Tharro Hill is an ancient site of Sindh located a few kilometers southwest of Gujjo town in Thatta district
By Aziz Kingrani
Tharro Hill is located at a few kilometers southwest of the town of Gujjo in the Thatta District, very close to the southern side of the Thatta-Karachi road. According to the research and opinions of N.G. Majumdar and other British scholars and historians, the pottery found at this hill dates back to prehistoric times (around or before 500 BCE). Some of the pottery found near Tharro Hill also points to the Chalcolithic period (Copper Age).
Below some of the layers of Tharro Hill, archaeological excavations have also uncovered traces of Buddhism, including Buddha statues and other Buddhist symbols. These are contemporary to the Buddhist remains found at the site of Kahu Jo Daro near Mirpurkhas. According to Majumdar, these artifacts likely date to the 7th or 8th century CE.
At Tharro Hill, there is rock art—engravings or inscriptions carved into the mountain. The exact origins of these are unknown, and even N.G. Majumdar could not give a definitive opinion. He merely stated: “These script-like symbols are not related to the Indus Valley script, but it can be said they might belong to the Christian era.” According to my own research, some of these characters are of the Kharoshthi, Pali, while others show characters of Birahmi, all of which are from the early Crist Era. I have included some of these inscriptions in my book Indus Script in Stone.
There are also remnants from the Samma dynasty near Tharro Hill, in the form of graves located to the north of the hill. Majumdar dated this cemetery to around 1380 CE. Near the hill is also the shrine of Haji Sheikh Turabi. From Majumdar’s writings, it appears that this saint belonged to the period between the end of Arab rule and the beginning of the Soomra dynasty in Sindh.
Read: Mankataro – Setting History Right
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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.
