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Sonmarg (translation: "Meadow of Gold") is a hill station in Ganderbal district in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir about 80 km north-east of Srinagar. Sonmarg is situated in a valley at the bank of Nallah Sindh (the river seen on this picture), 87 km north-east from Srinagar. It is a popular tourist destination, nestled within the imposing Himalayan peaks. Sonmarg had historical significance and was a gateway on ancient Silk Road along with Gilgit connecting Kashmir with Tibet. The drive to Sonmarg passes Nallah Sindh, a major tributary of the Jehlum River in the Kashmir valley.
Constructed between 1937 and 1939 by English engineer, Trimmu Barrage is located downstream of the confluence of the River Jehlum and River Chenab near the village of Atharan Hazari, Jhang district, Punjab, Pakistan. It is used to control water flow into the River Chenab for irrigation and flood control purposes.
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.”
"Marcel Proust"
Aharbal Falls is among the unexplored parts of the heavenly Jammu and Kashmir, which gushes down and flows melodiously in seclusion. The waterfall of Aharbal also known as ‘Niagara Falls’ of Kashmir lies in the Kulgam district’s Noorabad area of Jammu and Kashmir. It is located on the Vishav River, a tributary of the Jehlum River, in an alpine valley covered in pine and fir trees.
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Khewra Salt Mine - the worlds second largest salt mine.Its history dates back to its discovery by Alexanders troops in 320 BC.Estimates of the reserves of salt varies from 82 million tons to 600 million tons.
Climbing on the third level of the fort's main door. It was almost amazing in first glance your eyes don't catch this way up. And by the way it was damp and little slippery maybe due to the rain which poured the previous day.
Looking from the watch post on the top of the front wall. These were most probably the post from where they could take defensive positions most probably for archers.
ALU 12 number 3744, a 1200 hp Alco export of 1963, crosses over an irrigation canal running off the Jehlum river to the North of Malakwal in the Pakistan Punjab.
This train should have been worked by SGS class 4-4-0 number 2973 but this Edwardian veteran had been declared a failure the day prior. So on this day this train ran to time! It is train 202 from Lala Musa at 06:05, heading for Shorkot and it was booked to change engines at Malakwal, booked steam for steam, and, being a secondary through train connecting two main line junctions by a cross country route, it was the only turn that should guarantee being hauled by these ancient 4-4-0 passenger engines. Despite Malakwal being the final oasis for these old steamers, only this train ran in daylight north of the town. And normally it ran late, often very late, six hours plus was not uncommon. And Lala Musa, on the Lahore to Pehewar main line, was less than six hours away! So, over the course of a twelve day visit, this was the only time the light was right north of town for this train, c'est la vie!
December the 20th 1995.
The sacred site of Gurdwara Chowa Sahib is showing its splendour outside Kabuli Darwaza (gate) of Rohtas fort on the river bank of River Ghan. Jagat Guru Nanak Dev Ji arrived here from Tila Jogian. At that time the place was unpopulated.
He started the water to flow a spring using his stick. Water spring is called "Chowa" hence this place was got the name of Chowa Sahib. Later Slier Shah built a magnificent fort and this place came outside Kabuli gate. Even today the residents of the fort use the water of this spring.
The present building was constructed in 1834 at the command of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. It is a beautiful building with River Ghan on one side and the fort on the other with forest around the remaining sides. The access to the building is from inside the fort The shrine presents fascinating natural beauty surrounded by Ghan Nadi, fort, large trees and underbush.
Fort Rohtas is a famous historical place in Jehlum district. To reach the fort one has to travel by buses made out of army trucks. It is 6 kilometers from Dina. Dina is a Railway Station on LahorePeshawar railway line. Dina is also a bus stop on the GT road. Maharaja Ranjit Singh assigned 27 ghumaon of land and Rs 260 to it. Fair is held on the 15th of Kattak Suddi.
www.jktourism.org/destinations/kashmir/yusmarg.html
Yusmarg in Kashmiri means The Meadow of Jesus.It is believed by the natives that Jesus came to Kashmir and stayed at Yusmarg for some time.
Yusmarg or Yousmarg is a hill station in the western part of Kashmir Valley in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated 47 km south of Srinagar the capital of the state.
It is an alpine valley covered with snow clad mountains and the meadows of Pine and Fir, It lies 13 km south of Charari Sharief a town of Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated at the bank of Doodganga River which is a tributory of Jehlum River. It is a popular tourist destination, nestled with in the imposing Pir Panjal peaks, a sub range of Himalaya. The Peaks are: the Sunset Peak and the Tatakooti Peak for which the expeditions lead from this hill station. It lies at an altitude of 2396 metres above sea level.
Yusmarg has a great scope for adventure tourism. Doodganga a river flows through this meadow. In its vicinity lies the alpine meadow of Tosa Maidan. A trek of 4 km leads to a small Lake named as Nilnag surrounded by pine trees. Another 10 km trek leads to the most interesting lake the frozen lake in Sang-e-Safed valley, most portion of this lake is covered by ice even during the summer. A number of tourist huts, restaurants and hotels are available for lodging. The other activities include horse riding, fishing, skiing during winter and photography.
Copyright © 2016 Tahir Iqbal, all rights reserved.
This image is not available for use on websites, blogs or other media without the explicit written permission of the photographer.
Beautiful sunset on the river behind Rohtas Fort, near Jehlum, Pakistan
Reminds me the historical novel "And Quiet Flows the Don" by Russian writer Mikhail Sholokhov.
Situated in Salt Range Mountains Distt. Jehlum, Pakistan.
Image from Archives
Noise is due to single JPG file conversion
The highest point in eastern Salt Range, Tilla JogiyaN (Alt. 975 m) has a temple complex dating back at least a few centuries. The place was the main site for a group of Jogis (Yogis) before 1947. Founder of Sikhism, Baba Guru Nanak is said to have stayed here for some time during his travels across Punjab. There are some temples, housing quarters, large water ponds (constructed by Ranjit Singh). Persian scientist, Al-Biruni is also said to have visited the area. Jehlum river is seen in this picture winiding down the plateau.
Darveish, Ghulam Sarwer [ servent of the Prophet ] serves @ the shrine of a sufi saint inside Rahotas fort, Jehlum. this shot was taken just before sunset when warm evening light dimly lit the interior of the sufi shrine. comments and Critics are welcome.
Muzaffarabad is situated at the conflux of the Neelum and Jehlum rivers. The city is 138 kilometers by Rawalpindi and Islamabad and about 76 kilometers from Abbottabad.
The name "Muzaffararbad" comes from the name of Sultan Muzaffar Khan, a former ruler of the Bomba Dynasty. Muzaffarabad has always been one of the important cities of Kashmir. After the 1948-49 war, Muzaffarabad was made the capital of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Saidpur is a 400 or 500 year old Pakistani village in built on the slopes of the Margalla Hills which overlook Islamabad, Pakistan. It is a popular tourist attraction and is frequented by locals and outsiders alike.
Saidpur is named after Said Khan, one of the sons of Sultan Sarang, the Gakhar chief of the Pothohar region (who ruled from Attock to Jehlum) during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Babur. The Emperor Jahangir's memoir, Tuzke Jahangiri, mentions him halting at a place “beyond Rawalpindi”, on his way to Kabul, which is assumed to be Saidpur. Said Khan gifted Saidpur village to his daughter who was married to son of Mughal emperor Akbar.
The village was converted into the a place of Hindu worship by a Mughal commander, Raja Man Singh. He constructed a number of small ponds: Rama kunda, Sita kunda, Lakshaman kunda, and Hanuman kunda. The region is home to many Hindu temples that are preserved, showing the history of Hindu civilisation and architecture in the region.
The Capital Development Authority (CDA) of Islamabad has developed Saidpur into a tourist attraction by giving it the look and feel of a quaint village. The initial cost of the project was about 400 million rupees.
Saidpur is good for:
Old Saidpur School building (it preserves the images of the making of Saidpur, as well as Islamabad)
Restaurants
Cafe's/Art Gallery
Used a 4 stop neutral density filter in order to slow down the shutter speed and give the water a dreamy white look.
February 2012,
Nikon D7000,
Nikkor 18-105@18mm,
F/22, 10s, 100 ISO
GP-1 GPS Module
© PKG Photography
The river Jhelum is called Vitastā in the Rigveda and Hydaspes by the ancient Greeks. The Vitasta (Sanskrit: वितस्ता, fem., also, Vetastā) is mentioned as one of the major rivers by the holy scriptures of the Indo-Aryans — the Rigveda. It has been speculated that the Vitastā must have been one of the seven rivers (sapta-sindhu) mentioned so many times in the Rigveda. The name survives in the Kashmiri name for this river as Vyeth. According to the major religious work Srimad Bhagavatam, the Vitastā is one of the many transcendental rivers flowing through the land of Bharata, or ancient India.
The river was regarded as a god by the ancient Greeks, as were most mountains and streams; the poet Nonnus in the Dionysiaca (section 26, line 350) makes the Hydaspes a titan-descended god, the son of the sea-god Thaumas and the cloud-goddess Elektra. He was the brother of Iris, the goddess of the rainbow, and half-brother to the Harpies, the snatching winds. Since the river is in a country foreign to the ancient Greeks, it is not clear whether they named the river after the god, or whether the god Hydaspes was named after the river. Alexander the Great and his army crossed the Jhelum in BC 326 at the Battle of the Hydaspes River where he defeated the Indian king, Porus. According to Arrian (Anabasis, 29), he built a city "on the spot whence he started to cross the river Hydaspes", which he named Bukephala (or Bucephala) to honour his famous horse Bukephalus or Bucephalus which was buried in Jalalpur Sharif. It is thought that ancient Bukephala was near the site of modern Jhelum City. According to a historian of Gujrat district, Mansoor Behzad Butt, Bukephalus was buried in Jalalpur Sharif, but the people of Mandi Bahauddin, a district close to Jehlum, believed that their tehsil Phalia was named after Bucephalus, Alexander's dead horse. They say that the name Phalia was the distortion of the word Bucephala. The waters of the Jhelum are allocated to Pakistan under the terms of the Indus Waters Treaty.
The river Jhelum rises from a spring at Verinag situated at the foot of the Pir Panjal in the south-eastern part of the valley of Kashmir in India. It flows through Srinagar and the Wular lake before entering Pakistan through a deep narrow gorge. The Kishenganga (Neelum) River, the largest tributary of the Jhelum, joins it, at Domel Muzaffarabad, as does the next largest, the Kunhar River of the Kaghan valley. It also connects with Pakistan and Pakistan-held Kashmir on Kohala Bridge east of Circle Bakote. It is then joined by the Poonch river, and flows into the Mangla Dam reservoir in the district of Mirpur. The Jhelum enters the Punjab in the Jhelum District. From there, it flows through the plains of Pakistan's Punjab, forming the boundary between the Chaj and Sindh Sagar Doabs. It ends in a confluence with the Chenab at Trimmu in District Jhang. The Chenab merges with the Sutlej to form the Panjnad River which joins the Indus River at Mithankot.
from wikipedia
Saidpur is a 400 or 500 year old Pakistani village in built on the slopes of the Margalla Hills which overlook Islamabad, Pakistan. It is a popular tourist attraction and is frequented by locals and outsiders alike.
Saidpur is named after Said Khan, one of the sons of Sultan Sarang, the Gakhar chief of the Pothohar region (who ruled from Attock to Jehlum) during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Babur. The Emperor Jahangir's memoir, Tuzke Jahangiri, mentions him halting at a place “beyond Rawalpindi”, on his way to Kabul, which is assumed to be Saidpur. Said Khan gifted Saidpur village to his daughter who was married to son of Mughal emperor Akbar.
The village was converted into the a place of Hindu worship by a Mughal commander, Raja Man Singh. He constructed a number of small ponds: Rama kunda, Sita kunda, Lakshaman kunda, and Hanuman kunda. The region is home to many Hindu temples that are preserved, showing the history of Hindu civilisation and architecture in the region.
The Capital Development Authority (CDA) of Islamabad has developed Saidpur into a tourist attraction by giving it the look and feel of a quaint village. The initial cost of the project was about 400 million rupees.
Saidpur is good for:
Old Saidpur School building (it preserves the images of the making of Saidpur, as well as Islamabad)
Restaurants
Cafe's/Art Gallery
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mianwali_District
Mianwali (Urdu: ضلع میانوالی) is a District in the north-west of Punjab province, Pakistan. It borders Lakki Marwat district in the west, Kohat and Karak districts in the North west and Dera Ismail Khan District in the southwest. Attock lies in the north, Chakwal in the north east, Khushab in the east and Bhakkar in the south. In November 1901, the North-West Frontier Province was carved out of Punjab and present day towns of Mianwali, Isa Khel, Kalabagh, and Kundian were separated from Bannu District (NWFP) and hence a new district was made with the headquarters in Mianwali city and placed in Punjab.
Demography
The majority of the population is of Hindko origin similar to the people of Attock.Niazi Tribe is The Most Famouse Tribe of this District. Niazi Tribe is Mostly Living in The Mianwali City, Shahbaz Khel, Mosa Khel, Mochh,Utra Kalaan, Sawans. The Tribes who known as Jats are living in the Kacha and Thal speak a Hindko Seraiki, lived in all parts of the district but mostly in Waan Bacharaan, Kundian, Ding Khola, Khanqah Sirrajia, Saeed Abad, Bakharra/Kacha Kalo, Kacha paar,khita-e-Atlas, Kacha Gujrat, Kacha Shahnawaz Wala, Phaati, Hurnoli, Alluwali, Duaba, Jaal, Piplan, Wichveen Bala, Moosa Khel, Shadia and many others villages which are parts of the district. There are small minority of Pashtuns and Punajbis. Mostly people speak a unique dialect of Seraiki which borrows many words from Hindko and Pashto. However the Khattak tribes living in the suburbs of Isakhel, Chapri, Bhangi Khel, Sultan Khel, Makarwal and Bani Afghan are bilingual, Pashto being their primary language but can fairly communicate in Seraiki as well. Awans living in the Salt range of Mianwali speak a dialect of Potohari which is called "Uttraadi"(pertaining to the highlanders).
According to the 1998 census of Pakistan the district had a population of 1,056,620 of which 20.39%[2] of which 85,000 inhabit the district capital.
Administration
Mianwali used to be the part of Bannu district but on November the 9th,1901 a new district was made with headquarters at Mianwali city.Deputy commissioner used to be the head of the district.The first deputy commissioner was Captain A.J.O'Brian.The first district judge was Sardar Balwant Singh.It is worth mentioning that Capt.O'Brian served Mianwali not once but thrice.He was again given the charge of D.C.Mianwali in 1906 and then in 1914. This time he was promoted to the rank of Major.
The system continued even after the creation of Pakistan as a sovereign nation.It was not until year 2000 when the new local government system was introduced by the President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf.Three basic changes were made
Divisions which used to be third tier of the government were abolished and more autonomy was given to the districts under the motive of devolution of power.
With this new status of the districts Nazims were to become the administrators of the district with more authoritative powers.
The post of D.C. was abolished with the aim to put an end to the bureaucratic rule however the bureaucracy was offered an olive branch by creating a new post of District Co-ordinating Officer.However the Nazim remains the main elected representative and administrator while the D.C.Os serve as representatives of the government.
The district is administratively divided into three tehsils and 56 Union Councils:[3]
Name of Tehsil No of Unions
Isakhel 14
Mianwali 28
Piplan 14
Total 56
Geography
Mianwali district covers an area of 5,840 square kilometres. The area in north is a continuation of the Pothohar Plateau and the Kohistan-e-Namak. The district consists of various towns, including Kalabagh, Isa Khel,Ding Khola (Khanqah Sirrajia), Kundian, Paikhel, Piplan, Kamar Mushani, Mochh, Rokhri, Harnoli, Musa Khel, Zimri, Wan Bhachhran, Daud Khel and the district capital - Mianwali city.
Kalabagh is famous for the Kalabagh Dam and the Nawab of Kalabagh and for the red hills of the salt range and scenic view of mighty Indus River.
Nawab of Kalabagh Malik Amir Muhammad Khan(1910-1967),Ex-Governor West Pakistan.Kundian is the second largest town at a distance of 15 km from the city of Mianwali.There is a Chashma Nuclear power plant(Chashnupp)Ding Khola (PAEC),Kundian(Chashma)Barrage,K.J(Kundian Jehlum)Chashma Jehlum)Link Canal
Thal is a large area which is mostly desert and semi-arid. It is located between Jhelum and Indus river (The Sindh-Saagar Doab). The boundaries of the old district established in 1901 included almost 70 % of this great area, but after the separation of Layyah and then Bhakkar Tehsils, only about 20% remains in this district. First deputy commissioner Mr. A J O'Brian wrote in his memoirs
" In 1901 the District of Mianwali was formed out of the two Punjab halves of two older districts, and I had the good fortune to be put in charge. It was a lonely District with, as my Assistant Mr. Bolster called it, 'three white men in a wilderness of sand.'"[4]
Nammal (Namal) Lake is a place of interest for the hikers and holiday-makers in Chakrala.
Amongst fine views should be included that of the Indus and the eastern valley from a little conical hill at Mari, where the "Kalabagh diamonds" (quartz crystals) are found and which is crowned by an old Hindu ruin. Amongst picturesque spots may be mentioned Nammal, just beyond the Dhak Pass in Mianwali, also Kalabagh and Mari on the Indus, and Kotki in the throat of Chichali Pass.[5]. The average rainfall in the district is about 250 mm.
Isa Khel is another important town located in the west of Mianwali. It is a historical town named after Isa Khan, a famous Niazi chief.
Kamar Mushani is famous for its trade and minerals.
Education
The city is an economic and commercial hub in the district. There are several educational institutions up to post-graduate level, affiliated with the University of Punjab.
Climate
Whole of the district has extreme weather, summer last from May to September, June is the hottest month average temperature of month rise up to 42°C and maximum could go to 50°C whereas in winter, December and January temperature is as low as 3 to 4°C average per month
History
Traditionally all major rulers of South Asia governed this area in their turn. Mughal emperor Babur mentions Essa Khail (Isakhel) whilst he was fighting against the Pakhtuns as part of his campaign to conquer the Punjab during the 1520s (ref. Baburnama). Then came the Sikhs, that era was famous for lawlessness, and barbarism, they ruled until the annexation of Punjab in 1849 by the British. During British rule, the Indian empire was subdivided into province, divisions and districts, (after the independence of Pakistan divisions remained the third tier of government until 2000). The British had made the towns of Mianwali and Isa Khel tehsil headquarters of Bannu District then part of Dera Ismail Khan Division of Punjab province.
The district of Mianwali was created in November 1901, when the North West Frontier Province was carved out of Punjab and the towns of Mianwali, Isa Khel, Kalabagh, and Kundian were separated from Bannu District which became part of the NWFP. A new district was made with the headquarters in Mianwali city and placed in Punjab, the district became a part of Multan Division. Mianwali originally contained four tehsils namely Mianwali, Isa Khel, Bhakkar, and Layyah, in 1909 Layyah was transferred to Muzaffargarh District. The district became a part of Sargodha Division in 1961, in 1982 Bhakkar tehsil was removed from Mianwali and became a separate district of Sargodha Division.
Of the early history of the district nothing can be stated with any certainty, beyond the fact that its inhabitants were Hindus, and that before the Christian era the country formed an integral portion of the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom of Kabul and the Punjab.
Early History
The Thal, however, without wells would be a desert, and the probability is that in early historic times nearly the whole of it was a barren waste. There is no record of any plundering expedition on the Thal side by Alexander the Great's forces, when they passed down the Jhelum to its junction with the Indus River, though they lightly undertook such an expedition across the waterless Bar to the Ravi. This affords a presumption that the Thal was then a poorer country than it is now. www.mianwalinews.com,
Architectural Objects and Remains
In the southern part of the district the general absence of antiquarian remains also tends to prove that it can never have been the site of a rich and populous Government. In the Kachhi tract, of course, such remains could not survive the action of river floods, and this tract must, at one time, have been much wider than it is now. The Thal, however, is admirably suited for the preservation of antiquarian relics, had any such ever existed, but there are none that date from earlier than the fourteenth century.
Ruins at Mari Indus & Mari City
Ruins of centuries old hindu temples in salt range near Mari Indus (River Indus can be seen traversing through hills)At Mari in the Mianwali Tahsil there is a picturesque Hindu ruin, crowning the gypsum hill, locally called Maniot (from Manikot, meaning fort of jewels), on which the Kalabagh diamonds are found. The ruins themselves must once have been extensive. It appears that the very top of the hill was built over with a large palace or fort.
Architectural Objects and Remain-Ruins of Sirkapp Fort
Overlooking the village site of Namal in the Khudri is a ridge of great natural strength, cut off on three sides by hill torrents. On the top of this ridge there are extensive ruins of what is said to have been the stronghold of Sirkapp, Raja of the country , who was a contemporary of Raja Risalu of Sialkot, by whom he was vanquished. The outer wall of the fort still exists in part in a dilapidated condition, but the enclosure, which must once have contained accommodation for a fairly large garrison , is now one mass of fallen houses and piles of hewn or chiselled stones . The series of lifts, made for carrying water from the bed of the stream to the top of the hill, have left their marks.
Other Antiquities
The above, together with two sentry-box like buildings, supposed to be dolmens, midway between, Namal and Sakesar, and several massive looking tombs, constructed of large blocks of dressed stones in the Salt Range, comprise all the antiquities above ground in the district. No doubt many remain concealed beneath the surface. The encroachments of the Indus and even of the Kurram near Isakhel often expose portions of ancient masonry arches and wells.
"Days of Yore" PR ZE. class 230 enroute to Lakki Marwat from Mari Indus in frosty winter morning circa 1987.(Mianwali was the only district in Punjab with about 80 km of Narrow Gauge section which was closed in 1992)The only other antiquity worth mentioning is a monster baoli at Wanbhachran , said to have been built by order of Sher Shah Suri. It is in good preservation and similar to those in the Shahpur District.
The Rule of the Ghakkars in the North - Invasion of Nadir Shah in 1738
Prior to the invasion of Nadir Shah in 1738, there is little to relate concerning .the history of the northern portion of the district. The upper half of the district was ruled by the Ghakkars, who became feudatories of the Mughal Empire, of which the district continued to form a part until the invasion of Nadir Shah. In 1738 a portion of his army entered Bannu, and by its atrocities so cowed the Bannuchis and Marwats that a heavy tribute was raised from them. Another portion of the army crossed the Pezu pass and worked its way .down to Dera Ismail Khan. The country was generally plundered and contingents raised from the neighbourhoods of Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan marched under Nadir Shah's banner to the sack of Delhi. In 1739 the country west of the Indus was surrendered by the Emperor of Delhi to Nadir Shah, and passed after his death to Ahmad Shah Abdali.
Grave of Lt.Col. A J O'Brien 1st Deputy Commissioner of the district, Brompton Cemetery, LondonExpulsion of the Ghakkars in 1748
In 1748 a Durrani army under one of Ahmad Shah's generals crossed the Indus at Kalabagh, and drove out the Ghakkars, who still ruled in the cis-Indus tracts of the district, owing nominal allegiance to the Emperor at Delhi. Their stronghold, Muazzam Nagar, was razed to the ground, and with their expulsion was swept away the last vestige of authority of the Mughal Emperor, in these parts.
The armies of Ahmad Shah marched repeatedly through the district, the cis-Indus portion of which was, with the rest of the Punjab, incorporated in the Durrani Kingdom in 1756, and for the next sixty years a precarious hold was maintained on their eastern provinces, including this district, by Ahmad Shah and his successors to the throne of the newly created Kingdom of Kabul.
The history of the Bhakkar Tahsil comprising the southern portion of the district both in the period which preceded and that which followed the incorporation of the district in the
Durrani Kingdom, requires separate recording. Its history is bound up with that of Dera Ismail Khan and of Leiah, and to some extent with that of Dera Ghazi Khan.
During the greater portion of the reign of Ahmad Shah, no regular Governors were appointed by the Kabul Government. The country was divided between the Hot and Jaskani chiefs, whose predecessors had been the first Biluch chiefs to form settlements along the Indus.
References to the original settlements of the first Biluch chiefs are found in Ferishta and in a Persian manuscript, quoted in Mr. Tucker's settlement report of the Dera Ismail Khan District. The account given by the latter is, that in 874 Hijri (1469 A.D.) Sultan Husain, son of Kutubudin, obtained the Government of Multan. He held the forts of Shor and Chiniot in Lyallpur District and of Kot Karor (Karor Lal Isan) and Din Kot (near Kalabagh). Soon after Malik Suhrab, a Dodai Biluch, along with his son, Ismail Khan, and Fatih Khan and others of his tribe arrived from Kech Mekran, and entered the service of Sultan Husain. As the hill robbers were then becoming very troublesome in the province of Multan, Sultan Husain rejoiced in the opportune arrival of Malik Suhrab, and assigned to him the country from the fort of Karor to Dinkot." On this becoming known, many Balochis came from Kech Mekran to the service of the Sultan. The lands, cultivated and waste, along the banks of the Indus were assigned to the Balochis, and the royal revenue began to increase, The old inhabitants of Dera Ghazi Khan and Multan relate that after Suhrab's arrival, Haji Khan, with his son Ghazi Khan and many of their kindred and tribe, came from Kech Mekran to enter the service of the Sultan. When the tracts along the Indus were in the hands of Malik Suhrab and Haji Khan, Malik Suhrab founded a Dera named after Ismail Khan, and Haji Khan another, with the name of Ghazi Khan ". This account is confirmed, though in less detail, by the historian Ferishta.
Tribes & Clans
The populations of the district is split into four main groups, the Pashtuns who predominate in Isa Khel Tehsil, and riverain Mianwali Tehsil, the Awans who are found mainly in the Salt Range, and Kalabagh in Isakhel Tehsil. The Thal desert portion is held by Seraiki speaking Jat and Baluch tribes. The city of Mianwali and town of Wan Bhachran are both home to the Qureshi - Makhdooms and Miana tribes respectively.
The district are includes descendents of refugees from East Punjab and Haryana in India, who settled after partition..
Immigration
The district has been settled by a triple immigration from opposite directions, of Awans from the north-east, of Jats and Balochis up the valley of the Indus from the south, and of Pakhtuns from the north-west.
Awans
The Awans now occupy that part of the district which lies east of the Dhak Spur of the Salt Range and is known as Khudri, Pakhar, or Awankari. "Men of Mianwali mostly know the name Pakhar; but residents of the Kacha and Isakhel generally speak of the tract and parts beyond as utrad. i.e., the high country."Bannu district Gazetter
They have been almost the sole occupants of that extensive tract for at least six hundred years and may perhaps have resided there since the Arab invasions of the seventh century. Previous to the decilne and extinction of Ghakkar tribe authorities in Mianwali, the Awan possessions extended westward of the Salt Range. At first Awans under the leadership of legendary Awan warrior Qutab Shah pushed the Niazi tribe out of Mianwali who were previously residing in Mianwali. But afterwards , Niazis rose up and were able to fight back most of their captured land from Awans.
The Awans were amongst those the British considered to be "martial races" and as such, formed an important part of the British Indian army, serving with distinction during World Wars I and II. Along with Rajputs, Awans occupy the highest ranks of the Pakistani army.
Sir Colin Campbell Garbett (founder of Campbellpur, modern day Attock), said of the Awans, "There are no better people in India."
Awans claim themselves to be of Arab origin , a claim which is disputed by many British anthropologists and historians. Some label them as remnants of "Bactrian Greeks".While the others insist that they are the descendants of Raja Risalu of Sialkot , thus insisting on their Rajput origins. Some also relate them to the Qutab Shah who had Arab ancestry thus giving a proof to their claim.
However in general Awans are brave, big landlords , religious and best known for their hospitality. They also got the fame of being the good horsemen.
The Jat and Baloch Immigration
Before the fifteenth century the lower portion of the district was probably occupied by a few scattered tribes of Jats, depending on their cattle for subsistence. The valley of the Indus was a dense jungle, swarming with pig and hog-deer, and frequented by numerous tigers; while the Thal must have been almost unoccupied.
All the traditions of the people go to show that an immigration of mixed tribes of Jats Talokar/Tilokar/Talukar/Thalokar,(Siyars, Chhina, Khokhars, &.c.,) set in about the beginning of the 15th century from the Multan and Bahawalpur direction. They gradually passed up the valley of the Indus to the Mianwali Tahsil, occupying the intervening country. Most of their villages would have been located on the edge of the Thal and a portion of the immigrants probably crossed the river and settled along its right bank. After these came the Balochis. They also came from the south, but in large bands under recognized leaders, and they appear to have taken military rather than proprietary possession of the country. They were the ruling class, and served under their chiefs in the; perpetual little wars that were then going on in every direction. It is probable that the Jat immigration continued for sometime after the Balochis first came into the country. However it may have been, all the Kachha, immediately adjoining the Thal bank, seems to have been parcelled off to Jat families. Each block was accompanied with a long strip of Thal to the back. These estates are the origin of the present mauzas as far north as Kundian in the Mianwali Tahsil. They are almost all held by Jats. Here and there, shares are held by Balochis, but these have mostly been acquired in later times by purchase. In the same way the unoccupied lands towards the river were divided off into blocks, and formed into separate estates; and sometimes; where the hads first, formed had too much waste land, new hads were formed in later times by separating off outlying portions of the old estates. This division into hads extended right up to Kundian. In course of time, as the Balochis settled down in the country, individuals acquired plots of land for wells, but generally in subordination to the had proprietors or lords of manors. Here and there a small clan settled down together, but this was the exception. Balochis are still numerous all through the southern part of the Kachha, up to Darya Khan; but though they were originally the ruling race, still, as regards proprietary rights in the land they hold a position inferior to that of the Jats and Sayyads, by whom the superior proprietorship of hads is generally held. North of Darya Khan there are very few Balochis. In the Thal the population is nearly entirely Jat.
Baluch Clans
The Mamdanis of Khansar, the Magsis, a tribe which came in very early, and settled in the eastern Thal about Dhingana and Haidarabad, and the Durranis of Dab in the Mianwali Tehsil, are almost the only considerable bodies of Balochis to be found in the Thal.
[edit] The Jat Clans
All through the Kachha the mass of the villages are named after Jat families, who form the bulk of the proprietors. These are generally the descendants of the original founders, and have stuck together as like 'Jat Talokar/Tilokar/Talukar/Thalokar in Ding Khola(Khanqah Sirrajia) and bakhharra(kachha).'''' In the Thal there are a large number of villages held in the same way by men of particular families ; but in most the population is very mixed, nearly every well being held by a man of a different caste. The only Jat tribes in the Thal deserving of special mention are the Chhinas and Bhidwals. The Chhina country extends across from Chhina, Behal, Lappi and Notak, on the edge of the Kachha, to Mankera and Haidarabad on the further side of the Thal. The Bhidwals possess a somewhat smaller tract round Karluwala and Mahni in the neighbourhood of the Jhang border. They have always been a good fighting tribe.
The Pakhtun Immigrations
Mahmud of Ghazni is said to have conquered the upper half of the district together with Bannu, expelling its Hindu inhabitants and reducing the country to a desert. Hence there was no one left, capable of opposing the settlement of immigrant tribes from across the, border. The series of Pakhtun immigrations into Bannu took place in the following order :-
1.The Bannuchis, who about five hundred years ago displaced two small tribes of Mangals and Hannis, of whom little is known as well as a settlement of Khattaks, from the then marshy but fertile country on either bank of the Kurram.
2.The Niazis, who some hundred and fifty years later spread from Tank over the plain now called Marwat, then sparsely inhabited by pastoral Jats.
3.The Marwats, a younger branch of the same tribe, who within one hundred years of the Niazi settlement of Marwat, followed in their wake, and drove them farther eastward into the countries now known as Isa Khel and Mianwali.
Immigrations - The Niazis
Burqa-clad women in Mianwali--This district is famous across the country for strict Burqa-observanceThe Bannuchis must have settled down for nearly two centuries, before the Niazi arrival into Marwat took place. The Niazis occupied the hills about Salghar, which are now held by the Sulaiman Khels, until a feud with the Ghilzais compelled them to migrate elsewhere. Marching south by east, the expelled tribe found a temporary resting place in Tank. There the Niazais lived for several generations, occupying themselves as traders and carriers, as do their kinsmen the Lohani Pawindahs in the present day. At length towards the close of the fifteenth century, numbers spread north into the plain now known as Marwat, and squatted there as graziers, and perhaps too as cultivators, on the banks of the Kurram and Gambila, some fifteen miles below the Bannuchi Settlements. There they lived in peace for about fifty years, when the Marwat Lohanis, a younger branch of the Lodi group, swarmed into the country after them, defeated them in battle, and drove them across the Kurram at Tang Darra, in the valley beyond which they found a final home. At the time of the Niazai irruption, Marwat seems to have been almost uninhabited, except by a sprinkling of pastoral Jats; but the bank of the Indus apparently supported a considerable Jat and Awan population. The most important sections of the expelled Niazais were the Isakhel, Mushanis and a portion of the Sarhangs. The first named took root in the south of their new country and shortly developed into agriculturists ; the second settled farther to the north roundabout Kamar Mushani, and seem for a time to have led a pastoral life ; of the Sarhangs, some took up their abode at Sultan Khel, while others, after drifting about for several generations, permanently established themselves cis-Indus on the destruction of the Ghakkar stronghold of Muazzam Nagar by one of Ahmad Shah's lieutenants. That event occurred about 1748, and with it terminated the long connection of the Ghakkars with Mianwali.They seem to have been dominant in the northern parts of the country even before the emperor Akbar presented it in jagir to two of, their chiefs. During the civil commotions of Jehangir's reign the Niazais are said to have driven the Ghakkars across the Salt Range, and though, in the following reign, the latter recovered their position, still their hold on the country was precarious, and came to an end about the middle of the 18th century as stated above. The remains of Muazzam Nagar, their local capital, were visible on the left high bank of the Indus about six miles south of Mianwali, until the site was eroded by the river about the year 1870. The Niazais thus established themselves in Isa Khel over three hundred years ago, but their Sarhang branch did not finally obtain its present possessions in Mianwali, until nearly 150 years later. The acquisition of their cis-Indus possessions was necessarily gradual, the country having a settled, though weak Government, and being inhabited by Awans and Jats.
Immigrations - The Niazais, Khattaks and Bhangi Khels
A few of the Khattaks, who had preceded the Niazais into the Isa Khel Tahsil, clung to the foot of the Maidani Range. The Bhangi Khels, a strong little section of Khattaks, spread up into the Bhangi Khel tract some 400 years ago, and remain there to this day. Trag is one of the biggest village of Tehsil Isa Khel(Tarna, an old name),District Mianwali.Trag came into being in between 1660-1685. It is populated by one of the significant clan “Shado Khel” hailing from Niazi Pathan.These people are basically Afghan in origin and adventured Hindustan along with their main tribe i.e. Niazi. Their entry route was Wana----Tank----Dera Ismail Khan and Paniala/ Kundal. They finally settled at present location. Background: Trag is named after his notable elder, literally meaning an “Iron Helmet”. He was an adventurous and brave combatant. He was famous for his ever readiness, most of the times seen in combatior outfit. Hence his real name is not traceable. And he became well known as Trag. The family tree of Trag is Trag bin Amir Khan bin Jehangir Khan bin Shado Khel bin Khir bin Jam bin Tor bin Habib bin Wagan bin Jamal Niazi. He had three sons Ako, Bako and Khero. Descendants of these sons of Trag occupy main bulk of the village and are known as Akwal, Ibrahim Khel and Kherowal. Syeds, Quereshis, Arayans,Bhambs, Buchas,Awans, Mohanas, Dheor and Jats etc hold significant number in local population and contributing their role in the social development of their beloved soil.
Biluchch Pashtuns
A few families of Biluchch Pashtuns came across the Indus . from the Paniala Hills .Of these, one became dominant at Piplan, while the others moved on into the Thal and took up their abode eventually in and about Jandanwala.
Turkhel
A tribe occupying few villages near Kalabagh. According to some traditions, they are Jat and not Pashtun.
Wirali
Is a tribe living in Pai Khel,Mianwali.Hundred years ago there was a great sufi saint, named "Mian Muhammad Wirali".He was a philanthropist with much regard among the masses.He distributed his land to the poor.Now a days his shrine is at Pai Khel,in the base of a mountain from where dolomite is extracted for steel mills. After him, his tribe is known as "Wirali".
I have a dream, a fantasy
To help me through reality
And my destination makes it worth the while
Pushing through the darkness still another mile
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
I'll cross the stream, I have a dream
I'll cross the stream, I have a dream
This is a January evening view of Jehlum River where it defines the boundry of Punjab and Azad Kashmir on the road leading to Dudyal....taken from the Kashmir side!
This pic is dedicated to all those who have fought for the rights of the Kashmiri people.
EXPLORE
Saidpur is a 400 or 500 year old Pakistani village in built on the slopes of the Margalla Hills which overlook Islamabad, Pakistan. It is a popular tourist attraction and is frequented by locals and outsiders alike.
Saidpur is named after Said Khan, one of the sons of Sultan Sarang, the Gakhar chief of the Pothohar region (who ruled from Attock to Jehlum) during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Babur. The Emperor Jahangir's memoir, Tuzke Jahangiri, mentions him halting at a place “beyond Rawalpindi”, on his way to Kabul, which is assumed to be Saidpur. Said Khan gifted Saidpur village to his daughter who was married to son of Mughal emperor Akbar.
The village was converted into the a place of Hindu worship by a Mughal commander, Raja Man Singh. He constructed a number of small ponds: Rama kunda, Sita kunda, Lakshaman kunda, and Hanuman kunda. The region is home to many Hindu temples that are preserved, showing the history of Hindu civilisation and architecture in the region.
The Capital Development Authority (CDA) of Islamabad has developed Saidpur into a tourist attraction by giving it the look and feel of a quaint village. The initial cost of the project was about 400 million rupees.
Saidpur is good for:
Old Saidpur School building (it preserves the images of the making of Saidpur, as well as Islamabad)
Restaurants
Cafe's/Art Gallery
Rohtas Fort (Urdu: قلعہ روہتاس Qila Rohtas) is a garrison fort built by the great Afghan king Sher Shah Suri. This fort is about 4 km in circumference and the first example of the successful amalgamation of Pukhtun and Hindu architecture in the Indian Subcontinent.
Ramkot fort is located at 30 mins boat ride from Mangla on river Jehlum. The fort is believed to be from 17th century and served as the headquarters of the ruling dynasty. The fort was further modified during the Sikh rule.
The fort is in pretty decent shape. The reason could be its difficult reach for general public from the adjoining cities of Mangal and Mirpur, AJK. Not much information is available in the public domain about the history of fort. Wikipedia has a small article which could be accessed at:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramkot_Fort