UMARKOT, a town in the Thar and Parkar district of Sind, lat. 25° 21' N., long. 69° 46' E. It lies on the confines of the sand-hills form ing the eastern desert ; and a canal, known as the Umarkot branch, leading out from the Nara, now reaches the town, tailing off into a large tank. Its historical importance is due to its position on the main route from Hindustan to Sind. Akbar, son of Humay-un, then oh his vray to Afghanistan, WAR born here, October 1543. The presumed spot of Akbar's birth is marked by n stone slab with an inscription. Akbar marched through this town in A.D. 1591, to conquer Sind. In 1813 Uinarkot was captured by the Talpur Mirs froin the raja of Jodhpur, in whose possession it had been for some time ; and after .their downfall in 1843, it came into the hands of the British.
This stronghold or kote of the Umar tribe, was the capital of tho Soda dominions, which extended, in the 17th century, into the valley of Sind, and east to the Luni ; but the Ralitor of 31arwar and the Talpur family reduced the sovereignty of the Soda to a very confined spot, aud thrust out of Umarkot (the last ef the nine castles of 3faru) tbe descendant of Sehris, who, from Arore, held dominions extending from Kashmir to the ocean. Umarkot, during the opu
lence of the Soda princes contained 5000 houses, but in the beginning of the 19th century it hardly reckoned 250 huts. The old, castle, to the north west of the town, is built of brick, and the bastions, said to be eig,hteen, in number, are of stone. It is a place of some strength, and was considered so inaccessible from the desert that surrounds it, that the arnirs of Sind allotted it as a place of securiq to deposit a part of their treasures. The old Rajput family of Umarkot is stated by Tod (Rajasthan, i. pp. 92 93) to have been Pramar or Powar Rajputs.—To'd's Rajasthan, ii. p. 313 ; Pot tinger's 7'rs. p. 401 ; Imp. Gaz.
U3fAT-SURI, a mercantile festival held about the middle of July. It is a. procession of trades and an exhibition of their wares, amongst which the wax,workers are very prominent.