Places to Visit in Rohri, Sindh: Aror, Kalka Devi and the Hills

Rohri sits on the east bank of the Indus, directly across from Sukkur, and its main sights are older and quieter than the ones on the Sukkur side: the ruins of ancient Aror, the Kalka Devi cave temple in the limestone Rohri Hills, a flint-quarry landscape that supplied the Indus Valley civilisation, and the bridges and river islands that link the two cities. Most of them can be done in half a day from Sukkur if you have a car and driver.

Several places here are active religious sites, and one or two are not set up for casual visitors. This guide says which, and what we could and could not confirm.

Where is Rohri and how does it relate to Sukkur?

Rohri and Sukkur are twin cities on opposite banks of the Indus. The Lansdowne Bridge and the Ayub Bridge, which stand about a hundred feet apart, cross between them. Rohri is also a major railway junction, which is why trains such as the Sukkur Express call there.

The city is relatively recent. According to Wikipedia, a major earthquake in 962 CE changed the course of the Indus and ruined the old capital, Aror, after which the settlement moved to the new river course at Rohri. By the 1200s it was an important riverside port and trading centre for agricultural goods. Sukkur is the larger city, and most visitors stay there; see our hotels in Sukkur guide.

Aror: the ruined capital east of Rohri

Aror was the capital of the Hindu rulers of Sindh before the Arab conquest. It was ruled by the Rai dynasty and then the Brahman dynasty, including Raja Dahir, until Muhammad ibn al-Qasim's army captured it in 711 CE. Wikipedia describes the site as lying about five miles east of present-day Rohri.

There is little to see. Some arches of a mosque built shortly after the Arab invasion in the 8th century still stand, and the area is dotted with mounds and brick debris. It is worth the stop if you care about the history of the Arab conquest and you want to see where the old river and the old city once were. It is not a place with signage and facilities, so go with a driver who knows the way and do not expect a ticket office or guide.

Kalka Devi cave temple

The Kalka Devi temple sits inside a natural cave in the limestone Kalka hills, near the ruins of Aror. It is dedicated to the goddess Kali and is considered by Hindus to be one of the holiest temples in Pakistan. The Friday Times describes it as about a mile south of the Aror fortress and notes that the shrine's central image is painted on the cave wall.

Local tradition links the origin of the temple to the time of Raja Dahir, but the same writer notes that the current structures look much more recent. According to Wikipedia, devotees come on the evening of the first Monday of every month, and the major festival is Navaratri. The temple is visited by both Hindus and Muslims, and its caretaker told the Friday Times that people of other faiths come here for blessings.

If you go, treat it as a working place of worship: take your shoes off where asked, dress modestly, ask before photographing the image or worshippers, and leave a donation if you are guided. Opening times are not published anywhere official that we could find, so ask in Rohri or in Sukkur before you set out, particularly around festivals when the site is crowded.

The Rohri Hills and the flint quarries

The Rohri Hills are a long ridge of limestone running south-east of the town between the Indus and the Nara river, about 40 km long and 16 km wide. They contain a large number of archaeological sites, and flint artefacts from the Palaeolithic have been found here.

The hills are best known among archaeologists for the Harappan flint quarries, which supplied stone to Mohenjo-daro during the Indus Valley civilisation. Researchers have also reported much older stone tools there. These are not sites you can tour: there are no paths, markers or interpretation, and you can easily walk past a quarry without knowing. For most travellers the hills matter as the setting of Kalka Devi and Aror. If the Indus Valley is your main interest, our Mohenjo-daro and Sukkur itinerary puts Rohri in context.

Lansdowne Bridge and the river crossing

The Lansdowne Bridge was inaugurated on 25 March 1889 and was the longest cantilever bridge in the world when it was completed. Its longest span is 790 feet, made of two anchored cantilevers of 310 feet each carrying a suspended span of 200 feet. Six lives were lost during construction.

When the steel arch of the Ayub Bridge was built between 1960 and 1962, railway traffic was moved onto it. Together the two bridges frame the river view from either bank, and they are the easiest places to see Bukkur Island, which sits between the cities. For the island's history and the question of access, see our guide to Bukkur Island fort.

River shrines and islands

Two sites sit on islands between Rohri and Sukkur.

• Sadh Belo is a Hindu temple complex founded in 1823 by Swami Brakhandi Maharaja, with more than nine temples. A heritage source says permission from the Hindu community council is needed to visit and that it is hard for non-Hindus to obtain. Do not turn up and expect to be let in.
• The Khwaja Khizr shrine is on Bakhar Island, reached by hiring a boat from a sandy riverbank, according to a 2017 Dawn article. The building was damaged by floods in 1956 and the 1970s. Dawn reports that on Cheti Chand, in the Sindhi Hindu calendar, devotees carry lamps in a procession to the river. Because the island also holds an army school, check with locals whether landing is permitted before hiring a boat.

For more Hindu sites across the province, see our guide to Hindu temples in Sindh.

How to plan a day in Rohri

A workable half-day from Sukkur, starting early to avoid the heat:

1. Cross the Lansdowne or Ayub bridge in the morning and look at the river and the island from the Rohri side.
2. Drive out to Aror and the Kalka Devi cave temple, with a driver who knows the roads.
3. Return via the Rohri Hills viewpoints and the town, then have lunch in Sukkur. Our Sukkur food guide lists what to try.
4. If you have time, finish at the barrage; see Sukkur Barrage.

Summers here are very hot. Rohri's average annual rainfall is about 106 mm, almost all of it in the July to September monsoon, so rain is rarely the issue; heat is. Winter is the easier season for walking around the ruins.

Is Rohri safe to visit?

Rohri is in Sindh north of Nawabshah. The UK government advises against all but essential travel to that part of Sindh, and a foreign-passport holder should read the current advice because travelling against it can void insurance. Pakistani visitors do visit, but check local news first and avoid driving the surrounding highways at night.

In early 2026 Sindh police announced and carried out large operations against dacoits in the riverine katcha areas of the Sukkur and Larkana ranges, and an officer was killed by dacoits in Shikarpur in January. These areas are along the river, outside the town. Go in daylight, keep to the main roads, and ask police or hotel staff whether any area is off limits at the moment.

Is Rohri worth a visit?

If you are already in Sukkur and interested in history or in Sindhi Hindu heritage, yes: Aror and Kalka Devi give you something the Sukkur side does not. It is a modest half-day, not a destination in its own right.

If you are looking for monuments with ticket offices, restored buildings and facilities, Rohri will disappoint. Spend your time on the Sukkur side instead; our guide to places to visit in Sukkur has the main sights.

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