Sawal Dher
Encyclopedia
Sawal Dher is an historic village in Mardan District
of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
, that contains the remains of an ancient city. The village is located 5 kilometers southwest of Jamal Garhi, most of the relics of this site are now in Lahore Museum
. This site is situated at a distance of 4/5 kilometers in the southwest of Jamal Garhi. Most of the sculptures of this monastery are preserved in Peshawar
and Lahore Museums. It is 19 km away from the district capital Mardan
.
The following Pakhtun tribes live in Sawal Dher: Roghani, Yousafzai, Khattak, Tatars, Kakar, Daavi tribe, etc.
It has an ancient history. Most of the sculptures of this monastery are preserved in Peshawar and Lahore
museum. A grand mosque and Hujra were constructed by forefathers of the village long before on a high plat of land. It is a very spacious Grand Masque named as(Masjid-e-Bala) and a traditional gathering place(Hujra)named as Bara Hujra. It is said that this place is 5000 (thousand) years old and relating to the Buddha era. Moreover, it is believed and reported that this Grand Mosque of the village was constructed on the ruins of a Buddhist Stupa. Sawal Dher was built and developed by three main families, i.e Roghanies, Khattak and .... they come from various parts of Paktun Land and settled here. After some time people of nearby Katlang, a big town in area, try to kick out people of Sawal Dher, but the brave people become unit against those invaders and ousted them. Later on people of the village also win a law suit in British Raj Courts against the establishment of the village. Settlement of the irrigated land was done during British Raj. People in the village live on the principles of harmony, equality and brotherhood. Sawal Dher has a unique status in Pakhtun Land that as there is no Khan or Land Lord in the village, though few families have higher amount of land then average but one can't find mentality of Khanism in the people.
A small and low level woodcutting
industry exist the village. The population of Sawaldher, according to the 1998 census, is about 40,000. Main occupations are farming, business and employment. Moreover, the linked villages(also part sawal dher) Guli Bagh and Musa Khatt are situated 5 kilometres north east and are famous for their gardening and plantation sales outlets.
There is one higher secondary school
for boys and one high school for girls, besides several primary school. A Basic Health Unit was also there but not fulfill needs of the locals.
The main sources of the irrigation
are canals. The Upper Swat canal irrigates Sawal Dher, besides, irrigation is done by tube-wells and lift irrigation. The major crops grown in the village are wheat
, sugarcane
, tobacco
, maize
, rice
, rapeseed
, and mustard
. Fruits and vegetables are also grown. The important fruits are orange
, plum
, peach
, apricot
, pear
, rare mango
and apple
but on very limited scale. The most common diet is bread, which is made of wheat or maize flour. The people of the area are fond of meat; various forms of beef
cooked in the shape of chapli kebab, seekh kebab, tikkas.
The maximum temperature
recorded in the summer season is 39.5 degree Celsius
. A steep rise in temperature is observed from May to June. Due to intensive cultivation
and artificial irrigation, the tract is humid and heat is oppressive. However, the average daily temperature falls quite steeply from October onward. The coldest months are December and January. The mean minimum temperature recorded for the month of January, Sawal Dher's coldest month, is 0 degree Celsius. Most of the rainfall occurs in the months of July, August, December and January. August is the wettest month with the highest recorded precipitation at 125.8 mm. Towards the end of the cold season there are occasional thunderstorms and hail storms. The relative humidity
is quite high throughout the year, while 73% maximum humidity has been recorded in December.
Mardan District
Mardan is a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The city of Mardan is the headquarters of the district. The district also contains the famous archaeological site of Takht Bhai, Jamal Ghari and Sawal Dher.-Administration:...
of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 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...
, that contains the remains of an ancient city. The village is located 5 kilometers southwest of Jamal Garhi, most of the relics of this site are now in Lahore Museum
Lahore Museum
Lahore Museum , established in 1894, is located in The Mall, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Rudyard Kipling's father, John Lockwood Kipling, was one of the famous curators of the museum. Over 250,000 admissions were registered in 2005.-Attractions:...
. This site is situated at a distance of 4/5 kilometers in the southwest of Jamal Garhi. Most of the sculptures of this monastery are preserved in Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
and Lahore Museums. It is 19 km away from the district capital Mardan
Mardan
Mardan , known as The city of hospitality, is a city and headquarters of Mardan District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. It is the de facto headquarters of the Yousafzai tribe and the second most populous city in the province, located at 34°12'0N 72°1'60E and an altitude of in the south...
.
The following Pakhtun tribes live in Sawal Dher: Roghani, Yousafzai, Khattak, Tatars, Kakar, Daavi tribe, etc.
It has an ancient history. Most of the sculptures of this monastery are preserved in Peshawar and Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
museum. A grand mosque and Hujra were constructed by forefathers of the village long before on a high plat of land. It is a very spacious Grand Masque named as(Masjid-e-Bala) and a traditional gathering place(Hujra)named as Bara Hujra. It is said that this place is 5000 (thousand) years old and relating to the Buddha era. Moreover, it is believed and reported that this Grand Mosque of the village was constructed on the ruins of a Buddhist Stupa. Sawal Dher was built and developed by three main families, i.e Roghanies, Khattak and .... they come from various parts of Paktun Land and settled here. After some time people of nearby Katlang, a big town in area, try to kick out people of Sawal Dher, but the brave people become unit against those invaders and ousted them. Later on people of the village also win a law suit in British Raj Courts against the establishment of the village. Settlement of the irrigated land was done during British Raj. People in the village live on the principles of harmony, equality and brotherhood. Sawal Dher has a unique status in Pakhtun Land that as there is no Khan or Land Lord in the village, though few families have higher amount of land then average but one can't find mentality of Khanism in the people.
A small and low level woodcutting
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
industry exist the village. The population of Sawaldher, according to the 1998 census, is about 40,000. Main occupations are farming, business and employment. Moreover, the linked villages(also part sawal dher) Guli Bagh and Musa Khatt are situated 5 kilometres north east and are famous for their gardening and plantation sales outlets.
There is one higher secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
for boys and one high school for girls, besides several primary school. A Basic Health Unit was also there but not fulfill needs of the locals.
The main sources of the irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
are canals. The Upper Swat canal irrigates Sawal Dher, besides, irrigation is done by tube-wells and lift irrigation. The major crops grown in the village are wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
, sugarcane
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
, tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
, maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, rapeseed
Rapeseed
Rapeseed , also known as rape, oilseed rape, rapa, rappi, rapaseed is a bright yellow flowering member of the family Brassicaceae...
, and mustard
Mustard plant
Mustards are several plant species in the genera Brassica and Sinapis whose small mustard seeds are used as a spice and, by grinding and mixing them with water, vinegar or other liquids, are turned into the condiment known as mustard or prepared mustard...
. Fruits and vegetables are also grown. The important fruits are orange
Orange (fruit)
An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....
, plum
Plum
A plum or gage is a stone fruit tree in the genus Prunus, subgenus Prunus. The subgenus is distinguished from other subgenera in the shoots having a terminal bud and solitary side buds , the flowers in groups of one to five together on short stems, and the fruit having a groove running down one...
, peach
Peach
The peach tree is a deciduous tree growing to tall and 6 in. in diameter, belonging to the subfamily Prunoideae of the family Rosaceae. It bears an edible juicy fruit called a peach...
, apricot
Apricot
The apricot, Prunus armeniaca, is a species of Prunus, classified with the plum in the subgenus Prunus. The native range is somewhat uncertain due to its extensive prehistoric cultivation.- Description :...
, pear
Pear
The pear is any of several tree species of genus Pyrus and also the name of the pomaceous fruit of these trees. Several species of pear are valued by humans for their edible fruit, but the fruit of other species is small, hard, and astringent....
, rare mango
Mango
The mango is a fleshy stone fruit belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is native to India from where it spread all over the world. It is also the most cultivated fruit of the tropical world. While...
and apple
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
but on very limited scale. The most common diet is bread, which is made of wheat or maize flour. The people of the area are fond of meat; various forms of beef
Beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...
cooked in the shape of chapli kebab, seekh kebab, tikkas.
The maximum temperature
Temperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
recorded in the summer season is 39.5 degree Celsius
Celsius
Celsius is a scale and unit of measurement for temperature. It is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death...
. A steep rise in temperature is observed from May to June. Due to intensive cultivation
Tillage
Tillage is the agricultural preparation of the soil by mechanical agitation of various types, such as digging, stirring, and overturning. Examples of human-powered tilling methods using hand tools include shovelling, picking, mattock work, hoeing, and raking...
and artificial irrigation, the tract is humid and heat is oppressive. However, the average daily temperature falls quite steeply from October onward. The coldest months are December and January. The mean minimum temperature recorded for the month of January, Sawal Dher's coldest month, is 0 degree Celsius. Most of the rainfall occurs in the months of July, August, December and January. August is the wettest month with the highest recorded precipitation at 125.8 mm. Towards the end of the cold season there are occasional thunderstorms and hail storms. The relative humidity
Relative humidity
Relative humidity is a term used to describe the amount of water vapor in a mixture of air and water vapor. It is defined as the partial pressure of water vapor in the air-water mixture, given as a percentage of the saturated vapor pressure under those conditions...
is quite high throughout the year, while 73% maximum humidity has been recorded in December.
Occupations
Most of the people in the village are farmers. However, most of the educated class is employed by the Education Department. This village is very very beautiful and also a historical place in mardan division. in the center of village sawal dher there are 5000 thousand years old remains relating to the Buddah era. It has a very spacious Masque (Masjid-e-Bala) and a traditional gathering place(Hujra)bara hujra.Center for Information Sawal Dher (CIS)
In a group of young Sawaldherians gathered to investigate the history of Sawal Dher & to work for the development of Sawal Dher. Most of the CIS members are university graduates & are highly motivated. They are firmly committed to make the village a model for other villages & towns.The development section has developed a comprehensive plan for the development in education, health & poverty reduction; expected to be funded by UN & the local government.Education
The village of Sawal Dher is very fertile in education. In early there were no idea about the importance of education but now the people are aware of this importance. The education ratio is increasing day by day. For primary education, there are a number of schools in public sector as well as private schools. There is also a Higher Secondary School for girls and a High School for boys, which helps in educating the villagers.External links
- A Book On Sawal Dher By Hafiz Sherin Gul
- http://www.piczo.com/sawaldher?cr=3
- Sawal Dher Blog
- Sawal Dher Map
