Home Archaeology Koriyani Jo Daro: A Buddhist archaeological site in southern Sindh

Koriyani Jo Daro: A Buddhist archaeological site in southern Sindh

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Koriyani Jo Daro: A Buddhist archaeological site in southern Sindh
A brick found by author having an image said to be of Buddha.

Some local people are said to have found jewels and gold ornaments as well as bricks with images of Buddha. Some bricks having pictures of Buddha were also kept in 1977 in museum in Hyderabad, Sindh.

Aziz Kingrani

The Indus Valley has remained the home to various faiths since ancient times. The Buddhism is one of them, which had great influence in Sindh too. Buddhism in Sindh was widespread in first millennium BCE during the reign of Asoka or Ashoka the Great (232-268 BC), ruler of the Mauryan dynasty. Due to this reason, there are hundreds of places in Sindh that are known for Buddhism, including the Koriyani Jo Daro.

Koriyani Jo Daro is located in Badin District, Golarchi Tehsil, near Kariyo Ganhwar town of Sindh. The mound of Koriyani is at 15 km distance east of Kariyo Ganhwar near Machhari Lake. There are also the traces of the old course of Patihal, a major tributary of the Indus River.

The mound is spread over a large area where there are traces of stupa built with baked bricks at a distance of half a kilometer east of Koriyani Jo Daro. Now only the ruins of the stupa are found.

Mound of Koriyani - Sindh Courier
Koriyani Jo Daro is spread over a vast area where fire-baked bricks are spread. The local people are using the bricks and earth for construction purposes.

While looking at the mound, it seems clear that Koriyani Jo Daro was a big city of Sindh in the past. The bricks of mound and stupas have been used by the locals in the construction and are still being used, which is a matter of concern.

Thousands of baked bricks are found scattered around the ruins of the Koriyani Jo Daro and stupa, testifying that every house at this archaeological site must have been built of bricks. It is also presumed that the mound had a fort or a fortress, but over the centuries its traces have disappeared.

Some local people are said to have found precious jewels and gold ornaments as well as bricks with images of Gautama Buddha. Some bricks having pictures of Buddha were also kept in 1977 in museum in Hyderabad, Sindh.

Mound of Koriyani- Inscription on brick- Sindh Courier
Inscription on brick found recently from Koriyani Jo Daro – The script is thought to be of ancient Pali language.

A broken baked brick bearing the image of Gautama Buddha was found from Koriyani Jo Daro during a recent visit. Gautam Buddha’s head is missing due to broken brick. The image depicts Sindh Ibex on both sides of a brick near Gautama Buddha’s legs, which can be considered a religious symbol of Buddhism. Such a picture of Gautama Buddha has also been found engraved in rock carvings in Khirthar Mountain range in Sindh. There are also inscriptions on this brick under the feet of Gautama Buddha. This ancient writing may be in the early Pali language, as the Pali was the religious language of Buddhism from the time of Buddha to Ashoka the Great and later. Ashoka also used Khroshti script but Pali was mostly the language of followers of Buddhism. However, there is a need for authoritative research into what the script is and what is written in it.

The Koriyani Jo Daro was large in height but has now shrunk. Probably the locals are removing soil from the mound which is reducing the length and width of the mound. There is an urgent need to protect the Koriyani Jo Daro, a precious heritage of Sindh.

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Aziz-Kingrani-Sindh-CourierAziz 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.