A map of Cholistan usually represents a large blank space. It might seem logical that the card of a desert would be absolute nothingness. However, you only have to enter the red sands of that wasteland to realize that it is one of the most beautiful – and unknown – corners of Pakistan.
When the British Empire decided to end its presence in India, giving in to the supporters of the partition between a Hindu state and a Muslim state, the accumulation of absurdities that occurred was unspeakable. And its consequences still linger, almost eight decades later.
One part of Pakistan was left more than 2,000 kilometers from the other, natural communities such as Kashmir or Punjab were divided. And – less known – the Thar Desert was also divided, leaving the eastern sector on the Indian side, in Rajasthan, and the western sector on the Pakistani side, Cholistan.
The toponymy of the place has no mystery. In Turkic languages, “chol” means “sands”. And throughout the region, the suffix “tán” indicates “land of” or “country of.” Clearer, impossible. However, the people of Cholistan prefer to call their land Rohi.
Drawing an imaginary line on maps, logically, means nothing. Cholistan has geographical, cultural and landscape continuity. It is a desert of pumpkin-colored and even red sand that has the peculiarity that, when some rains occur, no matter how timid they may be, it is usually covered with small flowers that line the dunes ephemerally and after a few days. they disappear.
The architecture of Thar and Cholistan is also the same. And if the walled cities and Indian forts of Jaipur, Jodhpur or Jaisalmer are among the best-known and most visited icons of India, only a handful of tourists usually cross to the Pakistani side to admire equally formidable human creations.
Due to the absence of significant mountains, the Derawar fort can be seen from miles away. It is like a trembling mirage on the incandescent sands of the desert. But when the traveler approaches he sees that it is something real: a citadel with up to 40 round bastions that are joined by a mud walkway. They form a perfect square that has stood defiantly against the wasteland since the end of the 18th century. The towers are 30 meters high and form a linear group of more than a kilometer and a half. Impossible to assault them.
Curiously, the beautiful Derawar mosque is located outside the walls, perhaps the lords of Cholistan did not fear that anyone would dare to desecrate a beautiful temple that bears similarities to the Moti Masjid in Delhi. The tombs of the local aristocracy, decorated in turquoise tiles, surround it.
Like the Rajasthanis, the Cholistanis have the dromedary as their great ancestral ally to move through the desert sands. Hence, these animals are the central axis of some of the most notable festivities.
One of them is that of Channan Pir, in which animals are bought and sold, but they are also made to dance, adorned with majestic trappings. Again, the celebrations are reminiscent of the impressive Pushkar camel fair on the Indian side, although this is celebrated on the full moon in November and the Pakistani one on the full moon in February.
To visit Cholistan, and the thirty fortresses that – in different states of conservation – are preserved in the desert, it is best to base yourself on the city of Dera Nawab. From there, there are travel agencies that provide guides, camping in the sands and also visits to the archaeological sites of the Harappian culture of the Hakra River bed and the Chaggar Valley.
Dera Nawab is connected to the rest of the country with rail and road. You have to be patient to get to it. The nearest major city is Bahalwapur, an hour’s dusty drive by rented vehicle and incalculable time by public buses.
