Tharparkar Diary

Snap melon  (Chibhar) of Tharparkar is a fruit or vegetable of an creeper type of plant cultivated during monsoon season of summer and it gets ripped before start of winter. Snap melon holds cultural importance in Tharparkar, being a traditional fruit enjoyed by locals for generations. Its role in local diets and traditional recipes highlights the region’s rich agricultural heritage. Snap melon of Tharparkar is generally grown without any usage of chemical pesticides or fertilizers, therefore it offers a pure, natural taste that is truly distinctive.  The snap melons of Tharparkar come in various shapes and sizes, from oval to round, each offering a unique flavor profile, quality, and vibrant colors. In India as well as Pakistan, this fruit is also know by Phut as it has a unique way of signaling its ripeness: it naturally cracks open when fully mature. This self-splitting characteristic adds to the charm and flavorsome of this indigenous melon. Generally, snap melon doesn’t e...

The Bhodesar Mosque , the oldest mosque in the Thar Desert, was constructed in 1505 A.D. (880 A.H.) by Sultan Mehmood Shah Begada , the ex-ruler of Gujarat, India. This remarkable five-century-old mosque, built from exquisite white marble and limestone, continues to serve as a place of worship for Muslims today. Sultan Mehmood Shah Begada  Bin Muzaffar Shah Bin Ghiyyas-ud-Din Location of Bhodesar Mosque: The Bhodesar Mosque is located at the foothills of the majestic Karoonjhar Mountain Hills, approximately 6.8 km (4.2 miles) from Nagarparkar town, accessible via Islamkot Road. Located next to the famous Bhodesar Lake (reservoir) with major source of water from rains of monsoon season. This makes this place not only a lovely sight but also an important part of our culture and history. GPS Coordinates:  24.39917, 70.73100 Construction & Architecture of Bhodesar Mosque: The rectangular shaped Bhodesar mosque measuring area of about (25 x 17) ft squares, was built in 1505 A...

Pooni Jain temple of Bhodesar is located near the foothills of Karoonjhar mountain hills of Nagarparkar, district Tharparkar. This temple was originally named after the Jain lady who built this temple in 13th century from her earnings by making and selling Punis (cotton rolls prepared for spinning) . Therefore, this worship site was first known by Pooni Dahro.   As per Etymology, the word Pooni refers to the sliver or fiber rolls (produced by the carding process, which separates raw fibres to prepare them for spinning process.) and  Dahro refers to the worship place. And word Bhodesar is drived from two words i.e. Bhodi and Sar where Bhode/Bhoda is name of Rajput ruler, whereas Sar is a word from Sanskirit language which means Lake.  The site of Bhodesar was once a famous, prosperous & populated capital city in the Tharparkar region during the reign of Rajput Parmara and Chaulukya (Solanki) dynasty.   As per historians and local people, Bhodesar city ...

The Karoonjhar mountains range   is located in Nagarparkar taluka, a south-eastern edge of district Tharparkar of province Sindh, Pakistan. This site of Karoonjhar mountains range is famous for its interesting natural landscapes and wonderful tour attractions. The term Karoonjhar is composite of two words from Sindhi language;  "Karoon" and "Jhar", where "Karoon" means black and "Jhar" means dots. In ancient times, Karoonjhar was also once known by name Kanaro Mountain .  The Karoonjhar mountains range having the length of about 16 miles (26 kms) and spanning area of more than 400 kms is surrounded by Islamkot taluka of Tharparkar in west, sand dunes of Nagarparkar taluka in north,  Rann of Kutch (Gujarat, India) in south & some in west and Rajasthan (state of India) in east. The famous Nagarparkar town of Tharparkar is surrounded by the range of this mountain range. The highest peak of Karoonjhar mountains range is Tyrwhitt Peak  (in local ...