Battagram

Battagram is a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.

History

Alexander the Great conquered and established his rule over a large part of northern India, including the Battagram area. In the year 327 B.C. Alexander handed the area over to the Indian king Abisares.

Hindu Shahi dynasty: In the 2nd century CE, a mythical Hindu king Raja Risalu, son of Raja Salbahan of Sialkot, brought the area under his control. The local people consider him as their hero and, even today, parents tell their children the stories of Raja Risalu and his wife Rani Konklan on winter nights. When a Chinese pilgrim, Hiun-Tsang, visited this area, it was under the control of Durlabhavardhana, the ruler of Kashmir.

In 997 CE, Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi, took over the Ghaznavid dynasty empire established by his father, Sultan Sebuktegin, In 1005 he conquered the Shahis in Kabul in 1005, and followed it by the conquests of northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The Delhi Sultanate and later Mughal Empire ruled the region. The Punjab region became predominantly Muslim due to missionary Sufi saints whose dargahs dot the landscape of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The Turkish Shahi and Hindu Shahi Dynasties ruled Battagram one after another. Among the Hindu Shahi dynasty rulers, Raja Jayapala is the best known. Mehmood of Ghazni defeated Raja Jayapala during his first Indian campaign. However, there is no historical evidence that Mehmood of Ghazni ever visited or passed through Battagram.

After the fall of 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 Battagram and other areas of present.

Turks: In 1399, the Muslim warrior Timur, on his return to Kabul, stationed his Turk soldiers in Hazara Khyber Pakhtunkhwa . Battgram was a part of that area). Taimur left his soldiers 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 Karlugh Turks 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 Swatis 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. During the absence of the Sultan Syed Jalal Shah (Jalal Baba) took advantage of the situation, conspired with Swatis, invited them to attack Pakhli Sarkar and succeeded to overthrow the Turkish rulers from the Sarkar. Thus Swatis ousted the Turks and captured this area.The descendents of this Turkic dynasty still scattered in various parts of Hazara, such as, Behali, Manakrai, Girwal, Mohar etc. of districts of Mansehra, Abbottabad, Haripur and Battagram etc.

Durranis: When Ahmad Shah Durrani expanded his kingdom to Punjab, Hazara 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.

Sikhs and British: After end of Durranis, the Battagram came under Sikh rule. After the decline of the Mughal Empire, the Sikh invaded and occupied Battagram District. The Muslims faced severe restrictions during the Sikh rule. Sikh rule came to an end in 1818. Almost at the same time the entire Hazara, including Battagram came under British rule. The predominantly Muslim population supported Muslim League and Pakistan Movement. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the minority Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India while the Muslim refugees from India settled in the Battagram District.

References

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