Mansehra

Mansehra
مانسہرہ
Town and Union council

Mansehra is surrounded by verdant mountains
Mansehra

Location in Pakistan

Coordinates: 34°20′N 73°12′E / 34.333°N 73.200°E / 34.333; 73.200
Province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
District Mansehra District
Elevation 1,088 m (3,570 ft)
Time zone PST (UTC+5)

Mansehra (Urdu: مانسہرہ) is a town located in Mansehra District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.[1]

The name of the city is derived from that of its founder, Sardar Man Singh, who was a Sikh administrator during the rule of the Lahore Khalsa Durbar of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.[2]

History

Maurya Dynasty

During the Maurya dynasty, Ashoka the Great was the governor of this area where 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. The Mansehra rocks record fourteen of Ashoka's edicts, presenting aspects of the emperor's dharma or righteous law, and represent some of the earliest 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.[3]

Sikh Rule

The fall of the Durranis led way for the Sikhs to rise to power under Ranjit Singh. The Sikhs gained control of the area in 1818. The actual town or city of Mansehra was founded by Man Singh, a Sikh governor.[4] Soon after the Sikh rule, popular uprisings against the Sikhs began. However, the uprisings failed. The rule of the Sikhs ended in 1849. This is when the area came under the British rule.[5][6]

British Period

By 1849, the British had gained control of all of Mansehra. To maintain peace in the area the British also took preventive measures by co-opting the local chiefs.

The British divided Hazara region 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) was formed, Hazara was separated from Punjab and made a part of it.

During British rule, Mansehra was still a small town; its population according to the 1901 census was 5,087.[7] During the British period Mansehra was the headquarters of Mansehra Tehsil.

When the Muslim League in NWFP 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 was divided into two districts namely Mansehra and Battagram, and two subdivisions Balakot and Oghi.

Mansehra city and environs

Mansehra City is the administrative capital of District and Tehsil Mansehra. The city of Mansehra is administratively divided into four Union Councils:[8]

Each union council is divided into Mohallas.

Mansehra is a major stop for tourists on the Karakoram Highway which leads to Gilgit and China for trade or other interests. It is also a major transit point for tourists visiting such places in the north as such Balakot and the Kaghan Valley, and other locations in that region.[9]

Education

The district has one university, the Hazara University and several colleges. First primary school in Mansehra district were established in village Behali (1872), Baffa (1874) & subsequently in Mansehra town in 1892. Nawansheer and Sherwan in Mansehra also had primary schools con-temporarily (1870s).

Cultural festival

In Durgashtami in Chetr and in Assu,[10] 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 (as Durga)and to present offerings, which are taken by a Brahmin of Mansehra.[10] The assembly on each occasion lasts only one day.[10] The boulders near the base of Bareri Hill are notable because they contain Ashokan inscriptions.[11] In the Gandhian (village), there is an old temple located at a hamlet termed as Chitti Gatti, dedicated to lord Shiva and probably one of the oldest Shiva Lingas in the region.

Tribes and ethnic groups

Mansehra is home to a diverse number of tribes: Swatis, Dhund Abbasi, Gujjars, Syeds, Awans, Rajputs, some Kashmiri settlers, Maliars, Tanolis, Hassanzai, Qureshi (Kassay) and others.

References

  1. ↑ "Location of Mansehra". Falling Rain. Retrieved 2011-03-30.
  2. ↑ Hazara Report 1993, Peshawar:Govt of NWFP, p. 12
  3. ↑ Department of Archaeology and Museums (2004-01-30). "UNESCO world heritage Centre - Mansehra Rock Edicts". Whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 2011-03-30.
  4. ↑ Not to be confused with the Hindu Rajput Raja Man Singh I of Amber in Rajputana, India
  5. ↑ Hazara Gazetteer 1884
  6. ↑ Gazetteer 1884,
  7. ↑ "Mānsehra Village - Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 17, p. 203". Dsal.uchicago.edu. Retrieved 2011-03-30.
  8. ↑ "Tehsils & Unions in the District of Mansehra". Nrb.gov.pk. Retrieved 2011-03-30.
  9. ↑ Hazara Report 1993, aa
  10. 1 2 3 Report of the land revenue settlement of the Hazara district of the Punjab By E. G. Wace. Central Jail Press. Retrieved 2007-11-03. In the nearby locality of Bareri, Hindus from the vicinity, to the number of about 400, used to assemble at the top of Bareri hill to worship Devi (Durga) and to present offerings, which were taken by a Brahmin of Mansehra. The assembly on each occasion lasted only one day.
  11. ↑ "Around Abbottabad by S.A.J. Shirazi". Travelers Digest. Retrieved 2007-11-03. Further north; go to the black mountain near Oghi or to see the Asokan inscriptions on boulders near base of Bareri Hill close to Mansehra.

External links

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