Page 18 - Muzaffargarh Gazzetteer

Chapter 2

HISTORY

Nothing is known of the early history of the district. Alexander the Great is
said to have sailed down the Jhelum to its junction with the Indus in around
327 BC, while his land forces marched in two bodies on either side of the
river. Craterus, who was on the right bank, may have skirted parts of the
present district, but there is no evidence of this, even in the Thal, which is
admirably suited for the preservation of antiquarian remains. But the very
course of the rivers at his time is a matter for speculation so far as this
district is concerned.
In ancient times, this tract was probably ruled by the Hindu dynasty of the
Rais, which was succeeded by the Brahmin line of the Chach. They ruled
over a Jat population who were a branch of the Kshatriya or Rajput race. The
Jats formed the majority of the population; all the other tribes were
subsequent arrivals.
The Arabs seem to have made their appearance in 664 in the region. First
Arab conquerors, however, held Sindh and Multan from 712 – with the arrival
of Muhammad Bin Qasim – to 750 when they were expelled by a Rajput tribe
called Sumra, whose descendants are still found in the district. In 1351, the
Sumras were expelled by the Summas, another Rajput tribe, descendants of
whom could be traced among the Unnars of the Tehsil Alipur today. It is
during the rule of Summas that an immigration of Rajput tribes, such as the
Sials, Gurahas, Bhattis and Chajras is said to have taken place, and that
explains the overwhelming presence of the Jats in the district today, many of
whom claim a common lineage as of the Rajputs. The Summa rulers all bore
the title of Jam. To this day, Jam is used as a title of respect by Jats having
a Sindhi origin.
The next event bearing on the history of this district is the establishment of
the Langah dynasty in Multan. It ruled from 1445 to 1526. There are still
Langahs in the district, and it was during the Langah rule that the
independent kingdom of Seetpur was established by the Nahars in what is
now the Tehsil Alipur. It was also during this rule that the Balochs first
emerged from the Suleman mountains and occupied the country on the left
bank of the Indus.
Roughly from that time till the end of the eighteenth century, the territory
was held by four separate governments or principalities, which were, during
the Mughal period, included in Akbar’s Sarkar of Multan.
In the southern angle there was the Government of Seetpur held first by the
Nahar family, then by the Makhdums of Seetpur and lastly by the Nawabs of
Bahawalpur. The west central part of the district, opposite Dera Ghazi Khan,

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