Bhambhore is the same city which is mentioned by Sir V S Naipaul in his ‘Among the Believers : An Islamic Journey’ (1981). Naipaul writes:

“Chach rules for forty years. It is Chach who repulses the first Arab attack, a sea attack on the port of  Bhambhore (Debal). On Chach’s death, the kingdom passes to Chach’s brother and then to his son, Dahar… Dahar consults an astrologer who predicts good fortune but this clouded by what the astrologer says about Dahar’s sister. The man Dahar’s sister marries, the astrologer says, will rule the kingdom…So Dahar goes through a marriage ceremony with his sister. Much is made of this incident, though it has no important sequel. It serves only -in this Persian Arab narrative-to stress that the kingdom of Sind is morally blighted, and the cause of the dynasty of Chach cannot prosper. Attention shifts now to the Arabs…After the failure of the first two expeditions against Sind, the third Caliph, Osman or Uthman (644-56) orders a detailed report on the affairs of “Hind or Sindh”-its rules of war, its strategy, the nature of its government, the structure of its society… “O Hakim,” the caliph says, “have you seen Hindustan and learnt all about it?”

“Yes, O commander of the faithful”

“Give us a description of it.”

Its water is dark and dirty. Its fruit is bitter and poisonous. Its land is stony and its earth is salt. A small army will soon be annihilated there, and a large one will soon die of hunger… Towards the end of the seventh century Hajjaj becomes governor of “Iraq, Sind and Hind…Hajjaj’s army is defeated by King Dahar’s son… Hajjaj selects 6000 experienced soldiers from Syria, appoints as general his 17 year old son-in-law, Mohammed Bin Qasim…”


Bhambore was an ancient port city of Debal from the 7th century, located near modern Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, at the base of the Indus River. The city was long known for acting as the trading links between Arab and South Asian nations of its times. It was the gateway of Islam in the Indian subcontinent. In fact the first mosque in the subcontinent ‘ The Grand Mosque’ was built there. Before the invasion by Mohammad Bin Kasim, the city was mostly populated by Hindus and a minority of Buddhists.  The city was ruled by a Hindu King.


On the other hand Bhambhore is immortalized in the famous love story of Sassui-Punnhun of Sindh. The city is famously mentioned in the old Sindhi language folk song ‘Pere Pavandi Saan’ which narrates the folktale of Sassui-Punnhun. The story is about a faithful wife ‘Sassui’ (from Bhambhore, Sindh) who is ready to undergo all kinds of troubles that would come her way while seeking her beloved husband ‘Punnhun’ (from Makran, Balochistan) who was separated from her by the rivals. This folktale has been used as parable by one the greatest Sindhi Sufi Poet Shah Abdul Latif (1689-1752) for seeker on mystical path who undergoes all kinds of tribulations in the quest of God whom he will find, at the end of the road, in his own heart like  Sassui, roaming in the wilderness and talking to the beasts, becomes something like feminine counter part Majnun (the persian symbol of true love).  Shah Abdul Latif sings this historic tale in his anthology of sufi poetry (Shah Jo Risalo) as an example of eternal love and union with Divine.

Composed in Sindhi language, this song ‘Pere Pavandi Saan’ has long been sung during weddings by women in Sindh Region.
Sindhi language is a direct descendant of  VrachaD Aprabhamsa and is  spoken by a large number of people  in India and Pakistan. It is spoken in Sindh and Balochistan in Pakistan where it is taught as a first language in the government schools. Sindhi is also widely spoken in India by a huge population.It is one of the major literary languages of India recognized in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. In India it is usually spoken by people who, after migration from Sindhi due to partition of the country in 1947 have settled mainly in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. Significant number of Sindhi speaking people reside in South India and in some other regions of the country. Among the modern Indian language, Sindhi is the only language which is not an official language of any particular state. It is also widely spoken in Ulhasnagar near Mumbai which is the largest Sindhi enclave in India.

It is impossible not to enjoy and cherish the melodies that come right from our own soil and roots; every harmony is a reservoir of history, every chorus is unique and every stanza becomes a holy verse. Kudos to ‘Coke Studio – Pakistan’ for bringing this uniquely multilingual heritage of South Asia in the limelight. Sindhi folk songs are cultural treasures for the world. Long live this pluralistic tradition of South Asia. Here is the Devanagari rendering of this amazing Sindhi song sung by Tahir Mithu :

पेरि पवंडी साँ, चवनडी साँ
रहि वन रात भंभोर में अल्लाह
पेरि पवंडी साँ, चवनडी साँ
रहि वन रात भंभोर में अल्लाह
सिंदड़ी में, भंभोर में
उठ तै आरिए जाम, मा जा मियाँ हो अल्लाह
हो उठ तै आरिए जाम, मा जा मियाँ हो
आरिए जाम जा, पुन्हल जाम जा
आरिए जाम जा, पुन्हल जाम जा
वागाँ वठन डी साँ, चवनडी साँ
रहि वन रात भंभोर में अल्लाह
पेरि पवंडी साँ
सिंदड़ी में, भंभोर में
रोज़ो पाक रसूल जो मियाँ हो अल्लाह
हो रोज़ो पाक रसूल जो मियाँ, मिठ्ठे रसूल जो, सोहणे रसूल जो, प्यारे रसूल जो, सोहणे रसूल जो
चौठ चूम्मनेडी साँ, चवणडी साँ
रहि वन रात भंभोर में अल्लाह
पेरि पवंडी साँ
सिंदड़ी में, भंभोर में
अद्नूँ, शाह लतीफ चै मियाँ हो अल्लाह
भिट जो गोह्ट लतीफ चै मियाँ, अद्नूँ लतीफ चै, लायक लतीफ चै, ललौं लतीफ चै, भिट जो लतीफ चै
लोहे लहन डी साँ, चवनडी साँ
पेरि पवंडी साँ, चवनडी साँ
रहि वन रात भंभोर में अल्लाह
सिंदड़ी में, भंभोर में…..

Listen to the song here :