The Thatta Sarkar (1593–1629), later known as the Thatta Subah (1629–1737), was a Mughal administrative division comprising Kohistan, Thar, and the Larr regions of Sindh. The region initially formed a sarkar within the Multan Subah of the Mughal Empire before being established as a separate subah.

History

In 1629, during the reign of Shah Jahan, Thatta was made into a separate subah (Province) and was divided into three divisions: Sehwan Sarkar, Bhakkar Sarkar and Thatta Sarkar, each administered by a faujdar who reported to the subahdar.

In 1699–1700, the subahdar of Lahore and Multan, Prince Muhammad Mu'azzam and the subahdar of Thatta, Hifzullah Khan faced off the Kalhora chieftain and Mianwal Movement leader Din Mohammad Kalhoro at Khore. Deen Mohammad was killed while his brother, Yar Muhammad Kalhoro, was exiled to Kalat. In his absence, Bhaktia Barozai, a local landowner, took over the Kalhora estate. Yar Muhammad returned to Sindh in 1701 after Hifzullah's death and, along with his subordinate Shahdad Khan Talpur, retook his land making Khudabad his capital. Yar Muhammad was later pardoned by the Mughal court in exchange for complete loyalty. After the death of emperor Aurangzeb, Yar Muhammad was given the administration of Sehwan Sarkar by the Subahdar of Thatta Prince Mui'zz-ud-Din. In 1708, Yar Muhammad was provided with the additional charge of Sibi and Dhadar which were initially granted to the Barozai Panni tribe by Emperor Aurangzeb. On the orders of emperor Farrukhsiyar, Yar Muhammad and Mir Lutf Ali Khan, the new Subahdar of Thatta, laid siege to the town of Jhok which served as the base for Shah Inayat, a revolutionary and an agriculturalal reformist who led a peasants rebellion against the feudal landlords and estate holders of Sindh. The siege continued from September–December 1717 and was deemed successful as Shah Inayat was deceivingly captured on 1 January 1718 and executed by Lutf Ali on 7 January. In 1725, Noor Mohammad Kalhoro, the son of Yar Muhammad and also the de facto ruler of Sind (who now had gained the administration of Bhakkar along with Sehwan), forged an alliance with the Emir of Afghanistan Hussain Hotak during his war with the Khanate of Kalat. Noor Mohammad later killed the Khan of Kalat, Abdullah Khan Ahmadzai in the Battle of Kachhi. Noor Mohammad also came into conflict with the Nawab Amir of Bahawalpur, Sadeq Khan I Daudpotra for control over Shikarpur.

Sind officially broke away from the Mughal Empire in 1737 and asserted autonomy under Noor Mohammad and his Kalhora clansmen as the Thatta Sarkar too was allotted to him by Emperor Muhammad Shah.

Geography The Thatta Subah was bordered to the north by the Multan Subah, to the west by the Safavid Empire and later the Khanate of Kalat, to the east by the Ajmer Subah and to the south by the Gujarat Subah and the Arabian Sea.

Faujdars and Subahdars Faujdars Title Personal Name Reign Serving Monarch Notes Faujdar Rao Patar Das Khattari 28 March 1593 – 1594 AkbarRemoved due to unpopularity among locals. Faujdar Mirza Jani Beg Tarkhan 1594 – 1 February 1601 Akbar Faujdar Mirza Ghazi Beg Tarkhan 1 February 1601 – 12 April 1612 AkbarJahangir Faujdar Muzaffer Khan Mir Abd al-Razzaq Mamuri 1612–1614 Jahangir Faujdar Rustam Mirza Safavi 1614–1615 Jahangir Faujdar Taj Khan Tash Beg 1614–1615 Jahangir Faujdar Arsalan Beg Shamsher Khan Uzbek 1615–1617 Jahangir Faujdar Khan-i-Dauran Mirza Shah Beg Arghun Khan 1617–1617 Jahangir Faujdar Muzaffer Khan Mir Abd al-Razzaq Mamuri 1617–1618 Jahangir Faujdar Khan-i-Dauran Mirza Shah Beg Arghun Khan 1618–1619 Jahangir Faujdar Mustafa Khan Sayyid Bayazid Bukhari 1619–1623 JahangirScion of the Uch's Bukhari clan, he first served as the Faujdar of Bukkur. He was granted 2,000 infantry and 1,000 cavalry as well. Also written as Syed Bazayd Bukhari. Faujdar Salaf-ud-Din Muhammad Shahryar 13 October 1625 – 1626 Jahangir Faujdar Mirza Abu Saeed 1626–1627 Jahangiran Iranian, the nephew of Empress Nur Jahan. Faujdar Muhammad Isa Khan Tarkhan II 1627–1628 Shah Jahan Faujdar Sher Khwaja Baqi Khan 1628–1628 Shah Jahan Faujdar Mir Hussam al-Din Murtaza Khan Anju 1628–1629 Shah Jahan

Subahdars Title Personal Name Reign Serving Monarch Notes Subahdar Amir Khan Mir Abul Baqa 1629–1631 Shah Jahan Subahdar Yusuf Muhammad Khan Tashqandi 1631–1635 Shah Jahan Subahdar Khawas Khan Daulat Khan Mayi 1635–1640 Shah Jahan Subahdar Khwaja Kāmgār Ghayrat Khan 1640–1641 Shah Jahan Subahdar Shad Khan 1641–1643 Shah Jahan Subahdar Amir Khan Mir Abul Baqa 1643–1647 Shah Jahan Subahdar Mughal Khan 1647–1649 Shah Jahan Subahdar Muhi al-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb 1649–1653 Shah Jahan Subahdar Sardar Khan Shahjahani 1653–1653 Shah Jahan Subahdar Zafar Khan Khwaja Ahsanullah 1653–1655 Shah Jahan Subahdar Mirza Sipihr Shikoh 1655–1658 Shah Jahan Subahdar Qabad Khan Mir Akhur 1658–1660 Aurangzeb Subahdar Yadgar Beg Lashkar Khan 1660–1662 Aurangzeb Subahdar Izzat Khan Sayyid Abd al-Razzak Gilani 1662–1664 Aurangzeb Subahdar Ghazanfar Khan 1664–1666 Aurangzeb Subahdar Izzat Khan Sayyid Abd al-Razzak Gilani 1666–1669 Aurangzeb Subahdar Abu Nusrat Khan 1669–1671 Aurangzeb Subahdar Saadat Khan 1671–1673 Aurangzeb Subahdar Izzat Khan Sayyid Abd al-Razzak Gilani 1673–1679 Aurangzeb Subahdar Khana Zaad Khan 1679–1683 Aurangzeb Subahdar Sardar Khan 1683–1687 Aurangzeb Subahdar Murid Khan 1687–1689 Aurangzeb Subahdar Zabardast Khan 1689–1689 Aurangzeb Subahdar Abu Nusrat Khan 1689–1691 Aurangzeb Subahdar Hifzullah Khan 1691–1701 Aurangzeb Subahdar Saeed Khan 1701–1702 Aurangzeb Subahdar Mir Amin al-Din Khan Husayn 1702–1703 Aurangzeb Subahdar Yusuf Khan Tirmizi 1703–1704 Aurangzeb Subahdar Ahmad Yar Khan 1704–1707 Aurangzeb Subahdar Saeed Atr Khan Bahadur 1707–1709 Azam ShahBahadur Shah I Subahdar Mahin Khan 1709–1711 Bahadur Shah I Subahdar Shakir Khan 1711–1712 Bahadur Shah I Subahdar Mahin Khan 1712–1712 Jahandar Shah Subahdar Khwaja Muhammad Khalil Khan 1712–1713 Jahandar Shah Subahdar Saeed Atr Khan Bahadur 1713–1714 Farrukhsiyar Subahdar Yaqub Kashmiri 1714–1714 Farrukhsiyar Subahdar Mir Muhammad Shujaat Khan Shafi 1714–1715 Farrukhsiyar Subahdar Mir Lutf Ali Khan 1715–1719 Farrukhsiyar Subahdar Azam Khan 1719–1719 Rafi ud-Darajat Subahdar Mahabat Khan 1719–1722 Shah Jahan IIMuhammad Shah Subahdar Sultan Mahmud Khan 1722–1724 Muhammad Shah Subahdar Saifullah Khan 1724–1730 Muhammad Shah Subahdar Sadiq Ali Khan 1730–1730 Muhammad Shah Subahdar Dilerdil Khan 1730–1732 Muhammad Shah Subahdar Himmet Dilerdil Khan 1732–1736 Muhammad Shah Subahdar Sadiq Ali Khan 1736–1737 Muhammad ShahDeposed by Mian Noor Kalhoro who became the Nawab of Sindh.

References