Umerkot عمرڪوٽ | |
|---|---|
| Amarkot | |
 The 11th centuryUmarkot Fort | |
  Umerkot عمرڪوٽ Location of Umerkot Show map of Sindh Umerkot عمرڪوٽ Umerkot Show map of Pakistanعمرڪوٽ (Pakistan) | |
| Coordinates:25°21′47″N69°44′33″E / 25.36306°N 69.74250°E /25.36306; 69.74250 | |
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Province |  Sindh |
| Division | Mirpur Khas |
| District | Umerkot |
| Metropolitan Corporation | Pre-islamic |
| Government | |
| • Body | District Government |
| • Deputy Commissioner | Tahir Ali Memon[1] |
| Area | |
• City | 48.6 km2 (18.8 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• City | 144,558 |
| • Rank | 79th, Pakistan |
| • Density | 3,000/km2 (7,700/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+05:00 (PKT) |
| Postal code | 69100 |
| Dialling code | 238 |
Umerkot (Urdu:عمرکوٹ;Dhatki : عمرڪوٽ;Sindhi: عمرڪوٽ;IPA:[ʊmərkoːʈ], formerly known asAmarkot) is a city in theSindh province ofPakistan. The Mughal emperorAkbar was born in Amarkot in 1542. The Hindu folk deitiesPabuji andRamdev married in Umerkot.
The local language isDhatki, one of theRajasthani languages of theIndo-Aryan language family. It is most closely related toMarwari.Sindhi,Urdu andPunjabi are also understood by the citizens.
This fort was built by Rana Amar Singh Sodha and hence it is called Amar Kot. This fort came under the control of Umar Soomro much later.
The city is named after a local ruler ofSindh, Umer Soomro (ofSoomra dynasty) of theUmar Marvi folk tale, which also appears inShah Jo Risalo, one of the popular tragic romances of Sindh.[3]
According to tradition, it was founded by a branch of theSoomra who later lost it to Sodhas in 1226. Sodhas were expelled by the Soomra in 1330 but again rose to power in 1439. In 1590, it became a part of theMughal Empire. In 1599, Abu ’l-Ḳāsim Sulṭān, anArghun dynasty prince drove out the Mughal commander. In 1736,Noor Mohammad Kalhoro expelled the last Sodha chief and took control of it.[4] Amarkot province was ruled by theSodha Rajput clan during the medieval period.[5]Rana Parshad, the Sodha Rajput ruler of Umarkot, gave refuge toHumayun, the second Mughal Emperor when he was ousted bySher Shah Suri, and the following year Mughal Emperor,Akbar, was born here.[6] Later on, Akbar brought northwestern India, including modern Pakistan, underMughal rule.
After the disintegration of the Mughal Empire, Amarkot was captured by several regional powers, including thePersians, Afghans,Kalhora andTalpurBalochs of Sindh,RathoreRajputs ofJodhpur and finally by theBritish.[7]
Amarkot was annexed byJodhpur State in 1779 from the Kalhora nawab of Sindh.[7] Umerkot and its fort was traded to the British in 1843 by the Maharaja of Jodhpur in return for a Rs.10,000 reduction in the tribute imposed on Jodhpur State.[8] The British appointed Syed Mohammad Ali governor of the province. In 1847,Rana Ratan Singh was hanged at the fort by the British, for killing Syed Mohammad Ali in a tax protest.[9]
After the British conquered Sindh, they made it part of theBombay Presidency ofBritish India. In 1858, the entire area aroundTharparkar became part of the Hyderabad District. In 1860 the region was renamedEastern Sindh Frontier, with a headquarters at Amarkot. In 1882, it was reorganized as theThar and Parkar district, headed by a British Deputy Commissioner, with a political superintendent atAmarkot.[10] However, in 1906 the district headquarters moved from Amarkot toMirpur Khas.
Rana Chandra Singh, a federal minister and the chieftain of theHinduSodhaThakurRajput clan and theAmarkot Jagir, was one of the founding members of thePakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and was elected to theNational Assembly of Pakistan from Umarkot seven times as a PPP member between 1977 and 1999, when he founded the Pakistan Hindu Party (PHP).[11][12] Currently, his politician sonRana Hamir Singh claims to be the 26thRana of Tharparkar, Umarkot and Mithi.[13][14]
The city is well connected with the other large cities likeKarachi, the provincial capital andHyderabad.[15]
Umarkot has many sites of historical significance such as Akbar's birthplace,Umarkot, Umerkot Fort and Momal Ji Mari.
There is an ancient temple,Shiv Mandir, Umerkot, as well as aKali Mata Temple,Krishna Mandir at old Amarkot andManhar Mandir Kathwari Mandir at Rancho Line.
The city has more than 100 schools, 20 colleges, and one polytechnic college.
Population development of Umerkot city over time:[16]
| Census | Population |
|---|---|
| 1972 | 8,381 |
| 1981 | 13,742 |
| 1998 | 35,559 |
| 2017 | 134,196 |
| 2023 | 144,558 |
TheUmarkot Shiv Mandir is one of the most ancient and sacred Hindu temples inSindh.[17]
| Religion | Population (2013)[18] | Percentage (2013) |
|---|---|---|
Hinduism | 74285 | 54% |
Islam | 61903 | 45% |
Jainism | 687 | 0.5% |
Christianity | 688 | 0.5% |
| Total | 137564 | 100% |
