How can someone
visit Bahawalpur and not visit the famous Derawar Fort during the stay? So we
spared a whole day for exploring the Cholistan dessert especially the fort. We
packed food, snacks, the very important “water” (each carrying his own
waterbottle as well), umbrellas, pea caps etc. and we left by 10 in the
morning. Day time is always hot there no matter what month it is. As we were
heading towards the desert, it was getting hot and dry. We stopped by the
village near the graveyard of Nawabs and there we interacted with locals as
well.
People of Cholistan
(Rohillas) are divided into three types of settlements; nomadic, semi-permanent
and permanent. Nomadic settlements are temporary and their dependency is
completely on tobas (water reservoirs), hence they don’t have any
permanent residences. If the toba dries due to rain fail, they move and
camp at another toba. Semi-permanent settlements stay in the area with
relatively permanent residences.
The population is however not entirely
permanent as some of them move seasonally and sometimes joined by the nomadic
people of the desert. People we met were rather permanent settlers who settles
where agricultural yield is better due to canal system, as it improves their
way of living and economy.
Rohillas doesn’t have any elaborate sources of
livelihood. Their limited earning is primarily based on herding and grazing
cattle, that they either sell milk or shorn for wool. Besides that, women of
the family make handicrafts including rally and fulasi which
sometimes is bought by the visitors.
Their most common mode of transportation is camel or on foot.
Only
travelers or the semi-permanent folks use bicycles or motorcycles occasionally.
Four wheelers such as jeeps and cars are restricted to government officials
only. Private vehicles are allowed only for 24 hours with the permit issued by
the District Commissioner.
The architecture of rohi is
categorized according to the three major settlements, beside the historic
architectural assets. Nomadic people, do not make any permanent
dwellings. Their temporary houses known as gopas
(round low mud walls with domical
roof), are generally made of the locally available mud and thatch.
Houses of other settlements however are spatial and are made of cement and
bricks generally.
So, this is how briefly I can introduce the Cholistan dessert. In fact, I
have so much more details to share for every part of my visit that’s why I have
written separate blogs for each.
Rating
Site: 8/10
Accessibility: 8/10
Services: 6/10
Residents: 8/10
Market: 6/10
Resourcefulness: 6/10
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