Chakesar
Encyclopedia
Chakesar is a town of the Shangla District
in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan
. It is situated about 6 km in the north-west on the right bank of the Indus River
. The inhabitants primarily live on agriculture
. On October 8, 2005, the region was severely hit by an earthquake
, leaving many people homeless.
Chakesar is believed to be setting on a river delta formation in a valley of 3 km wide by 5 km long at the elevation of 1150m above sea level.The village is on suture zone / collision zone between the Indian continent and Eurasian continet. This suture zone is world famous for hosting precious stone deposits of emeralds, rubies etc. The collision is preceded by a magmatic event known as the Kohistan Magmatic Arc some 30 million years ago. Its the least explored magmatic arc in the world. Most of the world magmatic arcs are the sources of gold and copper deposits, e.g. Pan African Nubian Shield.
Historically the place has been home to many Buddhist hermit
s, as well as a small Hindu
community. Supposedly Alexander the Great fought a battle against the locals here in 326 BC, at the mount Pir Sar (see Aornos
).
The name Chakesar is basically evolved form the word Char Hesar that means "four fortresses". Historically this village was the center of the district Shangla and thus was important for both the inhabitants and the invaders. In order to protect this village from invaders the local inhabitants set up four fortresses around this village and this was thus called Char Hesar which later evolved into Chakesar.
The inhabitants of this area belong to the major Pashtun
tribe Yousafzai
. Locally these people are called Pukhtana which means the leaders in a sense. Pashto, or Pukhto is language of the Pashtuns and also is a code of conduct which is known with same name as Pukhto or sometimes Pukhtunwali. The leading and dominant people in this area and other nearby villages like Puran
, Martung
etc. were historically responsible for maintaining law and order in the area and hence were called Pukhtana which literally means Pashtoons and the people responsible for implementing the code of conduct "Pukhto". The decedents of these ancient lords are called Pukhtana. Each sub-tribe or clan in these people carries whole or part of the name of their great grandfather normally followed by Khel which means tribe. About 5,000 out of total population of 75,000 people are "Pukhtana" in Chakesar.
Chakesar is famous for its green valleys and nice scenic beauty. The weather of this area is moderate in summer and cold in winter. The mercury goes a few degrees below the freezing point in December, January and February. People mainly burn wood for their household cooking and warming their houses. Rapid deforestation is thus a problem of this area right now and will be a great issue in the near future.
Chakesar is rich in water and has many springs and small rivers (called Khowar in the local language) which have plenty of water throughout the year. People grow wheat
, maize
and rice
as their major crops. Agriculture mainly depends upon rains and luckily Chakesar gets pretty annual precipitation including a rich monsoon
season in July and August.
Chakesar was connected to the national grid and digital telephone network in late 1990s.
Shangla District
Shangla District ' is located in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.The district headquarters are located at Alpuri. It was previously a subdivision of Swat District, but was upgraded to the status of a district on July 10, 1995 by the then Chief Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao. The total...
in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. It is situated about 6 km in the north-west on the right bank of the Indus River
Indus River
The Indus River is a major river which flows through Pakistan. It also has courses through China and India.Originating in the Tibetan plateau of western China in the vicinity of Lake Mansarovar in Tibet Autonomous Region, the river runs a course through the Ladakh district of Jammu and Kashmir and...
. The inhabitants primarily live on agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. On October 8, 2005, the region was severely hit by an earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
, leaving many people homeless.
Chakesar is believed to be setting on a river delta formation in a valley of 3 km wide by 5 km long at the elevation of 1150m above sea level.The village is on suture zone / collision zone between the Indian continent and Eurasian continet. This suture zone is world famous for hosting precious stone deposits of emeralds, rubies etc. The collision is preceded by a magmatic event known as the Kohistan Magmatic Arc some 30 million years ago. Its the least explored magmatic arc in the world. Most of the world magmatic arcs are the sources of gold and copper deposits, e.g. Pan African Nubian Shield.
Historically the place has been home to many Buddhist hermit
Hermit
A hermit is a person who lives, to some degree, in seclusion from society.In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament .In the...
s, as well as a small Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
community. Supposedly Alexander the Great fought a battle against the locals here in 326 BC, at the mount Pir Sar (see Aornos
Aornos
Aornos was the site of Alexander the Great's last siege, "the climax to Alexander's career as the greatest besieger in history" according to Alexander's biographer Robin Lane Fox. The siege took place in the winter of 327–326 BCE...
).
The name Chakesar is basically evolved form the word Char Hesar that means "four fortresses". Historically this village was the center of the district Shangla and thus was important for both the inhabitants and the invaders. In order to protect this village from invaders the local inhabitants set up four fortresses around this village and this was thus called Char Hesar which later evolved into Chakesar.
The inhabitants of this area belong to the major Pashtun
Pashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
tribe Yousafzai
Yousafzai
The Yūsufzai is one of the largest Pashtun tribes...
. Locally these people are called Pukhtana which means the leaders in a sense. Pashto, or Pukhto is language of the Pashtuns and also is a code of conduct which is known with same name as Pukhto or sometimes Pukhtunwali. The leading and dominant people in this area and other nearby villages like Puran
Puran
Puran Puran Tehsil is a sub-division and tehsil of Shangla District in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan....
, Martung
Martung
Martung , Mārtung or Martoong is a highland village and sub tehsil of Shangla District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , Pakistan included in Puran Subdivision. Central Martung is 982 meters above sea level., Being not plain area, some parts of Martung are even more than 1800 meters above mean sea level...
etc. were historically responsible for maintaining law and order in the area and hence were called Pukhtana which literally means Pashtoons and the people responsible for implementing the code of conduct "Pukhto". The decedents of these ancient lords are called Pukhtana. Each sub-tribe or clan in these people carries whole or part of the name of their great grandfather normally followed by Khel which means tribe. About 5,000 out of total population of 75,000 people are "Pukhtana" in Chakesar.
Chakesar is famous for its green valleys and nice scenic beauty. The weather of this area is moderate in summer and cold in winter. The mercury goes a few degrees below the freezing point in December, January and February. People mainly burn wood for their household cooking and warming their houses. Rapid deforestation is thus a problem of this area right now and will be a great issue in the near future.
Chakesar is rich in water and has many springs and small rivers (called Khowar in the local language) which have plenty of water throughout the year. People grow wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
, maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
and rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
as their major crops. Agriculture mainly depends upon rains and luckily Chakesar gets pretty annual precipitation including a rich monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
season in July and August.
Chakesar was connected to the national grid and digital telephone network in late 1990s.
External links
- Information on Viovio.
- http://www.puran.20m.com/Photo/