ranikot?), and Siwistan (Sehwan) with the help of Buddhist monks (shimnis or bhikshus), who were in religious rebellion against the Brahmins and thus supported the Arabs. During the central rule of Raja Dahir, his cousin Bujhra son of Chandra governed Siwistan.
When Siwistan was attacked, Bujhra fled from the north gate of the Sehwan fort in the middle of the night and took refuge in the fort of Sisum, located in the Budhiya, a Buddhist province (Chachnama, p. 45). Muhammad bin Qasim then advanced towards Sisum. It’s possible that Bujhra retreated to regroup. At that time, the ruler of the Buddhist region was Kakko, son of Kotal. Although under Brahmin influence, the Buddhists were divided religiously and cooperated with the Arabs internally.
Location of Sīsam Fort
The fort of Sīsam was on the banks of the Kumb or Kumbh canal. When Bajhra arrived, he was welcomed (Chachnama, p. 46), and they prepared to fight the Arab army. As bin Qasim moved for attack, the shimnis were split—some wanted to resist, while others considered surrender. The Buddhist army and Baujhra prepared for battle. Muhammad bin Qasim’s forces camped near Bandhan (possibly today’s Bandhani or Bandhni), a settlement on the same Kumbh canal (Chachnama, p. 46).
It is suggested that Sisum fort and Bandhan were not on the same section of the Kumbh canal. Since no battle occurred at Bandhan, it’s likely that Sisum was farther away, and bin Qasim’s army wisely avoided camping near the fort to prevent surprise attacks. This strategic move also implies that the Arab army encamped at a secure location, further away from the fort.
According to Chachnama (p. 147), when the fort’s ruler Kakko allowed it, a thousand warriors led by Bhiman went out at night to surprise the Arabs. They searched all night but failed to locate the Arab army. By dawn, they found themselves back at the gates of their own fort, having found no enemy (Tuhfat al-Kiram, p. 80). This suggests that the fort was located in a wide plain and far from the Arab encampment, or the men intentionally avoided battle, or genuinely could not find the well-hidden Arab forces.
Eventually, bin Qasim marched from Bandhan to Sisum fort, and after two days of battle, defeated the defenders (Chachnama, p. 145). This implies that not all inhabitants of Sīsam cooperated with the Arabs, and their night attack attempt had failed due to the Arabs camping far away in secrecy.
Geographical Confusion and Theories
The question arises: where exactly was the Sisum fort located?
- Was it near Manchar Lake?
- Was the Kumbh canal a river stream or spring-fed canal?
- Could “Kumbh” refer to a lake?
Dr. Nabi Bux Baloch, in his Sindhi Dictionary (Vol. 2, p. 459), defines “Kumbh” as a pond or reservoir, but not explicitly as a “lake.” In edited versions of Chachnama, “Kumbh” is interpreted as a royal pond or lake, perhaps even referring to Manchar Lake (Chachnama, p. 314). Yet, Baloch disagrees with interpreting “Kumbh” as Manchar Lake.
Chachnama does not mention Manchar Lake, suggesting the Arab army may not have passed it. If they had, the lake would likely have been mentioned. Moreover, Manchar’s terrain is flat and militarily vulnerable, making it an unlikely location for a foreign army to traverse or camp near.
According to Atta Muhammad Bhanbhro’s translated book of Major Raverty as ‘Sindh Jo Mihran (p. 244), there may have been two forts with similar names, possibly due to scribal error. One such “Sisum” was mentioned as Shaban. This second Sisum was far from Manchar. Kingrani believes both names refer to the same fort, near the Buddhist province, possibly near the modern town of ‘Kakar’ (North of Sehwan) and Bandhan or Kumbh as Gaj River.
In Tuhfat al-Kiram, the Buddhist region (Buddhiya) was located west of the Mihran (Indus), and Sisum was likely along Gaj River. According to Dr. Baloch, this Buddhist region extended from Manchar to Jacobabad and Sibi. He concludes that the Sisum fort was either on the bank of Manchar or along the Western Nara (Chachnama, p. 314).
Modern Identification with the Village “Sim”
Today, a village called Sim exists west of Kakar, near Gaj River, which some historians believe corresponds to the ancient Sisum. In his book Sindhu Tahzeeb, Taj Sahrai (p. 85–86) describes Sim as a small village with the remains of an old fort, walls made of mud bricks, ancient wells, and other ruins, suggesting an ancient settlement. Its soil is fertile, and it lies six miles west of the old riverbank. The sweet water wells support the theory that this site was historically significant.
After Sisum fell, Bujhra escaped towards Gandava (Chachnama, p. 49). The route from Sehwan to Sisum might have passed through Naig, Ghorandi, Gaji Shah, and Dhoonk Valley before reaching Sim or Sisum. The distance between Sehwan and Sim village is approximately 60 miles, supporting the theory that modern Sim village was the site of Sisum fort.
In Brief
- Sisum was in the Buddhist province (Buddhiya) north of Sehwan.
- Bandhan (Bandhni) was near a band to Gaj River, in the Budhiys region.
- Sisum lay in a plains region, matching the location of Sim village near Gaj River.
- The term “Aab-i-Kumbh” in Chachnama likely referred to spring water flow in Gaj River, not a lake.
- Bin Qasim’s attack occurred during the monsoon, when streams like Gaj River were full.
- Both Baloch and Lemberk disagree with identifying Kumbh as Manchar.
- Shah Hassan, a hilly site, does not match Sisum’s plain setting.
- The villagers of Sisum scouted the battlefield at night but couldn’t find the Arab army—likely because the Arabs had camped at a distant, secure location.
- Lemberk locates Sisum near Kakar, where Sim village exists today towards west of Kakar near Gaj.
- The ruins of an old fort still exist near the Gaj River and Sim village.
- Thus, Sisum was likely today’s Sim village but the ancient site is destroyed by floods and now left in ruins.
- The ruined Sisum Fort is at foothills of Khirthar Mountain Range near Sim village toward west.
References
- Ali Kufi / Dr. N. A Baloch Chachnama (Multiple pages: 45, 46, 49, 145, 147, 314, 331)
- Mir Ali Sher Qani’a, Tuhfatul Kiram, p-80
- Dr. Nabi Bakhsh Baloch, Sindhi Dictionary, Vol. 2, p. 459
- Taj Sahrai, Sindhu Tahzeeb, p. 85–86
- Atta Muhammad Bhanbhro /Major Raverty, Sindh Jo Mihran p. 244
- Lemberk, Sindh: A General Introduction pp. 273, 373
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Aziz Kingrani, hailing from village Haji Manik Kingrani, Johi, Dadu District, Sindh, Pakistan, is poet, short story writer, playwright and a researcher. He has been contributing in the fields of history and literature. He has served as a professor as well. His 17 books are published in English and Sindhi language.
