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The
Lush Green Valley of Swat|
Mingora,Marghzar Madyan|
Deosai
| Headquarter Swat Valley The Lush Green Valley of Swat:
The
Lush-green valley of Swat, with its rushing torrents, icy-cold lakes,
fruit-laden orchards and flower-decked slopes is ideal for holiday-makers
intent on relaxation. It has a rich historical past, too. This is "Udayana"
(the "Garden") of the ancient Hindu epics; "the land of
enthralling beauty" where Alexander of Macedonia fought and won some
of his major battles before crossing over to the plains of Pakistan. This
is "the valley of the hanging chains" described by the famous
Chinese pilgrim-chroniclers, Huain Tsang and Fa-Hian in the fifth and
sixth centuries. Swat was once the cradle of Buddhism of all its schools-
Little Vehicle, Great Vehicle and the esoteric sects where once 1,400
monasteries flourished. It was the home of the famous Gandhara School
of Sculpture which was an expression of Graeco-Roman form in the local
Buddhist tradition. Swat was also the historical land where the Muslim
conquerors, Mahmud of Ghazni, Babur and Akbar fought their battles preparatory
to the conquest of the South Asia. The ruins of great Buddhist stupas,
monasteries and statues are found all over Swat. The valley of Swat sprawls
over 10,360 sq. kms at an average elevation of 975 meters. The maximum
temperature in July is 38 C and minimum (during January) is 1 C. The normal
temperature is maximum 21 C and minimum 7 C. The tourist season is year-
round.
Welcome to this strange piece of land known as Deosai. It is a plateau, the highest plateau on this planet after Tibet at 4200 meters. It is located in Baltistan to the east of Hunza near Indian-controlled Kashmir but don't worry, you wont be bombed by the Indians, it's quite some distance away. This plateau is indeed very beautiful, full of grass in the summer with lovely flowers spread across it but absolutely treeless. Several sparkling streams and several lakes as well. The Deosai Plains are 32 km south of Skardu. This plateau is the habitat of the greatly threatened Himalayan Brown Bear and many other wild animals. At an average elevation of 3500 meters, Deosai is now a National Park and protected area for wildlife. The rolling grassland here supports no trees or shrubs and the area is snow covered for seven months of the year. Spring comes to Deosai in August when millions of wild flowers begin to bloom all over the lush green grassland. Headquarters of Swat Valley, Saidu Sharif houses the Swat Museum which contains one of the finest collections of Gandhara art in the world.
K2 rises 28,250 ft (8611 m) and is the second tallest mountain the world, behind Mount Everest which rises 29,028 ft (8848 m). A March 1987 measurement of K2 indicated that it might be higher than Everest, but later that year, Everest was re-measured by a similar method and found to indeed be 778 ft (237 m) taller. The mountain is a cone of ice and limestone on a granite base, and the peak is considered by most climbers to be more difficult to reach than Everest's. Eight expeditions to K2 were made between 1892 and 1954. On July 31, 1954, Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli, two members of an Italian expedition led by Ardito Desio, made the first successful ascent to the peak.
The territory of Azad Kashmir is dotted with a vast chain of scenic and natural beauty spots amidst flowing streams, gushing springs and flowering plants. The mountain tops over the valley look like circular and rectangular caps. The panorama is really enchanting. The valley rivals those of Kaghan and Swat in beauty and boasts of remarkable alpine scenery. It is bounded to the east by the line of control or (ceasefire line) with Indian held Kashmir. Azad Kashmir extends from the plains of Mirpur at the northern edge of the Punjab through the outlying foothills of the Himalayas, to the mountains in the north at 6,000 meters above sea level. It is drained by three major rivers, the Jhelum, the Neelam and the Poonch whose valleys are very beautiful. There are four districts of Azad Kashmir namely Muzaffarabad, Poonch, Kotli and Mirpur. These districts abound in natural beauty and rivers and streams flow throughout Azad Kashmir. All the four districts have lush green forests which provide cool breeze and foliage for the visitors. Roads are the only means of transport in Azad Kashmir and play a basic role in the development of the territory. The area of Azad Kashmir is 8214 square kilometers land strip in the shape of a crescent moon, 400 km in length with width varying from 15 to 60 km. The terrain is mostly rugged and mountainous with 15,000 feet high mountains in north-west touching the Punjab plains. The total length of roads in Azad Kashmir is 1170 km of metalled and 850 km of fair-weather roads in addition to 1330 km miles of link roads.
Lal Suhanra National Park: This Park is ideal for recreation, education or research but shooting is forbidden. This park, 36 Km to the east of Bahawalpur, is a combination of a natural lake and forest on 77,480 acres of land and spread over on both sides of the Bahawal canal. The Punjnad Head Works is located 12 Km away from Uch Sharif where all the five rivers of Punjab meet. It is a nice picnic spot with scenic beauty. It is 55 Km from Bahawalpur and the residential headquarters of the Nawabs of Bahawalpur. Almost every Nawab has built a palace for himself at this place. Sadiq Gargh palace built during the rule of Nawab Sir Sadiq Muhammad Khan IV between 1882-1885 is the finest building there. The old fort of Munde Shahid, 50 Km from Bahawalpur and Marot Fort are considered to be antiquities. A place outside the Marot Fort is known as 'Baithak Maula Ali'. The tomb of Naugaza is located in the Munde Sharif Fort. It is 30 Km from Bahawalpur. It is said that there are seven tombs known as 'Ali Ashab'. These tombs are said to be of the companions of Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). There is a tower in the centre of four similar smaller towers at this place, which are believed to form a Buddhist monastery. Cholistan is locally known as Rohi. This famous desert is 30 Km from Bahawalpur and comprises of an area of 16,000 sq km, which stretches up to the Thar desert extending over to Sindh. The word Cholistan is derived from 'Cholna' which means moving. The people of Cholistan lead a semi-nomadic life, moving from one place to another in search of water and fodder for their animals. Uch, 75 km from Bahawalpur, is a very old town. It is believed that it existed even in 500 B.C. Some historians believe that Uch was there even before the advent of Bikramajit when Jains and Buddhists ruled over the sub-continent. At the time of the invasion by Alexander the Great, Uch was under Hindu rule. Some historians say that Alexander came to Uch after conquering northern parts of India and spent over a fortnight in the city and renamed it Alexandria. Some have mentioned Uch by the name of Sikandara or Iskalanda. They have described it as the most flourishing and beautiful town perched upon the plateau near the confluence of the Chenab and Ravi rivers. Famous shrines existing at Uch include those of Hazrat Bahawal Haleem, Hazrat Jalaluddin Surkh Bukhari, Makhdoom Jahanian Jehangasht, Bibi Jawandi and Shaikh Saifuddin Ghazrooni etc.
Multan city has the distinction of being the birthplace of three distinguished men in history: Mohammad Tughlaq is said to have been born in 13 century in a hamlet at the place which is now known as 'Kotla Toleh Khan'. Emperor Bahlol Lodhi was born in Qazian Wala Makan near Hussain Agahi. Ahmed Shah Abdali, the first Durrani sovereign of Afghanistan, was also born at Multan in 1722. The city of Multan is bound on the north by the depression lying between it and the fort and on all other sides by a brick wall. It has six gates i.e., Lohari Gate, Pak Gate, Bohar Gate, Delhi Gate, Haram Gate and Daulat Gate. The old city has narrow colorful bazaars full of local handicrafts and narrow winding lanes. There are many places of historical, cultural and recreational interest in the city. Multan Fort was built on a mound separating it from the city by the old bed of river Ravi. Its date cannot be fixed with accuracy. When intact, its circumference was 6,600 ft. having 46 bastions, including two towers at each of the four gates i.e., Delhi Gate, Khizri Gate, Sikhi Gate and Rehri Gate. The fort was ravaged by the British to avenge the murder of one Mr. Agnew in 1848. At present it is survived by some parts of the old rampart and bastions besides the shrines of Hazrat Bahauddin Zakaria and Shah Rukn-e-Alam, an obelisk in memory of Agnew and a Hindu temple. The famous Qasim Bagh and a stadium are located within the walls of the fort. A panoramic view of Multan City can be had from the highest point in the fort.
Peshawar derives its name from a Sanskrit word "Pushpapura" meaning the city of flowers. Peshawar's flowers were mentioned even in Moghal Emperor Babur's memoirs. Alexander's legions and the southern wing of his army were held up here in 327 B.C. for forty days at a fort excavated recently, 27 ½ kms north-east of Peshawar at Pushkalavati (lotus city) near Charsadda. The great Babur marched through historic Khyber Pass to conquer South Asia in 1526 and set up the Moghal Empire in the South Asia. The pass and the valley have resounded to the tramp of marching feet as successive armies hurtled down the crossroad of history, pathway of commerce, migration and invasion by Aryans, Scythians, Persians, Greeks, Bactrians, Kushans, Huns, Turks' Mongols and Moghals.
Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, 1692 meters above sea level, lies at the mouth of Bolan Pass. It has three large craggy mountains. Chiltan, Zarghun and Koh-e-Murdar seem to brood upon this pleasant town. There are other mountains that form a ring around it. Their copper red and russet rocks and crests that are powdered with snow in winters add immense charm to the town. Quetta can rightly be called the fruit basket of Pakistan. Plums, peaches, pomegranates, apricots, apples, guavas (locally called zaitoon), some unique varieties of melon like "Garma" and "Sarda" and cherries, pistachios and almonds are all grown in abundance. Some pistachios also grow in Qila Saif Ullah also. Saffron grows very well on mountains around 5000 ft (1524 meters) high. It is being cultivated on a commercial scale here. Tulip is an indigenous flower of Pakistan. The yellow and red varieties of tulip grow wild around Quetta.
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