Mansehra
Encyclopedia
Mansehra city is located at 34°20′N 73°12′E in Mansehra District
, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan
. It is very near to Abbottabad
city. It is a major stop for tourists on the Karakoram Highway
which leads to China
. It is also a major transit point to the northern areas and locations such as the Kaghan Valley
, Naran
, Shogran
, Lake Saiful Mulook and Babusar Top.
.
Alexander the Great conquered and established his rule over a large part of northern India, including the Mansehra area. In the year 327 B.C. Alexander handed the area over to the Indian king Abisares
.
During the Maurya dynasty
, Mansehra was a part of Taxila
. Ashoka the Great was the governor of this area when he was a prince. After the death of his father, the Mauryan emperor Bindusara
, Ashoka ascended to the throne around 272 B.C. and made this area one of the major seats of his government. The Edicts of Ashoka inscribed on three large boulders on the side of a rocky outcrop near Mansehra serve as evidence of his rule here. The Mansehra rocks record fourteen of Ashoka's edicts
, presenting aspects of the emperor's dharma or righteous law, and represent the earliest irrefutable evidence of writing in South Asia. Dating to middle of the third century BC, they are written from right to left in the Kharosthi script.
The Turkish Shahi
and Hindu Shahi dynasties ruled Mansehra one after another. Among the Hindu Shahi dynasty rulers, Raja Jayapala
is the best known. Mahmud of Ghazni
defeated him during his first Indian campaign. However, there is no historical evidence that Mahmud of Ghazni ever visited or passed through Mansehra.
After the fall of the Hindu Shahi dynasty in the 11th century, the Kashmiris took control of this area under the leadership of Kalashan (1063 to 1089). From 1112 to 1120, King Susala ruled this area. In the 12th century, Asalat Khan captured this area but soon after Mohammad of Ghor's death the Kashmiris once again regained control of Mansehra.
In 1399, the Muslim warrior Timur
, on his return to Kabul
, stationed his Turk soldiers in Manshera to protect the important route between Kabul and Kashmir. By 1472, Prince Shahab-ud-Din came from Kabul and established his rule over the region. Prince Shahab-ud-Din, a Turk of central Asian origin a descendant of Amir Taimur, founded the state and named it Pakhli Sarkar and chose the village of Gulibagh as his capital.
During the period of Mughal rule, local Turkish chiefs acknowledged Mughal authority. In fact, Mansehra (Pakhli
) provided the main route to Kashmir and was the most commonly used route for Emperor Akbar to travel to Kashmir.
In the 18th century, Turkish rule came to an end due to the increased aggression of the Pashtuns
and their allied forces. The most crucial attack was that of the Swatis
in collusion with Syed Jalal Baba in 1703. Syed Jalal Shah was the son in law of the last ruler of Turkic dynasty, Sultan Mehmud Khurd.The Swatis ousted the Turks and captured this area.The descendents of this Turkic dynasty still live in various parts of Hazar, such as Tumbah, Bahali, Manakrai, Girwal, Mohar etc.
When Ahmad Shah Durrani expanded his kingdom to Punjab, Mansehra also came under his control. Durrani
considered it wise to rule the area through local tribal chiefs. The Durranis' rule ended abruptly in the beginning of the 18th century.
The fall of the Durranis led way for the Sikh
s to rise to power under Ranjit Singh
. The Sikhs gained control of Mansehra in 1818, after stiff resistance from its inhabitants. When Mansehra fell under Sikh control, it was annexed to Punjab. Syed Ahmad Shaheed
, with the help of the Mujahadeen, led many revolts and attacks against the Sikhs. At last, in 1831 during a fierce battle at Balakot
, Syed Ahmad Shaheed was killed. This allowed the Sikhs to consolidate their control of Mansehra. After Rajit Singh's death, the Sikh empire began to disintegrate. At this time, the British gained control of Punjab, and, through this, gained control of Mansehra.
By 1849, the British had gained control of all of Mansehra. However, the western Pashtun tribes remained rebellious. Unlike the people of the settled areas, the Pukhtoon (Pathan
) tribes that lived on the western outskirts of Mansehra remained a constant source of trouble for the British for four decades (1852–92). The British sent many expeditions against the Pashtun tribes to crush the rebellion, especially against the Black Mountains. To maintain peace in the area the British also took preventive measures by co-opting the local rulers.
The British divided Hazara District
into three tehsils (administrative subdivisions): Mansehra, Abbottabad
, and Haripur
; and decided to annex it to the Punjab
. In 1901, when the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) (now Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa) was formed, Hazara was separated from Punjab and made a part of it. Throughout their rule in Mansehra, the British met fierce resistance from the local Pashtun tribes and declared martial law. Meanwhile, the many villages around Mansehra largely governed themselves. Many of Mansehra's citizens joined the Khilafat Movement
.
During British rule
, Mansehra was still a village; its population according to the 1901 census was 5,087. During the British period Mansehra was the headquarters of Mansehra Tehsil
, then a subdivision of Hazara District.
When the Muslim League in Pakistan started its movement for a separate land, the local people joined and struggled for liberation under the leadership of Quaid-i-Azam. Their eventual victory culminated in the creation of Pakistan
, an independent state for the Muslims of the sub-continent.
During Bhutto's regime, Mansehra was upgraded to a district, containing two subdivisions: Mansehra
and Battagram. Later, the Mansehra district had the Balakot
subdivision added to it.
, Gojri
and Pashto are the predominant languages.
; these are:
Each union council is divided into Mohallas.
and in Assu
, at the locality of Bareri, Hindus from the vicinity, to the number of about 400, assemble at the top of Bareri hill to worship Devi
and to present offerings, which are taken by a Brahmin
of Mansahra. The assembly on each occasion lasts only one day. The boulders near the base of Bareri Hill are notable because they contain Ashokan inscriptions
.
Mansehra District
Mansehra District is in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, an area still unofficially known as the Northwest Frontier. Mansehra district and town are named after Man Singh, a leading general of Mughal Emperor Akbar...
, 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 very near to Abbottabad
Abbottabad
Abbottabad is a city located in the Hazara region of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in Pakistan. The city is situated in the Orash Valley, northeast of the capital Islamabad and east of Peshawar at an altitude of and is the capital of the Abbottabad District...
city. It is a major stop for tourists on the Karakoram Highway
Karakoram Highway
The Karakoram Highway is the highest paved international road in the world, but at its peak at the China-Pakistan border it is only paved on the Chinese side. It connects China and Pakistan across the Karakoram mountain range, through the Khunjerab Pass, at an altitude of as confirmed by both...
which leads to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. It is also a major transit point to the northern areas and locations such as the Kaghan Valley
Kaghan Valley
The Kaghan Valley is a valley in the north-east of Mansehra District of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. It attracts many tourists from around the world. The inhabitants were affected by the earthquake disaster on 8 October 2005....
, Naran
Naran Village
Naran is a village located in Kaghan Valley, Mansehra District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The Kunhar River, swollen by glacier melt, passes through this village as it meanders its way through the valley. The village is major tourist spot. It has over 100 hotels of various types...
, Shogran
Shogran
Shogran is a village situated on a green plateau in the Naran Valley, northern Pakistan at a height of 2,362 meters above sea level. The village was affected by the earthquake of 2005 when some building were damaged. It is only 10 km from Kiwai village and 34 km from Balakot. The road...
, Lake Saiful Mulook and Babusar Top.
History
The area of Mansehra has been under the rule of various emperors and governments, including Alexander the Great, Ashoka the Great, the Turks and the British EmpireBritish Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
.
Alexander the Great conquered and established his rule over a large part of northern India, including the Mansehra area. In the year 327 B.C. Alexander handed the area over to the Indian king Abisares
Abisares
Abisares , called Embisarus by Diodorus, was an Indian king of abhira descent beyond the river Hydaspes, whose territory lay in the mountains, sent embassies to Alexander the Great both before and after the conquest of Porus in 326 BC, although inclined to espouse the side of the latter...
.
During the Maurya dynasty
Maurya Empire
The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in ancient India, ruled by the Mauryan dynasty from 321 to 185 BC...
, Mansehra was a part of Taxila
Taxila
Taxila is a Tehsil in the Rawalpindi District of Punjab province of Pakistan. It is an important archaeological site.Taxila is situated about northwest of Islamabad Capital Territory and Rawalpindi in Panjab; just off the Grand Trunk Road...
. Ashoka the Great was the governor of this area when he was a prince. After the death of his father, the Mauryan emperor Bindusara
Bindusara
Bindusara was the second Mauryan emperor after Chandragupta Maurya. During his reign, the empire expanded southwards. He had two well-known sons, Susima and Ashoka, who were the viceroys of Taxila and Ujjain...
, Ashoka ascended to the throne around 272 B.C. and made this area one of the major seats of his government. The Edicts of Ashoka inscribed on three large boulders on the side of a rocky outcrop near Mansehra serve as evidence of his rule here. The Mansehra rocks record fourteen of Ashoka's edicts
Edicts of Ashoka
The Edicts of Ashoka are a collection of 33 inscriptions on the Pillars of Ashoka, as well as boulders and cave walls, made by the Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryan dynasty during his reign from 269 BCE to 231 BCE. These inscriptions are dispersed throughout the areas of modern-day Bangladesh, India,...
, presenting aspects of the emperor's dharma or righteous law, and represent the earliest irrefutable evidence of writing in South Asia. Dating to middle of the third century BC, they are written from right to left in the Kharosthi script.
The Turkish Shahi
Shahi
The Shahi , Sahi, also called Shahiya dynasties ruled one of the Middle kingdoms of India which included portions of the Kabulistan and the old province of Gandhara , from the decline of the Kushan Empire in the 3rd century to the early 9th century...
and Hindu Shahi dynasties ruled Mansehra one after another. Among the Hindu Shahi dynasty rulers, Raja Jayapala
Jayapala
Jayapala Janjua Shahi, the son of Asatapala and father of Anandapal, was the first king and founder of the Hindushahi dynasty of Afghanistan and Northwest Pakistan. He succeeded the last Brahman Shahi king Bhimadeva in about 964 CE, and thus began the Janjua Rajput phase of Shahiya Dynasties...
is the best known. Mahmud of Ghazni
Mahmud of Ghazni
Mahmud of Ghazni , actually ', was the most prominent ruler of the Ghaznavid dynasty who ruled from 997 until his death in 1030 in the eastern Iranian lands. Mahmud turned the former provincial city of Ghazni into the wealthy capital of an extensive empire which covered most of today's Iran,...
defeated him during his first Indian campaign. However, there is no historical evidence that Mahmud of Ghazni ever visited or passed through Mansehra.
After the fall of the Hindu Shahi dynasty in the 11th century, the Kashmiris took control of this area under the leadership of Kalashan (1063 to 1089). From 1112 to 1120, King Susala ruled this area. In the 12th century, Asalat Khan captured this area but soon after Mohammad of Ghor's death the Kashmiris once again regained control of Mansehra.
In 1399, the Muslim warrior Timur
Timur
Timur , historically known as Tamerlane in English , was a 14th-century conqueror of West, South and Central Asia, and the founder of the Timurid dynasty in Central Asia, and great-great-grandfather of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Dynasty, which survived as the Mughal Empire in India until...
, on his return to Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
, stationed his Turk soldiers in Manshera to protect the important route between Kabul and Kashmir. By 1472, Prince Shahab-ud-Din came from Kabul and established his rule over the region. Prince Shahab-ud-Din, a Turk of central Asian origin a descendant of Amir Taimur, founded the state and named it Pakhli Sarkar and chose the village of Gulibagh as his capital.
During the period of Mughal rule, local Turkish chiefs acknowledged Mughal authority. In fact, Mansehra (Pakhli
Pakhli
Pakhli was an ancient sarkar of the Mughal Subah of Punjab, now part of Hazara, Pakistan. It roughly corresponds to the ancient Urasa, the Aρσa or Οΰaρσa which Ptolemy placed between the Bidaspes and the Indus....
) provided the main route to Kashmir and was the most commonly used route for Emperor Akbar to travel to Kashmir.
In the 18th century, Turkish rule came to an end due to the increased aggression of the Pashtuns
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...
and their allied forces. The most crucial attack was that of the Swatis
Swati (tribe)
The Swatis are a Pashtun tribe based around the Swat valley, in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. They are the largest tribal group of land owners in the Mansehra and Battagram districts....
in collusion with Syed Jalal Baba in 1703. Syed Jalal Shah was the son in law of the last ruler of Turkic dynasty, Sultan Mehmud Khurd.The Swatis ousted the Turks and captured this area.The descendents of this Turkic dynasty still live in various parts of Hazar, such as Tumbah, Bahali, Manakrai, Girwal, Mohar etc.
When Ahmad Shah Durrani expanded his kingdom to Punjab, Mansehra also came under his control. Durrani
Durrani
Durrani or Abdali is the name of a chief Pashtun tribal confederation in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Originally known by their ancient name Abdali later as Durrani they have been called Durrani since the beginning of the Durrani Empire in 1747. The number of Durranis are estimated to be roughly 16%...
considered it wise to rule the area through local tribal chiefs. The Durranis' rule ended abruptly in the beginning of the 18th century.
The fall of the Durranis led way for the Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
s to rise to power under Ranjit Singh
Ranjit Singh
Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ji was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire.-Early life:...
. The Sikhs gained control of Mansehra in 1818, after stiff resistance from its inhabitants. When Mansehra fell under Sikh control, it was annexed to Punjab. Syed Ahmad Shaheed
Syed Ahmad Shaheed
Not to be confused with Ahmed Raza Khan BarelviSyed Ahmad Shaheed , also called Syed Ahmed Barelvi, was a Muslim activist from Rae Bareli, India. and founder of the "The Way of the Prophet Muhammad" , a revolutionary Islamic movement...
, with the help of the Mujahadeen, led many revolts and attacks against the Sikhs. At last, in 1831 during a fierce battle at Balakot
Balakot
Balakot , is a town in Mansehra District in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The town was destroyed during the 2005 earthquake and later rebuilt with the assistance of the Government of Pakistan and Saudi Public Assistance for Pakistan Earthquake Victims , a Saudi relief organization...
, Syed Ahmad Shaheed was killed. This allowed the Sikhs to consolidate their control of Mansehra. After Rajit Singh's death, the Sikh empire began to disintegrate. At this time, the British gained control of Punjab, and, through this, gained control of Mansehra.
By 1849, the British had gained control of all of Mansehra. However, the western Pashtun tribes remained rebellious. Unlike the people of the settled areas, the Pukhtoon (Pathan
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...
) tribes that lived on the western outskirts of Mansehra remained a constant source of trouble for the British for four decades (1852–92). The British sent many expeditions against the Pashtun tribes to crush the rebellion, especially against the Black Mountains. To maintain peace in the area the British also took preventive measures by co-opting the local rulers.
The British divided Hazara District
Hazara District
Hazara District was a district of Peshawar Division in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan until 1976.The Imperial Gazetteer of India described the district as follows..-Khatris and Khokhran:...
into three tehsils (administrative subdivisions): Mansehra, Abbottabad
Abbottabad District
Abbottabad is a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The district covers an area of 1,969 km with the city of Abbottabad being the principal town...
, and Haripur
Haripur District
Haripur is a district in the Hazara region of Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa, province of Pakistan with an altitude of around above sea level. Haripur District has the highest Human Development Index of all the districts in the Hazara....
; and decided to annex it to the Punjab
Punjab (British India)
Punjab was a province of British India, it was one of the last areas of the Indian subcontinent to fall under British rule. With the end of British rule in 1947 the province was split between West Punjab, which went to Pakistan, and East Punjab, which went to India...
. In 1901, when the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) (now Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa) was formed, Hazara was separated from Punjab and made a part of it. Throughout their rule in Mansehra, the British met fierce resistance from the local Pashtun tribes and declared martial law. Meanwhile, the many villages around Mansehra largely governed themselves. Many of Mansehra's citizens joined the Khilafat Movement
Khilafat Movement
The Khilafat movement was a pan-Islamic, political campaign launched by Muslims in British India to influence the British government and to protect the Ottoman Empire during the aftermath of World War I...
.
During British rule
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
, Mansehra was still a village; its population according to the 1901 census was 5,087. During the British period Mansehra was the headquarters of Mansehra Tehsil
Mansehra Tehsil
Mansehra Tehsil is a subdivision of Mansehra District in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.-History:During British Rule, Mansehra was a tehsil of Hazara District, the boundaries of the tehsil were described as follows by the Imperial Gazetteer of India:"Tahsīl of Hazāra District,...
, then a subdivision of Hazara District.
When the Muslim League in Pakistan started its movement for a separate land, the local people joined and struggled for liberation under the leadership of Quaid-i-Azam. Their eventual victory culminated in the creation 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...
, an independent state for the Muslims of the sub-continent.
During Bhutto's regime, Mansehra was upgraded to a district, containing two subdivisions: Mansehra
Mansehra Tehsil
Mansehra Tehsil is a subdivision of Mansehra District in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.-History:During British Rule, Mansehra was a tehsil of Hazara District, the boundaries of the tehsil were described as follows by the Imperial Gazetteer of India:"Tahsīl of Hazāra District,...
and Battagram. Later, the Mansehra district had the Balakot
Balakot
Balakot , is a town in Mansehra District in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The town was destroyed during the 2005 earthquake and later rebuilt with the assistance of the Government of Pakistan and Saudi Public Assistance for Pakistan Earthquake Victims , a Saudi relief organization...
subdivision added to it.
Literacy
Mansehra is located in a province with a literacy rate of 35.41%. In comparison, Pakistan as a whole has literacy rate of 43.92%, while Islamabad leads the nation with a 72.4% literacy rate. Hindko, Gojri
Gojri
Gojri, also known as Gujari is a variety of Rajasthani spoken by the Gujjars of Northern-Pakistan, India and Afghanistan.Rajasthani, Marwari and Gujarati are evolved from Gujari. The language was known as Gujjar bhakha or Gurjar Apabhramsha lately. It was used as literary language as early as 12th...
and Pashto are the predominant languages.
Subdivisions
The city of Mansehra is administratively divided into four Union CouncilsUnion Councils of Pakistan
A sherwan or village council in Pakistan is an elected local government body consisting of 21 councillors, and headed by a nazim and a naib nazim...
; these are:
- Mansehra City No 1
- Mansehra City No 2
- Mansehra City No 3
- Mansehra (Rural)
Each union council is divided into Mohallas.
Festival
In Durgashtami in ChetrChaitra
Chaitra is a month of the Hindu calendar....
and in Assu
Assu
Assu is the seventh month of the Nanakshahi calendar, which governs the Sikh tradition. This month coincides with September and October in the Gregorian and Julian calendars and is 30 days long.-September:...
, at the locality of Bareri, Hindus from the vicinity, to the number of about 400, assemble at the top of Bareri hill to worship Devi
Devi
Devī is the Sanskrit word for Goddess, used mostly in Hinduism, its related masculine term is deva. Devi is synonymous with Shakti, the female aspect of the divine, as conceptualized by the Shakta tradition of Hinduism. She is the female counterpart without whom the male aspect, which represents...
and to present offerings, which are taken by a Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
of Mansahra. The assembly on each occasion lasts only one day. The boulders near the base of Bareri Hill are notable because they contain Ashokan inscriptions
Edicts of Ashoka
The Edicts of Ashoka are a collection of 33 inscriptions on the Pillars of Ashoka, as well as boulders and cave walls, made by the Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryan dynasty during his reign from 269 BCE to 231 BCE. These inscriptions are dispersed throughout the areas of modern-day Bangladesh, India,...
.