Umerkot

Umerkot (Urdu: عُمركوٹ‎, Sindhi: عمرڪوٽ‎), is a town in Umerkot District in the Sindh province of Pakistan. The city is well connected with the other large cities like Karachi, the provincial capital and Hyderabad.

History

The name of the city is said to be after the name of a local ruler, Umer, who is part of the legend of Umar Marvi. The story also appears in Shah Jo Risalo and one of the popular tragic romances from Sindh.

The city of Umerkot was the capital of Greater Sindh Province, including some parts of the present Rajasthan state of India. The province was ruled by Sodha Rajputs, one of the subclans of Paramara Rajputs. The city held prominence during the Mughal Empire and the British Raj. Mughal Emperor Akbar was born in Umerkot 14 October 1542 when his father Humayun fled from the military defeat at the hands of Sher Shah Suri. Rana Prasad, a Sodha Rajput ruler of Umerkot, gave him refuge. Later on, Akbar brought northwestern India, including modern day Pakistan under Mughal rule. During Akbar's rule, Rana Megraj, then governor of Umerkot Fort. Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana, an important minister (Dewan) of Akbar, upon his visit to Sindh showed a desire to be relative of Rana Megraj. Rana Megraj's niece and daughter of Man Sing was married to Khan-i-Khanan. The dispute over the governorship erupted after the death of Rana Megraj.