Lasbela District
Encyclopedia
Lasbela is a coastal district
of Balochistan
province of Pakistan
. It became a separate district in Kalat Division
on 30 June 1954. The name is derived from the words Las which in Sanskrit signifies a settlement or lived in or lively and Bela
which means "A Sea's Shore" in Sanskrit and is also the name of the principal town of the district. Bela is the district headquarters. The district is divided into 9 Tehsil
and 21 union councils
.
s, these are:
after conquering Northwestern India
. In 711
CE, the Arab general, Muhammad bin Qasim
passed through Lasbela on his way to Sindh
.
The area of the district was formerly a princely state of British India (Las – with Bela as capital), which later merged with Pakistan.
before flowing through Lasbela on their way to the Arabian Sea
.
In 1998, 22.3% of the population was literate with 32.16% of the males and 10.46% of the females.
The majority of population speaks either Sindhi
or Baluchi
. Much of the population also speaks a language called Lasi
, which is derived from Sindhi
or Jadgali.
Others
Districts of Pakistan
The Districts of Pakistan are the second order administrative divisions of Pakistan. Districts were the third order of administrative divisions, below provinces and "divisions", until the reforms of August 2000, when "divisions" were abolished...
of Balochistan
Balochistan (Pakistan)
Balochistan is one of the four provinces or federating units of Pakistan. With an area of 134,051 mi2 or , it is the largest province of Pakistan, constituting approximately 44% of the total land mass of Pakistan. According to the 1998 population census, Balochistan had a population of...
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 became a separate district in Kalat Division
Kalat Division
Kalat Division was an administrative division of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan, until the reforms of 2000 abolished the third tier of government....
on 30 June 1954. The name is derived from the words Las which in Sanskrit signifies a settlement or lived in or lively and Bela
Bela (Pakistan)
Bela is an important town of Lasbela district in Balochistan province of Pakistan, and is the chief town of the Bela Tehsil. Bela is an ancient town in a historic tract surrounded by hills above the Arabian Sea nearly 200 km west of Karachi....
which means "A Sea's Shore" in Sanskrit and is also the name of the principal town of the district. Bela is the district headquarters. The district is divided into 9 Tehsil
Tehsil
A Tehsil or Tahsil/Tahasil , also known as Taluk and Mandal, is an administrative division of some country/countries of South Asia....
and 21 union councils
Union 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...
.
Administration
The district of Lasbela is administratively subdivided into four tehsilTehsil
A Tehsil or Tahsil/Tahasil , also known as Taluk and Mandal, is an administrative division of some country/countries of South Asia....
s, these are:
- BelaBela TehsilBela is an administrative subdivision of Lasbela District in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. The tehsil is administratively subdivided into five Union Councils and is heaquartered at the town of Bela.-References:...
- DurejiDureji TehsilDureji is an administrative subdivision of Lasbela District in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. The tehsil is administratively subdivided into two Union Councils and is heaquartered at the town of Dureji.-References:...
- Hub
- UthalUthal TehsilUthal is an administrative subdivision of Lasbela District in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. The tehsil is administratively subdivided into seven Union Councils and is heaquartered at the city of Uthal.-References:...
History
Alexander the Great passed through Lasbela on his way back to BabylonBabylon
Babylon was an Akkadian city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...
after conquering Northwestern India
History of India
The history of India begins with evidence of human activity of Homo sapiens as long as 75,000 years ago, or with earlier hominids including Homo erectus from about 500,000 years ago. The Indus Valley Civilization, which spread and flourished in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent from...
. In 711
711
Year 711 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 711 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* April 30 – Ummayad troops led by...
CE, the Arab general, Muhammad bin Qasim
Muhammad bin Qasim
Muhammad bin Qasim Al-Thaqafi was a Umayyad general who, at the age of 17, began the conquest of the Sindh and Punjab regions along the Indus River for the Umayyad Caliphate. He was born in the city of Taif...
passed through Lasbela on his way to Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
.
The area of the district was formerly a princely state of British India (Las – with Bela as capital), which later merged with Pakistan.
Geography
The main river is the Porali with its tributaries, Winder and Wirhab rivers. Other rivers are the Phor and Hingol which rise in Awaran DistrictAwaran District
Awaran District is a district in the south of the Balochistan province of Pakistan. It was notified as a separate district on 11 November 1992...
before flowing through Lasbela on their way to the Arabian Sea
Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea is a region of the Indian Ocean bounded on the east by India, on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, on the south, approximately, by a line between Cape Guardafui in northeastern Somalia and Kanyakumari in India...
.
Demographics
The population of Lasbela was estimated to be over 700,000 in 2005. In 1998, the overall population was 98.33% Muslim. Of the remaining, 1.37% were Hindus and 0.14% Christian, with the rest belonging to various other religions. In 1998, about 37% of the population resided in the urban areas.In 1998, 22.3% of the population was literate with 32.16% of the males and 10.46% of the females.
The majority of population speaks either Sindhi
Sindhi language
Sindhi is the language of the Sindh region of Pakistan that is spoken by the Sindhi people. In India, it is among 22 constitutionally recognized languages, where Sindhis are a sizeable minority. It is spoken by 53,410,910 people in Pakistan, according to the national government's Statistics Division...
or Baluchi
Balochi language
Balochi is a Northwestern Iranian language. It is the principal language of the Baloch of Balochistan, Pakistan, eastern Iran and southern Afghanistan. It is also spoken as a second language by some Brahui. It is designated as one of nine official languages of Pakistan.-Vowels:The Balochi vowel...
. Much of the population also speaks a language called Lasi
Lasi
Lasi is a tribe settled in Lasbela District of Balochistan, Pakistan....
, which is derived from Sindhi
Sindhi language
Sindhi is the language of the Sindh region of Pakistan that is spoken by the Sindhi people. In India, it is among 22 constitutionally recognized languages, where Sindhis are a sizeable minority. It is spoken by 53,410,910 people in Pakistan, according to the national government's Statistics Division...
or Jadgali.
Shrines
- Shrine of Shah Bilawal
- Lahut-i-Lamakan
- Kumb Shrine
- Shireen and Farhad
- Sassi and PunnuSassi PunnunSassi Punnun ; is one of the seven popular tragic romances from Sindh and Baluchistan. The other six are Umar Marui, Sohni Mehar, Lila Chanesar, Noori Jam Tamachi, Momal Rano and Dhaj, Ror Kumar commonly known as Seven Queens of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai...
- Pir Fida Hussain
- Pir Moosiani
- Pir Mohiuddin
- Mai Gondrani
- HinglajHinglajHinglaj is an important Hindu pilgrimage place in Balochistan, Pakistan and Kuldevi of many Kshatriya and other Hindu Communities of India. It is situated in Balochistan province about 250 km north of Karachi.-Mythological Origin:...
- [pir koonana]
- [pir shah bukhari]
- [pir meeran]
- [pir bukur]
- [Darga Baba Juman Shah] Uthal
Historical Buildings and Archaeological Sites
At Bela:- Shah Jamai Mosque
- Tomb of General Muhammad ibn Haroon
- Tomb of Colonel Robert SandemanRobert Groves SandemanSir Robert Groves Sandeman, KCSI , Colonial British Indian officer and administrator, was the son of General Robert Turnbull Sandeman, and was born on the 25th of February 1835. He was educated at Perth and University of St Andrews, and joined the 33rd Bengal Infantry in 1856...
- Karia Pir
Others
- Sassi Waro-Chodo (Sassi's Spring), near Paboni Naka, about 68 km from Karachi.
- Bakkar Buthi, a small Harappan site located in the remote mountainous area to the east of the Las Bela plain.