| Pothohar Plateau | |
|---|---|
| پوٹھوہار پٹھار (Punjabi) سطح مرتفع پوٹھوہار (Urdu) | |
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,900 ft (580 m)[1] |
| Geography | |
  Pothohar Plateau Pothohar Plateau (Pakistan) Show map of Pakistan | |
| Range coordinates | 32°58′N72°15′E / 32.967°N 72.250°E /32.967; 72.250[2] |
| Geology | |
| Mountain type | Plateau |
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ThePothohar Plateau (Punjabi:پوٹھوہار پَٹھوار,romanized:Pо̄ṭhoā̀r Paṭhwār;Urdu:سطح مرتفع پوٹھوہار,romanized:Satāh Murtafā Pо̄ṭhohār), also known as theNorthern Punjab Plateau, is aplateau within theSagar Doab of north-westernPunjab inPakistan. It is located between theIndus andJhelum rivers.[1][2]
A late medievalPersian manuscript,Kaigoharnameh, written byRaezadeh Diwan Duni Chand in A.D. 1725 to the order ofGakhar chiefs presents a detailed history of Gakhars in northern Punjab.[3][4] The term in the manuscript has been written variously asPathwar,Pot har andPothohar; and seems to be related to thePunjabi term for a plateau (Paṭhār).[3] According toAhmad Hasan Dani, the term is derived fromPrshtawar inSanskrit,Prshta meaning "back" of the Indus River andWar meaning "area".[3][5]
Pothohar Plateau is bounded on the east by theJhelum River,[6] on the west by theIndus River, on the north by theKala Chitta Range and theMargalla Hills, and on the south by theSalt Range.[1] The southern end of the plateau is bounded by theThal desert.[1] The 5000square miles of the plateau range from an average height of 1200 to 1900 feet above the sea level.[1]Sakesar (1525 m) in the Salt Range inKhushab District is the highest peak of the region.
TheSivapithecus indicus fossil skull of an extinct ape species was discovered in Potohar plateau.[7] The earliest evidence of human habitation inPunjab traces to theSoan valley of the Pothohar, whereSoanian culture developed between 774,000 BC and 11,700 BC. This period goes back to the first interglacial period in thesecond Ice Age, from which remnants of stone and flint tools have been found.[8]
Taxila was the capital city of ancientGāndhāra, situated on the eastern shore of the Indus—the pivotal junction of the Indian subcontinent andCentral Asia;[9] it was founded around 1000 BCE. Some ruins at Taxila date to the time of theAchaemenid Empire, followed successively by theMaurya Empire, theIndo-Greek Kingdom, theIndo-Scythians, and theKushan Empire. Owing to its strategic location, Taxila has changed hands many times over the centuries, with many polities vying for its control. When the great ancient trade routes connecting these regions ceased to be important, the city sank into insignificance and was finally destroyed in the 5th century by the invadingHunas.
Throughout much of its history, the Pothohar Plateau was primarily dominated by the localKhokhar andGakhar tribes. Under the chieftainship ofShaikha Khokhar, the Khokhars resisted theTimurid invasion of Punjab in 1398 CE.[10] In the 15th century, Pothohar was conquered by MalikJasrat Khokhar who had conquered most of Punjab from the Delhi Sultanate.[11]
During theMughal Period, the Pothohar was a part of theSubah of Lahore.[12]Sarang Khan Gakhar was the chief of theGakhars, who was made ruler of Pothohar Plateau in 1520 by the Mughal emperorBabur for his submission to the Mughals. He was captured and killed bySher Shah Suri in 1546.[13] His sonKamal Khan Gakhar later assumed the throne of Pothohar Plateau by defeating his uncle Adam Khan in battle with help of the Mughal EmperorJalaluddin Akbar.[14][15][16]Muqarrab Khan Gakhar rose to power and became the Sultan of Pothohar from 1739 until 1767 succeeding his father Mu'azzam Khan.
The Punjab played a major role in the war effort ofWorld War II, and a large proportion of these soldiers came from the Pothohar as well as the Salt Range.[17] In mid-19th centuryBritish India, ancient Taxila's ruins were rediscovered by British archaeologistAlexander Cunningham. In 1980,UNESCO designated Taxila as aWorld Heritage Site.[18] By some accounts, theUniversity of ancient Taxila is considered to be one of the earliest universities in the world.[19][20][21][22][23] Because of the extensive preservation efforts and upkeep, Taxila is one ofPunjab's popular tourist spots, attracting up to one million tourists every year.[24][25]
Punjabis are the native people of Pothohar, speakingPunjabi in forms of variousdialects and Urdu.[26] Major dialects or varieties spoken in the region includePothwari, predominantly spoken in the northern and central areas of the plateau, withDhanni being spoken in the southern areas,Majhi in the eastern andHindko (specificallyGhebi andChachhi) in the western areas.[27] Other Punjabi dialects, as well as other languages, are also spoken in major urban centres likeIslamabad andRawalpindi.
The majorbiradaris of the region (Punjabi: برادری) includeRajputs,Jats,Awans,Janjuas,Gujjars,Khokhars, andGakhars.[28][29][30][31] Prior to thepartition of India, other biradaris including theKhatris,Mohyal Brahmins, andAroras were also present in large numbers throughout the region.[32][33][34]
The plateau covers about 7 percent of all the cultivated land of Pakistan and most of it is very fertile, but the region does not have any proper irrigation system, with theagriculture being largely dependent on rainfall.[35]
The plateau is the location of major Pakistani oil fields, the first of which were discovered atKhaur in 1915 and Dhuliān in 1935; the Tut field was discovered in 1968, Missa Keswal was discovered in 1992 and exploration continued in the area in the 1990s. The oil fields are connected by pipeline to theAttock Refinery in Rawalpindi.[36]Major reserves of oil and gas has been discovered atChak Beli Khan near Rawalpindi in Punjab. A major oil reserve has been discovered near Jhelum in Punjab, opening up a new area for exploitation of hydrocarbon potential (e.g., Meyal Field[37]). With an estimated production of 5,500 barrels per day, the Ghauri X-1 oil well is expected to be the country's largest oil-producing well and is likely to start contributing its output to the system by the end of June 2014.
Due to lowrain fall, extensivedeforestation,coal mining,oil and gas exploration, the area is becoming devoid of vegetation.
Taxila's archaeological sites lie near modern Taxila about 35 km (22 mi) northwest of the city of Rawalpindi.[38] The sites were first excavated byJohn Marshall, who worked at Taxila over a period of twenty years from 1913.[39]
The vast archaeological site includes neolithic remains dating to 3360 BCE, and Early Harappan remains dating to 2900–2600 BCE atSarai Kala.[40] Taxila, however, is most famous for ruins of several settlements, the earliest dating from around 1000 BCE. It is also known for its collection of Buddhist religious monuments, including theDharmarajika stupa, theJaulian monastery, and theMohra Muradu monastery.
The main ruins of Taxila include four major cities, each belonging to a distinct time period, at three different sites. The earliest settlement at Taxila is found in the Hathial section, which yielded pottery shards that date from as early as the late 2nd millennium BCE to the 6th century BCE. The Bhir Mound ruins at the site date from the 6th century BCE, and are adjacent to Hathial. The ruins of Sirkap date to the 2nd century BCE, and were built by the region's Greco-Bactrian kings who ruled in the region following Alexander the Great's invasion of the region in 326 BCE. The third and most recent settlement is that ofSirsukh, which was built by rulers of the Kushan empire, who ruled from nearby Purushapura (modernPeshawar).
Rohtas Fort is a 16th-centuryfortress located near the city ofJhelum in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The fort is one of the largest and most formidable in thesubcontinent.[41] Rohtas Fort was never taken by force,[42] and it has remained remarkably intact.[42] The fortress was built by RajaTodar Mal on the orders ofSher Shah Suri.The fort is known for its large defensive walls and several monumental gateways. Rohtas Fort was declared a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site in 1997, as an "exceptional example of the Muslim military architecture of Central and South Asia."[42]
TheKatas Raj Temples also known as Qila Katas,[43] is a complex of several Hindu temples connected to one another by walkways.[43] The temple complex surrounds a pond namedKatas which is regarded as sacred by Hindus.[44]
The temples' pond is said in thePuranas to have been created from the teardrops ofShiva, after he wandered the Earth inconsolable after the death of his wifeSati.[44][43] The pond occupies an area of two kanals and 15 marlas, with a maximum depth of 20 feet.
The temples play a role in the Hindu epic poem, theMahābhārata,[45] where the temples are traditionally believed to have been the site where thePandava brothers spent a significant portion of their exile.[44]
Rawat Fort is an early 16th century fort near the city of Rawalpindi. The fort was built to defend the region from the forces of the Pashtun king Sher Shah Suri.[46]
Tilla Jogian is an abandoned Hindu temple and monastic complex located on the summit of theTilla Jogian mountain in the Salt Range. The complex was the most important centre for Hindujogis inPunjab prior to 1947, and had housed hundreds ofascetics. The site is also important inSikhism for its association with the founder of the Sikh faith,Guru Nanak.
TheKhewra Salt Mine inKhewra is the second largestsalt mine in the world.[47][48][49]
The mine is famous for its production of pink Khewra salt, often marketed asHimalayan salt, and is a major tourist attraction, drawing up to 250,000 visitors a year.[50] Its history dates back to its discovery by Alexander'stroops in 320 BC, but it started trading in the Mughal era.[51]
TheManikyala Stupa is a Buddhiststupa near the village of Tope Mankiala. The stupa was built to commemorate the spot, where according to theJataka tales, an incarnation of theBuddha calledPrince Sattva sacrificed himself to feed seven hungry tiger cubs.[52][53]
Mankiala stupa's relic deposits were discovered byJean-Baptiste Ventura in 1830. The relics were then removed from the site during the British Raj, and are now housed in theBritish Museum.[54]
Sarang Khan... and his brother made their submission to Babar, and Adam Khan, with a Gakhar force, attended him to Delhi, and for this service the Pothwar country was confirmed to them by the Emperor
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{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link){{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link){{citation}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)Gujars of this tract are wholly Muslims, and so are the Khokhar who have only a few Hindu families. In early stages the converted Rajputs continued with preconversion practices.
Rajputs Kokhar were the domiciles of India and were originally followers of Hinduism, later on they embraced Islam and with the passage of time most of them settled near Jehlam, Pindadan Khan, Ahmed Abad and Pothar. In Rajouri District, Khokhars are residing in various villages.
This caste of Brahmins trace their origins to the Gandhara region, located in contemporary northwest Pakistan between Peshawar and Taxila. The region has long been associated with governmental administrative and military service. In addition to being referred to as "Husaini" Brahmins for their rituals of devotion to Imam Husain, which will be discussed below, this caste is more formally known asMohyal.
The surname — Mehta — is actually a title granted to the more erudite and better educated amongst theMohyal community, originating from the Gandhara region.
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)Mankiala tiger.
As Buddha offers his body to appease the hunger of the seven starving tiger - cubs, so Râsâlu offers himself instead of the woman's only son who was destined to ... Lastly, the scene of both legends is laid at Manikpur or Mânikyâla
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