Dadu, Sindh: History
The area known as Dadu was subject to the Sindhi tribe called the Pahnwars. According to the scholar Hussian Charan, the Sindhi Panhwar tribe held the lands of North Sehwan and the Lands of Dadu. From 1691-1692, the Pahwanr leader, Mir Pahnwar, tried to rebel against the Kalhora Ruler Mian Nasir Muhammad Kalhoro, but the uprising was defeated by the forces of the Kalhora dynasty.
Mian Nasir Muhammad Kalhoro invited many Baloch tribes, especially the Khosa tribe, to Dadu to assist him in fighting the uprising of Panhwar and other Sindhi tribes. The Panhwar leaders Sardar Faqeer Pahnwar of Samtani and Sardar Haider Pahnwar of Urarri organized a battle against the Baloch. The Panhwar tribe won and killed the Baloch leader, Gola Khosa.
In response to this defeat, Mian Nasir Muhammad Kalhoro made a force consisting of the Sindhi Soomra tribesmen and Sindhi Abra tribesmen and took them to overthrow the Panhwar. In this battle, the Panhwar were defeated by the larger Kalhora Forces.
The history of how Dadu got its name is not known for sure. It is generally believed that Dadu was founded as a village by Sardar Dadu Khan Kalhoro during the Kalhora dynasty (1701–1783). Dadu Khan Kalhoro was a powerful tribe leader and landlord. He had close relations with Kalhora rulers and was called Daderah. Some historians are of the opinion that the old name of Dadu was Marakhpur, which was conquered by Mian Yar Muhammad Kalhoro during the first decade of the 18th century. Nowadays, Marakhpur is a small locality in Dadu City.
There is also another theory regarding the origin of Dadu. Dadu Dayal (1544–1603) was a great saint, poet, and follower of Guru Gorakhnath from Gujrat, India. He introduced a new Panth of Yogi known as the Dadupanth. Dadu Dayal visited Sindh and lived here for a long time. His followers were called Dadunavasi. Two of his followers, Dayo Ram (1836–1906) and Sanat Bhagat Ram, were from Dadu. Dadu became the town of the Danunavasi and hence got the name Dadu.
During the Kalhora dynasty, Dadu and the surrounding area's fortunes flourished, the irrigation system was improved, and new canals were constructed to boost the agricultural economy of the area. As a result, Dadu became an important center of trade and agriculture. When Kalhora rulers shifted the capital of Sindh to Hydrabad, Dadu lost its prosperity. Under Talpur rule, the glory of Dadu further declined. The Talpur rulers were more focused towards Hyderabad, Khairpur Mirs, and Mirpur Khas. They did not pay much attention towards Dadu and the surrounding areas.